redpanda

I was on dialysis for just over 9 years. My situation was much different than your fathers. I was only 21 when I started and had my entire life ahead of me. Dialysis can be scarry, painful, and emotionally difficult for everyone involved. All I can do is offer my advice on how to deal with diaylsis, if this is in fact the path you and your family wish to take. The best thing to do is make your father comfortable. If you can try to make sure that someone he knowns is there for the first few weeks until he is comfortable with his surroundings. If he continues to feel uncomfortable after that time, then try to get anyone that he knows to just come and sit with him. Most of the dialysis units have Cable TV and sometimes even have a DVD player or a VCR. Typically dialysis patients get very cold, simply because of the fluid being removed from their body, so take blankets and even a heating pad if you can. The ideal thing to do at diaylsis is to avoid watching the clock, so if you can keep occupied even by sleeping do it.

In terms of thing to do outside of the dialysis time, i'm sure the doctors will bombard you with a million things to do and not to do. Until you have a good grasp of everything just remember the two most important things are limiting fluids and potassium. Fluids tend to be difficult in the begining, try to get some small child size cups if that helps. Potassium can cause a number of problems, watch the potatoes, oranges, bannanas, and beans are the worst culprits. If your father is still able to move or exersize, get him up moving! Even if its just lifting his legs and arms in bed.

Finnally the most important of anything i can tell you is to be positive. People tend to feed off negative energy. If there is nothing there for them to feel sorry about they have no alternative but to stop feelling sorry for themselves. This applies to everyone in the family. I know this is a lot of information but I hope it helps alittle.