Patricia Chmura is one of a handful of patients participating in the growing nocturnal dialysis program that has helped her gain back the life she once had.
The regional renal program at Kitchener’s Grand River Hospital (GRH) offers a nocturnal dialysis program to patients in Waterloo Wellington region. Patients with chronic kidney failure typically spend four hours a day, three times a week on life-sustaining dialysis in the hospital.
The nocturnal dialysis program helps patients complete their dialysis treatment to remove toxins from their blood while they are asleep in their own home.
Research has shown that patients who take charge of their treatment are more likely to live a longer and healthier life.
Chmura, 21, from Kitchener, used to go through a lot of inconvenience to get her dialysis treatments. She has undergone nocturnal dialysis for almost nine months and has gained more flexibility in her daily living through it.
“Before I started nocturnal dialysis, my life was limited by my treatments. I was on dialysis four to five hours a day, so I didn’t have a lot of time to spend with family and friends.
Finding a job was even more difficult because employers were not willing to be flexible with my schedule,“ said Chmura.
Nocturnal dialysis provides patients with many benefits such as:
– more flexibility in schedules;
– fewer complications that require hospital stays;
– a greater sense of control over their disease;
– improved quality of dialysis treatments, and
– an overall better quality of life.
“I’ve been given my life back and I’ve been able to catch up on things that I couldn’t do when I was on regular dialysis,” said Chmura.
That type of treatment while asleep is considered gentler and easier on the heart, with almost none of the symptoms of regular dialysis.
“I have more energy and I feel so much better,” said Chmura.
“The partnership between Grand River Hospital and the Ontario Renal Network has allowed our regional renal program the ability to offer this dialysis option to our patients and our community,” said Peter Varga, renal program director.
Over the years, the program has developed and expanded to help patients maintain their independence and the option to receive dialysis treatments at home, or through a dialysis satellite clinic currently available at GRH’s Freeport Site, as well as in Guelph and Palmerston.
The renal program is one of the largest and fastest growing renal programs within a community hospital in Ontario. It is the only regional program providing life-sustaining renal care to patients in the Waterloo Wellington region and provides dialysis to nearly 500 patients.
