The start of dialysis can be a very scary experience for both patients and their families.

Even if patients and families have received pre-dialysis care from nephrologists and nurses for long periods of time, dialysis initiation can sometimes be a shock and a very difficult transition. Patients feel like their lives have been turned upside down, “sentenced” to live on dialysis with no hope for the future. While dialysis is not a cure for kidney disease, it is a life-sustaining treatment, and it will help you feel much better. Although it does not work immediately, after a few dialysis treatments, patients generally report feeling improved, with increased energy levels and appetite and decreased itching, weakness, and nausea.

Everyone has different emotions and experiences during dialysis initiation, and people sometimes feel scared because they don’t know what to expect, and they don’t know if what they are experiencing is normal. This section will describe what patients and families can expect as they start dialysis. Read more about different topics on dialysis below.