World Kidney Day: My dialysis patients
By: Ibtesam Akhtar Ansari
As a dialysis technician, I have seen that initially kidney patients are very nervous both mentally and physically. They are afraid to undergo dialysis and feel that they might lose a large amount of blood during dialysis. They feel that they may die because of this. While this does not happen in reality andit is a treatment, a lifesaving treatment!
During dialysis, blood is drawn into the artificial kidney. A catheter is used for this which is put in the throat or in the foot. Blood is collected in a dialysis machine through a vein that connects to the heart. An artificial kidney filters blood and removes urine. Meanwhile, the filtered blood is returned to the patient’s body through the catheter. This process is done for at least four hours. A patient has to undergo dialysis two to three times a week to lead a healthy life. If this is not done, the patient’s chances of high blood pressure increase. One of the reasons for low blood pressure readings is that their blood is not clear and urination is also reduced and if the patient does not undergo dialysis treatment, the chances of urinary obstruction increase in a few days. Therefore, it is necessary to undergo dialysis two to three times in a week. By this way, the physical balance of the patient is maintained.
Each patient has a unique history of kidney failure. Sometimes sudden vomiting and diarrhoea, high fever, excessive bleeding in an accident also causes organ failure.
High blood pressure and diabetes also increase the chances of kidney failure. The first condition to keep the kidneys safe is to never take medicine on an empty stomach. Repeated use of pain medication also has a profound effect on the kidneys. Some people are born with only one kidney and don’t even know it. Such a patient has an increased risk of kidney failure in the future.
Kidneys control blood pressure, purify blood, remove toxins from the body,maintain the acid-base system in the body and control diabetes besides other innumerable functions. Kidneys release a hormone called erythropoietinwhich helps in blood formation. Kidneys also release renin- another hormone- that maintains the body’s blood pressure.
As a dialysis technician it is very important to gain the trust of the patient and his/her family. The patient should feel that they will be healthy and lead a healthy life after their treatment. The diet plan has to be explained and the patient must strictly follow that for achieving improvement.
Being a dialysis technician is certainly not an easy thing to do. We have to manage patients with highs and lows and ensure that they be treated well. I have recently been engaged in the dialysis of a ten year old child. This child undergoes dialysis three times a week. I have to maintain courage to not show any sign of dismay and rather treat this child in such a way so as to suggest that he will be alright and that it is going to be fine for him. For this, I have to treat him as a friend during dialysis so that the child can get along well with me. This child was very scared at first. Now he is not afraid to see me and ratherbegins smiling at me as he comes to the hospital.He calls me Didi.
There is a strange magic in his voice that inspires me a lot. Connecting with him heartily and talking to him, he doesn’t notice when I take his van. He studies in fifth standard but doesn’t go to school anymore. However, he wants to study when he grows up. It is possible that he will be able to continue his studies after the kidney transplant. Like all patients, I wish him the best.
The writer is a Dialysis Technician at IKDRC, Ahmedabad. Email: [email protected]
Kashmir Images is an English language daily newspaper published from Srinagar (J&K), India. The newspaper is one of the largest circulated English dailies of Kashmir and its hard copies reach every nook and corner of Kashmir Valley besides Jammu and Ladakh region.
