For the last few years I have been dialyzing at home. Apart from the fact that this trip (which begins in less then 24 hours) is going to be my first out of the country, this is also the first time I will be doing conventional thrice weekly, four hour dialysis sessions in-center for such a long time. I have done one such session at a time when I travelled to Goa twice in the last few years. Never more than that.
Now, for the next three weeks, I will be undergoing this modality. I am honestly quite scared. For one, I will have to restrict my fluid intake and watch what I eat as well. I will also be subjected to high blood flow and dialysate flow rates. When you're undergoing nocturnal dialysis, it is ok to run the dialysis at low blood flows which causes the whole dialysis to be gentler and less strenuous. When you do four hour sessions, you need to clean the blood at a much faster rate and this causes the 'drained' feeling that is associated with dialysis.
My trip is divided into four parts really. The first leg when I get to Seattle and I get two continuous days of four hour sessions - so that will give me good dialysis. Then comes the cruise itself - I am hoping I will be so busy having fun on the cruise with my buddies and the shore excursions and stuff that I will not have time to even think about the dialysis. Then comes the California leg - Los Angeles and San Jose - where I have three alternate night nocturnal sessions which will give me very good dialysis. These should be fairly easy. Last is the Las Vegas, Toronto and New Jersey leg. Here I have one session each. So, not too bad all in all!
It will be interesting to see how dialysis is done in other countries as well and compare it to how it is done here in India. I will getting all my dialysis sessions in Davita centers except in Toronto where I will be going to a private center - the only center that offers dialysis to international visitors. Initially I had tried to book all nocturnal sessions but surprisingly, very few centers had this facility!
Here's hoping my trip goes off well!
Now, for the next three weeks, I will be undergoing this modality. I am honestly quite scared. For one, I will have to restrict my fluid intake and watch what I eat as well. I will also be subjected to high blood flow and dialysate flow rates. When you're undergoing nocturnal dialysis, it is ok to run the dialysis at low blood flows which causes the whole dialysis to be gentler and less strenuous. When you do four hour sessions, you need to clean the blood at a much faster rate and this causes the 'drained' feeling that is associated with dialysis.
My trip is divided into four parts really. The first leg when I get to Seattle and I get two continuous days of four hour sessions - so that will give me good dialysis. Then comes the cruise itself - I am hoping I will be so busy having fun on the cruise with my buddies and the shore excursions and stuff that I will not have time to even think about the dialysis. Then comes the California leg - Los Angeles and San Jose - where I have three alternate night nocturnal sessions which will give me very good dialysis. These should be fairly easy. Last is the Las Vegas, Toronto and New Jersey leg. Here I have one session each. So, not too bad all in all!
It will be interesting to see how dialysis is done in other countries as well and compare it to how it is done here in India. I will getting all my dialysis sessions in Davita centers except in Toronto where I will be going to a private center - the only center that offers dialysis to international visitors. Initially I had tried to book all nocturnal sessions but surprisingly, very few centers had this facility!
Here's hoping my trip goes off well!
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