In its early stages, people with Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD, might not even know they have the disease because they have no symptoms. However, the disease is very likely to get worse over time, and it's important to have a good support system to cope with each new stage. In this program, learn how family members, friends, your healthcare team and even others living with CKD can help you adjust to the changes that are required to live with CKD.
In order for a dialysis machine to clean excess fluid or waste material from a person's blood, the patient needs to be connected to the machine, usually for several hours, three times a week. This connection, or fistula, is often made in the patient's arm, where an artery is surgically connected to a vein. Learn more about this access point, or AV fistula, and how it works, by watching this program.
More than 600,000 Americans have End Stage Renal Disease, where their kidneys only function at 15% of normal. At this stage of kidney disease, a patient must go on dialysis or receive a kidney transplant in order to survive. This program will explain what ESRD looks like and will offer suggestions for transitioning into this stage of chronic kidney disease.
