Time For Dialysis

If anyone has been in hospital, they would know the morning routine for the wards. But this morning was different. I was woken up at 6am by my consultant, who then asked me to read and sign a waiver. This waiver was to allow them to insert a jugular line into my chest so they could start dialysis that afternoon. I knew from this point on, my transplanted kidney was gone and it was not going to recover.

I started to have my breakfast whilst reading over this waiver. Reading about all the risks and what was involved. I signed the forms and handed them back to my consultant. In as little as an hour, they were ready for me. The procedure took little over 40 minutes and was painless. They had inserted a central jugular line into my jugular vein on the left side of my chest.

After the line was inserted, I was taken over to the dialysis room to start my first dialysis session. I learnt that for the first few session it is best to stay sat up instead of lying down. I found that lying down put pressure on my chest which made me feel sick and hot. Dialysis via a line is painless. For the rest of that week I had dialysis three time and it was looking like I could go home soon after spending 3 weeks in there.

Soon I will upload the central line procedure post explaining everything that happens during the 40-minute operation. Hoping everyone is keeping safe and as always if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.