Dialysis caregiver

@arnell Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! We have a conversation going about dialysis, and I will post that link in the morning.

What type of dialysis is the person you are caring doing? In center or at home? Hemodialysis or peritoneal?
Ginger

@arnell Here is the link to the Dialysis discussion here on Mayo Clinic Connect. It is still within the Kidney and Bladder Support Group: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/dialysis-stories-and-questions/

What questions do you have?
Ginger

Hemodialysis

@arnell I want to add my welcome to Ginger’s. Ginger is great, has lots of experience and knows how to post helpful links. So you are a caregiver for someone undergoing hemodialysis. Is the hemodialysis done at a center or is it at home?

@arnell As @cehunt asked, is the hemodialysis in center or at home?

A few general comments about being a caregiver for someone on dialysis:
-Keep the lines of communication open! There can be several other health concerns that need to be dealt with at the same time as dialysis, and it is important that everyone is on the same page.
-Be there for the patient. That might mean helping to transport them the dialysis sessions, if possible, of arranging for medical transport. Attend as many appointments with the patient as you can, to ask questions and understand what is going on. Beyond that, the patient may need to have a "second set of eyes/ears". As a hemodialysis patient, they may experience peaks and valleys of energy, and your help will be appreciated.
-Remember to also take care of yourself. You cannot be a caretaker of someone else without taking care of yourself, first!

When you are ready to share a bit more about your situation, we're here to help!
Ginger

At the center. I’m the transportation there and back. His potassium is high, and the food limitations have him very depressed. My husband is a combat veteran, with service connected disabilities, but we go to center near our home.