Living well on dialysis
Living your best life possible means living a dialysis-friendly lifestyle, which includes:
- Getting your full dialysis – every minute, every single treatment.
- Working with your dialysis dietitian to understand and create a dialysis-friendly eat/drink plan that’s just right for you.
- Knowing how to care for your dialysis access and other things you can do to reduce your risk of infection.
- Learning about possible side effects and how to manage them.
- Knowing what to do to prepare for an emergency or if you need a hospital stay.
- Knowing when to ask for help so you can do what you need/want to do – work, travel, and eat out.
- Keeping active and staying positive.
Get every minute of your dialysis treatment
Your kidney doctor has carefully determined exactly how much dialysis your body needs to be as healthy as possible. Do everything possible to not miss treatment or shorten your treatment time. Every minute counts! If you need help with transportation or some other problem that might prevent you from getting treatment, call your care team immediately.
Staying Positive
Make time every day to do something you love. Connect with others and share how you’re feeling. Ask your care team for help when living on dialysis gets difficult.
Staying Active
No matter your physical ability, staying active is essential for a better and longer life. Talk to your kidney doctor about the right exercise plan for you.
Additional resources
Work and travel
Dialysis can fit into your lifestyle. Need to work? Interested in going back to school? Want to plan a special vacation? It’s possible. Get the information and then start planning what’s next!
Dialysis with more freedom
If you ever feel like you’d like more schedule freedom, more food options, or the opportunity to take fewer medications, home dialysis may be right for you.
Delicious recipes for a dialysis-healthy life
Our online cookbook includes dozens of tasty kidney-friendly recipes to enjoy. In fact, these dishes are good for your whole family. Which one will become your new favorite dinner go-to?
