Lee73
05-06-2005, 11:35 AM
Hi Everyone,
When I first came to these forums I posted about my dad's condition (type 1 for 30+ years, heart attack and kidney failure a year ago). Well, last week he was hospitalized for peritonitis...again. This is an infection of the peritoneal cavity (abdomen) where my father does his dialysis. Unfortunately the infection is very painful and very dangerous and requires hospitalization. Well, frustratingly, my father has had peritonitis several times since begining dialysis, thus he has been in and out of the hospital all year. So, the doctors finally decided to switch him to hemo dialysis (intravenous). At first they were worried that his veins were too weak for hemo dialysis....but he has taken to it very well with no complications and his veins are holding up just fine. Already he looks so much better. Peritoneal dialysis causes extreme bloating and only a week into the hemo he has lost much of the liquid weight caused by the peritoneal dialysis. He looks like himself again. :thumbsup:
Now he is doing physical rehabilitation. For the past year he has not really been able to walk and has very little strength in general. He has just begun rehab and apparently he walked 100 feet yesterday!! This is big news. We are all really happy. He is looking better and feeling better and we find ourselves all wondering if peritoneal dialysis was perhaps not the greatest option for my dad all along.
Well, this is getting long, so I will wrap it up. Just wanted to share my dad's little successes. If anyone has any stories or info about dialysis (either peritoneal or hemo) I'd appreciate hearing them. Thanks.
Lee
When I first came to these forums I posted about my dad's condition (type 1 for 30+ years, heart attack and kidney failure a year ago). Well, last week he was hospitalized for peritonitis...again. This is an infection of the peritoneal cavity (abdomen) where my father does his dialysis. Unfortunately the infection is very painful and very dangerous and requires hospitalization. Well, frustratingly, my father has had peritonitis several times since begining dialysis, thus he has been in and out of the hospital all year. So, the doctors finally decided to switch him to hemo dialysis (intravenous). At first they were worried that his veins were too weak for hemo dialysis....but he has taken to it very well with no complications and his veins are holding up just fine. Already he looks so much better. Peritoneal dialysis causes extreme bloating and only a week into the hemo he has lost much of the liquid weight caused by the peritoneal dialysis. He looks like himself again. :thumbsup:
Now he is doing physical rehabilitation. For the past year he has not really been able to walk and has very little strength in general. He has just begun rehab and apparently he walked 100 feet yesterday!! This is big news. We are all really happy. He is looking better and feeling better and we find ourselves all wondering if peritoneal dialysis was perhaps not the greatest option for my dad all along.
Well, this is getting long, so I will wrap it up. Just wanted to share my dad's little successes. If anyone has any stories or info about dialysis (either peritoneal or hemo) I'd appreciate hearing them. Thanks.
Lee