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Another variable question. The answer depends on the health of the person. Many dialysis patients have other health conditions that could contribute to a patient's death while on dialysis. The technology and know-how of today is allowing people to live longer and longer on dialysis. Many patients have made it past the 15 and 20-year mark. So dialysis is not the end of one's life. A woman at my dialysis unit had been dialyzing for 25 years.

There are statistics out there if you are interested. I will warn you, they are grim.
http://www.usrds.org
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/kidney/p...
Be watchful at your dialysis unit, follow your diet, be positive, be physically active, and hopefully you will outsmart the statistical numbers.

Q. Can I still work if I'm on dialysis?

Sure. A lot of people on dialysis still work. You may get tired here or there and need to take a little break to give yourself a rest. Make sure your boss knows of your condition. The biggest problem seems to be scheduling. Because hemodialysis takes up a lot of time, it may prove difficult to arrange a work schedule around your treatment time. Peritoneal dialysis can be done nearly everywhere, so some people prefer this modality of dialysis.

Many states have work rehabilitation programs. These programs can help if you cannot continue to work where you once did. They can train you for something else and help you find a new job.

Q. Will dialysis be the end of my life as I know it?

No way! Dialysis will be a big part of your life, but it will not be the only part of your life. I look at it like a part time job. You can still do everything you always did before dialysis. You can still be a great contributor to your family and community. You will still be a vibrant, smart, witty, exciting, fun, shy, short, blonde person that you always were. (Wait these adjectives, describe me, put your own in there. Heh heh )

Q. Chris you seem so positive. I'm so scared and depressed will I     ever get over feeling like this?

Believe me I was terrified before starting dialysis. I had no first hand knowledge of what dialysis was. Knowing that I would need to go to a dialysis center for treatment for the rest of my life or until I get a transplant was very depressing. I've been on dialysis for

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