Dialysis guides
Getting started
What to Track During Your First Week on Dialysis
A simple first-week dialysis tracking guide for recording treatment-day facts, symptoms, recovery patterns, access changes, and questions for your care team.
Adjusting to Dialysis: What the First 90 Days Can Really Be Like
A practical guide to the first 90 days on hemodialysis, focused on rebuilding routine, managing recovery time, transportation, work, family changes, mood, and knowing…
Starting Hemodialysis: A Practical Guide to Your First 30 Days
A practical first-30-days guide to starting in-center hemodialysis, including treatment-day routines, access care, symptoms, labs, food, fluid, and questions to ask.
How to Prepare for Dialysis: Night-Before and Morning Checklist
Use a simple night-before and morning-of checklist to organize transportation, clothing, medications, access considerations, questions, and the items you plan to bring.
What Happens If You Miss a Dialysis Treatment?
If you miss a hemodialysis treatment, the next step matters. Learn why contacting your dialysis center promptly is important and which symptoms may need…
Questions to Ask Your Dialysis Care Team
Use this guide to organize questions for your nephrologist, nurse, technician, dietitian, social worker, and other members of the dialysis care team before the…
How Long Does Dialysis Take? Why Hemodialysis Takes Several Hours
How long does dialysis take? In-center hemodialysis often lasts about 3 to 5 hours per treatment. Learn what determines your prescribed time and why…
What Happens During Hemodialysis?
Follow the blood path through a hemodialysis treatment and learn what the access, bloodlines, dialyzer, machine, alarms, and end-of-treatment steps are each doing.
Your First Hemodialysis Treatment: What to Expect
Walk through the usual sequence of an in-center hemodialysis treatment—from check-in and pre-treatment checks to treatment, disconnecting, and going home.