Kidney failure can be one of the scariest health problems you can endure in life. This organ is critical to the functioning of your body, and if it doesn’t work properly you might have to get dialysis to survive. Dialysis is a method for removing the toxins from your blood, something your kidneys would normally do for you.
Fortunately, dialysis has become a common and effective way to treat kidney failure and allows patients to live productive and long lives after diagnosis. People with kidney failure often need to think about how it will affect their spouse or children. Life insurance with dialysis is a great way to make sure loved ones will have money in case something tragic happens.
We’ll talk about some of the best ways to enjoy your life and protect your finances in case you ever have to undergo dialysis. We’ll also talk about whether there will be any other alternatives to dialysis in the future.
#1 – Keep a Positive Attitude
Learning you have kidney problems and need dialysis can be very mentally discouraging. There are a lot of ideas about kidney dialysis that make patients afraid and depressed right after diagnosis. It’s important for both the person undergoing dialysis and their family and friends to be there to support them during this process.
Dialysis is often a lifelong thing kidney failure patients need to undergo. Like diabetes or high blood pressure, this makes it a chronic issue. Lasting health problems feel very morbid when they are diagnosed because there isn’t a permanent cure to the problem. This is where patients need to learn about the ways treatment plans allow people to live fruitfully.
Once you undergo dialysis several times, you start getting into a routine. You’ll know how it makes your body feel. If you’re tired, or thirsty, talk to your doctor about how to overcome these problems. Once you find solutions that work for you and you get a hang of what is needed to live while undergoing dialysis, your mental health and attitude should improve.
See if there are any local support groups you can talk to. Online forums and social media hashtags can also be a convenient way to check on what other people do to handle dialysis. Be careful not to take medical advice from strangers online, but rather see how these people react to dialysis and cope on an emotional and mental level.
#2 – Find Insurance
Dialysis can be very expensive for those who don’t have insurance. If you’re somebody who is at risk for kidney failure, try to look for health insurance that will cover the treatment plans needed to live with the disease. This means people who have heart problems, high blood pressure, and diabetes should be aware of their risks for kidney failure and look for insurance.
You should also look into life insurance if you’re living with dialysis to prevent your family from being in a financial bind if you pass away from kidney failure. Making sure you control other health problems will increase the likelihood that you can find a life insurance company to cover you while on dialysis.
#3 – Look for Alternative Treatments
Dialysis is the most frequently used treatment for kidney failure, but innovations in medicine have seen some strides in the form of alternative treatments. This is especially true if kidney failure is not terminal.
Oral medications and lifestyle changes can be very helpful in overcoming kidney problems instead of dialysis. Elderly patients may be uncomfortable undergoing dialysis and should talk to their doctor about other ways to manage their disease and symptoms.
Dialysis can be extremely taxing on the body and create painful fatigue. If you’re in danger of succumbing to another disease, dialysis also may be harmful to you. Caregivers and other family members may be able to give their input and talk to your doctors about what is best in this situation.
#4 – Learn About Your Body
One of the best ways to cope with dialysis is to understand why you may have gotten kidney failure or kidney disease in the first place. Changing some of those unhealthy lifestyle choices or pinpointing another disease you had leading up to kidney failure can be helpful. As we mentioned, diabetes is one of the leading causes of kidney failure.
If you have diabetes and you’re undergoing dialysis, it’s vital to make sure one doesn’t negatively impact the other. Learning about your body and how dialysis works with your unique health problems will make treatment much more successful.
Blood sugar can be higher when you are on dialysis. Even if you don’t have diabetes, you want to be careful to keep your sugar intake low while undergoing dialysis. This will help prevent diabetes or keep it under control if you have it already.
Not everybody’s body reacts the same to dialysis, even if they have similar body types or other health issues. Being patient with yourself and learning how to overcome issues unique to your body will make everything easier in the long run.
#5 – Eat Well
Dialysis requires other lifestyle changes in your diet so you can be successful in your treatment. One of the main things to focus on is limiting your fluid intake. It’s hard for dialysis patients to flush their system and get all of the toxins out if there is too much fluid from drinking throughout the day.
Doctors can give you advice on how many liquids to consume during a 24-hour period, and how you can overcome the inevitable thirst that comes with limiting your fluid intake. Items like popsicles or frozen fruit may be effective quenchers when your tongue or throat is dry during dialysis.
Even if living with dialysis is scary and looks very bleak when you first start on it, there is a lot of proof people can still enjoy their lives while undergoing it. Lean on your family for support, eat and drink what your doctor instructs you to, and look for life insurance to protect loved ones if anything goes wrong.
This should allow you to get the most out of your years undergoing dialysis. With the advances in medicine and technology, dialysis should continue to improve for kidney failure patients all over the world.
Shawn Laib writes and researches for the insurance comparison site, ExpertInsuranceReviews.com. He wants to help people living with dialysis to live their best life after undergoing treatment.
