Dialysis without Fear : A Guide to Living Well on Dialysis for Patients and Their Families

A survival guide for those facing kidney dialysis treatment due to end-stage renal disease. The author team offer practical advice and informatin on kidney dialysis so that readers can make informed decisions about their own care. Interviews with patients and renal care professionals inspire and educate readers about this complicated treatment.

In Dialysis Without Fear, psychiatrist and dialysis patient Dr. Daniel Offer joins with his wife, Marjorie Kaiz Offer, and daughter, Susan Offer Szafir, to reveal how life can be lived, and lived well, on dialysis. Drawing on his long medical career and more than seven years of personal experience with dialysis, Dr. Offer dispels many misconceptions surrounding this treatment, explaining how you can adapt to the new diet, travel, work and continue to partake in life''s joys and celebrations. But the fears and hardships can be quite real, and Dr. Offer brings his years as a psychiatrist to bear as he provides practical advice on how patients can overcome them. Walking through each step of dialysis, he explains different types of treatment, examines the pros and cons of a transplant, and discusses side effects. Since dialysis affects the entire family, Dr. Offer and his co-authors also provide realistic insights into how relatives can cope and thrive together, sharing the humour, courage, and triumphs of real families who have successfully faced the challenges of dialysis. The result is an inspiring, practical guide that will help patients and their families learn to overcome the difficulties of dialysis, live without fear, and enjoy every day.