Stresses on kidney patients

Understanding your condition
You will hear a lot of new and complex medical terms. When you are not feeling well or are under stress it is difficult to understand and to remember everything you are told. Feel free to ask the members of your renal-care team to explain what you don't understand.

Managing your treatment
You may worry about your ability to manage your treatment by yourself.

Members of your family, your support group or your community are often eager to help you at home. Discuss your concerns with your social worker, nurse, or doctor. They have helped many other kidney patients and will be able to suggest ways of helping you manage your treatment.

Sometimes, dialysis patients may question the need to follow all of the treatment recommendations. Some of the reasons for this questioning may be;

Belief that the treatment/lifestyle change is not effective.
Lack of understanding—you don't know what effect your treatment/lifestyle change is supposed to have, nor what will happen to your health if you don't follow it.
Unpleasant side effects of the treatment.
Feeling overwhelmed by the burden of maintaining a life-long treatment plan in order to continue living.

It is important that you understand your treatment, and the purpose of any dietary or other lifestyle changes you are asked to make. If you find that particular aspects of your treatment are difficult to manage, discuss the problem with your doctor or nurse. They may recommend ways your treatment could be modified to make it easier for you.

If you are not following the advice of your doctors, be honest, tell them, and explain why. If you don't, they may change your prescriptions in the belief that you are not responding to your dialysis treatment or medications.

Staying independent
This is a period of change and adjustment for you and those around you. You might find yourself not being as productive and self-sufficient as you were before your kidneys failed, and needing help. You may resent becoming dependent on your medical team, on a caregiver, or on the machines and equipment you need for treatment. You may find it difficult to ask for emotional support from your family or healthcare team.

Let others know how you feel and what you need. The more they know the more they can help you stay as independent as you want to be.

Working
You may be worrying that your employers' attitude toward your illness will affect your job security and advancement opportunities. Your nurse or social worker can help you consider what to tell your employer about your disease and treatment. Remember, there are laws protecting your employment as well as laws protecting your right to privacy.

For more, see Work and support.

Lifestyle
Kidney disease and its treatment may disrupt your day-to-day activities and family relationships. Over time you will learn how to incorporate your dialysis treatments into your work, family, recreation and social activities. It is important that you maintain such activities as much as possible. They help define you and make you feel good about yourself. They are, in part, why you are important to others.

You may have to give up or change some aspects of your life. With help from the care team, you will be able to continue most of your activities or modify them. There are many activities you can still enjoy and vacations you can take.

Body image
You may feel self-conscious about your appearance if it has changed as a result of your treatment. You may have problems coming to terms with your fistula or peritoneal dialysis catheter.

Your nurse or social worker may be able to help you find ways to adjust to these changes and feel better about yourself.