Almost 3 Years on Peritoneal Dialysis

 Now that it has been almost 3 years since I started dialysis, I have a better insight on how things work. I still do my treatments at home, and I still do 5 treatments a day, but now I understand better the hows and the whys of the system. Every step we take in life is "learn as we go", and it's the same with treating my kidney failure. Things that work well with one patient, may not have the same results with another. Our bodies are all basically the same, but rarely do you find 2 that are exactly the same. Therefore symptoms and treatments will vary between patients by different degrees. Last summer, the team at the dialysis unit tried a different treatment scheme. After 6 weeks on the new system, I had had enough and went back to the old way. Under the new system, I was tired, weak, and had no stamina at all. The dialysis team told me I couldn't do it the old way, but I said it was my life and if it killed me, it was my decision and they couldn't force me to do it if I close not too. That didn't sit too well with some, but I began to feel much better and stronger and over-all, I was much better than I was on the new system. It may work well for others but it didn't do anything for me. My kidney function is still where it was 3 years ago so why on earth should I not let my kidneys work as much as they can and use the dialysis to mop up the rest instead of the other way around. I'm just a dumb old farm boy but I don't see the need to "over fix" this problem. My kidneys need help but they can still do a little of the work.