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First patient view

Please note, this page is a summary of the full conference speech (click here for the full transcript).

Polly Moseley

Polly Moseley's kidneys failed in 1993 and she was on CAPD for three years. She then had a transplant, which unfortunately only lasted three months. She went on to hospital haemodialysis for three years and has been on home haemodialysis for three years. She is currently working full time. She won a prize at an earlier conference for an essay she wrote about her life on peritoneal dialysis

Polly said she had been very impressed by Professor Terry Feest's presentation on daily dialysis.

"It certainly made an impressive case for daily dialysis and was very patient-centred, which is refreshing," she said.

She could relate to the anxiety that proposing a shift in the type of dialysis presented.

"When I first changed from CAPD to haemodialysis, I really thought it was the end of a free student lifestyle I'd led" she said.

"However in time I found it was a lot better for working life in that having the day off in between and being able to fit it around the working life made it a lot easier.

"When I first changed from hospital haemo to home haemo, again it was quite a tricky time. I'm very fortunate to have my mum dialyse me at the moment. Since I've dialysed at home, I have had increased energy levels, reduced my EPO, I'm no longer on blood pressure tablets and I'm able to work full time and sustain a relationship, which I didn't really manage either on hospital haemo or CAPD.

"I think the whole process of going to the hospital three times a week, crossing that threshold into a kind of culture where you become a dependant and lose control over your environment is a big shock to the system, and the emotional impact of that on our lives actually causes a lot more of the symptoms than people are perhaps aware of," she said.

She might have the opportunity to trial daily dialysis at home next year. One of the key impacts on her life was not the physical symptoms but the mood swings she got from being on dialysis three times a week.

She did not think that home haemodialysis should be put forward as the best option for all patients. She would like to see more localised provision, where you could call in after work and do an hour or a couple of hours five or six times a week, but with other amenities which you could use, maybe a gym or shops. This kind of dialysis happened in Canada, Holland and France and would mean a shift in culture and the way we thought about dialysis. The National Service Framework presented an excellent opportunity.

"I would like to see some elements of dialysis for the more stable, longer term patients shifted to primary care function, as is happening for other chronic illnesses, while maintaining the secondary care provision for those who need it," she said.

Please note, this page is a summary of the full conference speech (click here for the full transcript).