My father is in End Stage Renal Failure. A little over 4 weeks ago the nephrologist told him his kidneys would completely shut down in 3-6 weeks... I am starting to realize the more I talk to him the more symptoms he is having of them completely shutting down. He has known over a year that his kidneys were failing, but originally he said he would NOT go on dialysis. This past Christmas he changed his mind and got his fistula installed Jan 9th. The fistula will not be ready until the end of May, but time is closing in fast. I am afraid he will decide not to do dialysis now and I just want to know because my mom told me it does hurt... does it hurt? He told my mother he would "try" dialysis, but he wasn't sure if he would continue with it because he doesn't want to live like that. It is really difficult for me and my mom... which makes it hard to talk about it... I have sisters, but they don't talk. He said he wouldn't make a decision w/out her, but it sounds like he made up his mind.
2007-02-28 16:18:56 · 4 answers · asked by Carol D 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
Your father may need to have a catheter placed since the fistula hasn't had time to mature. The procedure is short - an hour at most. It's uncomfortable, but after a week or two he will be more comfortable with it. The great news is that he will probably only have to have it for a few months, as long as his fistula develops without complications. See if you can have him tour a local dialysis center. Your nephrologist can refer you to one. They will let him talk to the staff and patients so he can get a feel for what it will be like.
2007-02-28 19:13:54 · answer #1 · answered by Dave S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-09-22 11:08:15 · answer #2 · answered by Maria 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't be too certain that his reasons for stopping dialysis are due to pain. That being said, any procedure which involves penetrating the skin is painful, but only during the split half-second when the needle enters the skin and vein. After that, it's painless. Once you introduce local anaesthetic agents, there is very little pain.
Your father sounds depressed. It also sounds like the family situation makes it difficult for him to communicate this. There is a lot that needs to be found out, such as why he's not keen on dialysis and whether he is aware of the ramifications of such a decision. You need to voice your concerns about how he's coping with these decisions to his nephrologist or your family doctor, so that they can talk to him about it or recommend people to talk to him. An ideal option would be for them to discuss with him the idea of seeing a psychiatrist, particularly one in the medical hospital who is trained in looking after people with medical problems - they will be able to discuss the issues behind his decision as well as look for additional possibilities to try to improve his quality of life.
Renal failure is a very difficult condition to live with, and different people adapt in different ways. Your father will need to find his own tune.
Good luck.
2007-02-28 16:43:32 · answer #3 · answered by Testaco 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
honestly? I don't think that dialysis in anyway hurt. But why was it in the jugular vein? isn't it it should be in the left arm?
2007-02-28 16:32:55 · answer #4 · answered by singkit 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋