EJ711, my father has been on dialysis for close to a year now. It has changed his life!!! Before dialysis, he was so sick, could hardly move around, was just getting worse and worse. They keep them off dialysis as long as they can. He had to have 3 different surgeries to put the port in his hand (it just would not grow right) and this took close to a year. Meanwhile he got sicker and sicker. Finally he got to go on dialysis. During the first session he lost 35 pounds!! He felt so great. All that weight was fluid that had accumulated in his body because his kidneys couldn't process it. His legs had been swollen like sausages and in some cases the skin was splitting. Oh, so painful. Now he gets around much more easily, has lost weight, sleeps better, everything is better! He can also eat a greater variety of food. Before, he was on a very strict diet that was almost no salt because of his high blood pressure. Now that he is on dialysis, his BP has dropped way down and he can eat salt again. Boy, is he happy about that!

He has dialysis 3 times a week. It takes about 4 hours each time. The first day after each dialysis, he doesn't feel that great, but the second day after, he feels marvelous.

This has truly changed his life. Tell Dolly not to be scared of it. The other factors causing her poor health will of course impact her decision. Best of luck to her and her son.