Dialysis community

Karin

I had dialysis in the spring of 2023, as a bridge to my second kidney transplant and I realized how many people create community in the dialysis center. I was wondering if you have experience with this and how this has benefited you? I was so scared of dialysis and the whole process made me so tired and weak, yet I knew it was saving my life. It was hard to be social during this time.

LaVise0325

I was on dialysis for 7.5 years ( 5.5 years on hemodialysis and 2 years on peritoneal. During that time, it was really hard for me to be social. Looking back, I wish I had built more connections with the people sitting in-center with me.

I used to sit in the waiting room and talk to different patients, and as the years went on, I slowly came out of my shell. Sometimes I still think about one particular lady and wonder how she’s doing now.

Even though I built relationships with my dialysis team, they couldn’t fully understand what I was going through the way another patient could. It would have meant so much to have someone to talk to who truly understood the journey.