For patients
Kidney failure, explained without the fog
Most people arrive here frightened, holding a leaflet and a date. You do not have to understand all of this today. Read one thing, then stop.
10 guides | Last reviewed
If you have just been told
Four things worth knowing before anything else, because they are the ones people most often find out too late.
You have more time than it feels like
Very few people start dialysis the day they hear about it. There is almost always time to ask questions, to see the unit, and to change your mind about how you want to be treated.
When dialysis is actually neededThere is more than one option
In-centre haemodialysis is the one everybody pictures. It is not the only one. Home haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis at home, and conservative care are all real choices with real trade-offs.
Compare the options honestlyThe choice is yours to make
Your team advises. You decide, and you are allowed to change your mind later. The decision belongs to you, and it should be made with good information rather than out of fear.
What each treatment asks of youAsk about a transplant early
A transplant is not something that happens instead of dialysis at the end. Being assessed early matters, and for some people the assessment can begin before dialysis ever starts.
How the transplant pathway worksUnderstanding kidney disease
What the kidneys actually do, what the numbers on your blood test mean, and how anyone decides that dialysis is needed.
Choosing treatment
The four real paths, compared honestly, plus transplantation and why the question should be asked early.
Starting dialysis
Your access, and what a first session is really like. Most of the fear is surprise, and surprise is fixable.
Living with dialysis
Food, fluid, medicines, work, exercise, relationships and mood. Dialysis is hard, and a life is still a life.
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.
There are more warning signs than these, covering your access, your fluid and your mood. See the full list on the patient hub.
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.