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Dialysis on Your Schedule
When Avril Blemings was diagnosed with kidney disease three years ago and learned that she had to go on dialysis, she knew exactly what kind of treatment would best suit her lifestyle. A former military nurse in Athens, Texas, this 62-year-old knew about peritoneal dialysis from her nursing days.
"I wanted peritoneal dialysis right from the beginning," says Avril, a patient at the Tyler, Texas, facility. "I like to be in control of my own life, and with peritoneal dialysis I feel like I have more control."
It's Habit-Forming
Avril says she’s too active to stay in bed for the eight to 10 hours that continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis (CCPD) requires. So continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, or CAPD, was a natural choice for her. She makes four exchanges of dialysate daily, each taking about 30 minutes to complete.
"I have no trouble whatsoever. It truly is a habit now—before breakfast, before lunch, before dinner and before bed," Avril says.
CAPD also gives her the flexibility to enjoy life without adhering to a strict schedule. "It gives me enough leeway and more freedom with what I want to do with my life," she says. "I love to cook, so if I have friends coming over at 7 p.m., I don’t want to be doing an exchange at 5:30 when I’m cooking. Instead, I’ll do it an hour earlier. I have a little bit of play with the times, which I really love."
Dialysis on Your Schedule
Avril doesn’t let her dialysis treatments get in the way of her vacations either. "When I go on vacation, I pack up my solutions and go."
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