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Dialysis.sc

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Questions about the site, corrections, or something we have got wrong? We would genuinely like to hear from you, and we read everything that arrives.

We cannot give medical advice, and we cannot book or arrange dialysis sessions. Dialysis.sc is an information resource, not a clinic and not a booking service. We cannot see your results or your history, we cannot tell you what your fluid allowance should be, and we cannot get you a chair in a unit.

If you are worried about a symptom, contact your dialysis unit today. They expect calls and would far rather answer a question than admit you in an emergency. If you need urgent help, call your local emergency number.

What is worth writing to us about

This site is written for three groups of people, and each of you sees something the others cannot.

If you are on or facing dialysis

Tell us what you could not find, or what we explained badly. The gaps you notice are the most useful thing anyone sends us. We cannot advise on your own treatment, but we can write the page that should have been here.

If you are a family member or carer

Tell us what nobody warned you about. Carers see the practical failures first, and they are the readers most often left out of the leaflet.

If you are a health professional

Corrections, missed guideline updates, and anything we have stated more confidently than the evidence supports. Point us at the source and we will fix it or say why we disagree.

Send us a message

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Contact information

Spotted an error? Send us the page, the sentence, and what is wrong with it. If you can point us at a source, better still. Our editorial standard is on the about page.

Dialysis.sc is part of the Medtech health ecosystem.

If you came here because something is wrong right now, do not wait for an email. This is what needs urgent attention.

When to seek urgent help

Some things cannot wait until your next session. If you recognise yourself here, act now.

Call your local emergency number now

  • Bleeding from your fistula, graft or catheter that will not stop with firm, continuous pressure

    Blood loss from a dialysis access can be rapid and life-threatening. Press hard, do not let go, and call for help.

  • Chest pain or tightness, or pain spreading to the arm or jaw

    This can be a heart attack. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in people on dialysis.

  • Severe breathlessness, especially lying flat, waking up gasping, or coughing pink frothy sputum

    Fluid on the lungs. This can be fatal and may need urgent dialysis.

  • Collapse, fainting, a seizure, or new confusion

    Could be a dangerous drop in blood pressure, a dangerous potassium level, a stroke, or dialysis disequilibrium.

  • Palpitations with dizziness, or a very slow or very irregular pulse, especially after a missed session

    Suggests a high potassium level or an abnormal heart rhythm. Severe hyperkalaemia can stop the heart.

  • Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side, or sudden trouble speaking or seeing

    This can be a stroke. People on dialysis are at high risk, and treatment is time-critical.

Contact your dialysis unit today

  • The thrill (the buzz you can feel over your fistula or graft) is weak or gone

    The access may be clotting. This is time-critical and it may still be saved if it is treated within hours.

  • Fever, shaking chills, or suddenly feeling very unwell, especially if you have a catheter

    This can be a bloodstream infection. Catheters carry the highest infection risk of any access.

  • Cloudy drained fluid, tummy pain, fever, nausea or vomiting on peritoneal dialysis

    Treat this as peritonitis until proven otherwise. Do not wait, and bring the drained bag with you.

  • Redness, heat, swelling, tenderness, pus or discharge at any access or exit site

    An access or exit-site infection needs to be seen, not watched.

  • A cold, painful, numb, weak or pale hand on your access side

    Possible steal syndrome, where the access diverts blood from the hand. A strong thrill does not rule it out.

  • You have missed a session, or you are about to miss one

    Missing dialysis is dangerous, not merely inconvenient, and missing the session after the long weekend gap is the most dangerous of all. Call the unit. Never just skip.

  • New swelling of the ankles, face or abdomen, or new breathlessness on exertion, or a bigger weight gain than your unit agreed

    Fluid is building up. It is far better to be reviewed early than to arrive with fluid on the lungs.

  • New or worsening low mood, hopelessness, or thoughts of harming yourself

    Depression affects roughly a quarter of people on dialysis. It is treatable, and it is linked to missed treatments. Tell someone today.

Whatever else is happening

  • Carry a card or wear an alert saying that you have kidney failure, that you are on dialysis, and which arm carries your access. No blood pressure cuff, no blood tests and no drips in that arm.
  • Tell any doctor, dentist, pharmacist or paramedic that you are on dialysis before any treatment or prescription.
  • Avoid anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen, diclofenac and naproxen, and check every over-the-counter medicine and supplement with your kidney team or pharmacist.
  • If in doubt, ring the unit. Dialysis units expect calls. They would far rather answer a question than admit you in an emergency.

This list is general information, not a diagnosis. It cannot cover everything, and it does not replace your kidney team. If something feels wrong and it is not on this list, ring the unit anyway.