SWARION LIFESCIENCES

LIFE STYLE CHANGE

Stop smoking, if you smoke

Eat a healthy and balanced diet

Restrict your salt intake to less than 6g (0.2oz) a day

Do regular exercise – aim to do at least 150 minutes a week

Moderate your alcohol intake so it’s within the recommended limits of no more than 14 alcohol units a week

Lose weight if you’re overweight or obese

Avoid over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, except when advised to by a medical professional – these medicines can harm your kidneys if you have kidney disease

DIALYSIS

In a small proportion of people with kidney disease, the condition will eventually get to a point where their kidneys stop working.

This rarely happens suddenly, so there should be time to plan the next stage of your treatment.

One of the options when CKD reaches this stage is to have dialysis. This is a procedure to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood.

There are two main types of dialysis:

haemodialysis – this involves diverting blood into an external machine, where it’s filtered before being returned to the body

peritoneal dialysis – this involves pumping dialysis fluid into the space inside your tummy to draw out waste products from the blood passing through vessels lining the inside of your tummy

Haemodialysis is usually done about three times a week, either at hospital or at home. Peritoneal dialysis is normally done at home several times a day, or overnight.

If you don’t have a kidney transplant, treatment with dialysis will usually need to be lifelong.

Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of each type of dialysis and discuss which type you would prefer if your kidney function becomes severely reduced.

SUPPORTIVE TREATMENT

You’ll be offered supportive treatment if you decide not to have dialysis or a transplant for kidney failure, or they’re not suitable for you. This is also called palliative or conservative care.

The aim is to treat and control the symptoms of kidney failure. It includes medical, psychological and practical care for both the person with kidney failure and their family, including discussion about how you feel and planning for the end of life.

Many people choose supportive treatment because they:

are unlikely to benefit from or have a good quality of life with treatment

don’t want to go through the inconvenience of treatment with dialysis

are advised against dialysis because they have other serious illnesses, and the negative aspects of treatment outweigh any likely benefits

have been on dialysis, but have decided to stop this treatment

are being treated with dialysis, but have another serious illness, such as severe heart disease or stroke, that will shorten their life

If you choose to have supportive treatment, your kidney unit will still look after you. Supportive care can still allow you to live for some time with a good quality of life.