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Treatment Options

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What are my treatment options?

When your kidneys fail, you must decide on a treatment to replace kidney function. Each treatment choice has advantages and disadvantages. You may also choose to forego treatment.

Treatment options include:

DialysisHemodialysis
Peritoneal Dialysis
Kidney Transplant
By learning about your choices, you can better decide what's best for you.

 

Choosing a Treatment That's Right for You

This booklet provides information on how to choose the best treatment option for YOU.

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Choosing a Treatment That's Right for You - Spanish

The Spanish language version of this booklet provides information on how to choose the best treatment option for YOU.

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Dialysis Schedules: Tips for Patients and Staff

Scheduling issues are a common source of frustration for dialysis patients and staff.This document addresses what you can do to help keep your dialysis schedule running as on time as possible.

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Fixing Paco: Kidney Transplant as a Treatment Option, Living Donation, and the Importance of Proactive Patient Involvement

Fixing Paco is a website dedicated to educating the public about the leading causes of kidney disease, how to prevent it, kidney transplant as a treatment option, the need for living organ donors, and the importance of proactive patient involvement in care.

There are two components to the website:

  • A web series that tells the "story of family, big decisions and second chances."

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Follow Patients as They Talk About Home Dialysis

Learn more about home dialysis and how it might work for you with a new video, Dialysis: How I Took the Road Home.
Follow patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) as they share their personal journeys with home dialysis. From discovering needle-free modalities like peritoneal dialysis (PD) to enjoying the flexibility to travel, patients are finding a better quality of life.

Imagine life with:

  • More energy
  • Flexible treatment schedules
  • Fewer diet and fluid restrictions
  • Less travel to the clinic

If you are a facility, use the Discover the Benefits of Home Dialysis flyer and poster to promote the Dialysis: How I took the Road Home video.

Talk to your healthcare team to learn about whether home dialysis could be right for you.

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Get the Facts: Kidney Transplant

Learn the facts about getting a kidney transplant and how it might affect you, before you make decisions about your treatment.

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Home Dialysis Central

Home Dialysis Central is an online source of up-to-date, unbiased information about home dialysis for people with kidney disease, their families, and the healthcare professionals who provide kidney disease care.

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Keep Comfortable on Dialysis

This one page document for patients provides some ideas to help promote comfort and ease patients' pain that can be tried before moving to medication.

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Living Donor Assistance

The National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC) provides greater access to transplantation for persons who want to donate, but cannot otherwise afford the travel and subsistence expenses associated with donation.

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MEI: My Life, My Dialysis Choice

This interactive website, available in English and Spanish, guides patients through the many treatment options available for kidney patients, helping them choose the right treatment for their lifestyle.

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Modalities to Treat ESRD

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases provides information and education regarding ESRD treatment.

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Modalities to Treat ESRD - Spanish Version

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases provides information and education regarding ESRD treatment options in Spanish.

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My Choices: Hemodialysis

Know Your Options flyer explaining the different hemodialysis treatment options for ESRD, including advantages and disadvantages.

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My Choices: Hemodialysis - Spanish

Know Your Options Spanish language flyer explaining the different hemodialysis treatment options for ESRD, including advantages and disadvantages.

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My Choices: Kidney Transplant

Know Your Options flyer explaining the treatment option of kidney transplantation, including advantages and disadvantages.

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My Choices: Kidney Transplant - Spanish

Know Your Options Spanish language flyer explaining the treatment option of kidney transplantation, including advantages and disadvantages.

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My Choices: Peritoneal Dialysis

Know Your Options flyer explaining the different peritoneal dialysis treatment options for ESRD, including advantages and disadvantages.

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My Choices: Peritoneal Dialysis - Spanish

Spanish language Know Your Options flyer explaining the different peritoneal dialysis treatment options for ESRD, including advantages and disadvantages.

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National Kidney Foundation: Become and Organ Donor

This website explains the need for people to consider being organ donors.

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Partnering with Your Transplant Team

This is a comprehensive guide book to undergoing and managing your kidney transplant.

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Partnering with Your Transplant Team - Spanish

This is a Spanish language comprehensive guide book to undergoing and managing your kidney transplant.

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Peritoneal Dialysis

This page provides a list of English and Spanish language educational resources for patients on peritoneal dialysis. 

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Transplant

Transplant is another treatment for kidney failure.  Learn more here.

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Transplant Patient Brochures - English and Spanish

These patient brochures in English and Spanish include information about organ transplantation, living donation, financial strategies, and partnering with your care team.

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TransWeb.org

TransWeb.org  provides transplant patients and their families with information specifically dealing with transplant-related issues and concerns.

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Treatment Methods: Hemodialysis

This booklet discusses how hemodialysis works.

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Treatment Methods: Peritoneal Dialysis

This guide discusses peritoneal dialysis treatment methods.

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Understanding Hemodialysis

This guide discusses how hemodialysis works when your kidneys fail.

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Understanding Peritoneal Dialysis

This guide explains how peritoneal dialysis works when your kidneys fail.

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Who Do I Talk to if I Want to Change My Treatment Options (English)

Know Your Options flyer that provides information on who to talk to if you want to try a different treatment for ESRD.

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Who Do I Talk to if I Want to Change My Treatment Options (Spanish)

Know Your Options Spanish language flyer that provides information on who to talk to if you want to try a different treatment for ESRD.

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Why Am I Cold? Brochure

This tri-fold brochure explains the reasons why a dialysis patient might feel cold and ways to keep warm while on dialysis.

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