If you read my previous post, you will know that I am very happy and comfortable with peritoneal dialysis (PD). So this is not going to be a basic list of pros and cons that you see all over the web. This is my personal experience and what I love and hate about it. You might not experience the same if you were to choose PD but it is always interesting to hear other experiences.

Pros

I have heard stories of people feeling tired and drained after hemo dialysis. With PD, once I am done I can carry on with my day. It does not drain me at all. It does however leave me feeling quite cold (even if its scorching hot outside), so I tend to carry a jersey around with me.

It does not take too much time. I do three exchanges a day and each exchange is about 30 minutes. I get to take the weekends off so I only do my dialysis 5 times a week.

I no longer feel exhausted.  This is probably the best thing I have experienced since starting PD. Before I started dialysis (and before I was diagnosed) I would sleep immediately after work. I would basically nap from 4PM-8PM. This left me with very little time to do things, run errands, got to the gym, visit friends, etc. Since starting PD, I don’t need that nap anymore. I finally started going back to the gym and I have had a lot more time to myself.

Cons

Your hands are dry all the time. This might sound silly but because you’re constantly using hand sanitizer, your hands become quite dry. Hand cream helps but only if you’re applying it constantly.

If you’re exhausted, it seems like a daunting task. Sometimes I get home from work and I am ridiculously tired. All I want to do is take a nap. But I have to set up all my equipment and do my dialysis.

The boxes. Your supplies are delivered on a monthly basis and it takes up a lot of space. I don’t have the biggest room so I have to keep my supplies in another room and move a few boxes at a time into my room.

If you hate the smell of hospitals, you’re probably going to hate PD. My bedroom and the walkway near my bedroom always smells like a sterile hospital. I am quite immune to the smell now but anyone that walks by comments that my room smells like a hospital

I cannot swim. Which is quite horrible for me as I love being in a swimming pool or swimming in a river. I recently went on a family picnic along a beautiful river and all I wanted to do was jump in!

I also cannot take baths (which doesn’t work with my Lush obsession). I am however grateful that  I can still take long showers!