Patient stories: Phyllis
Phyllis, age 38, was first diagnosed with kidney failure in 1991, due to an autoimmune disease. She began dialysis at a local clinic, but became increasingly dissatisfied with the treatment. Phyllis recalls having to wait an hour or two for a machine before having her 4 hour treatment, 3 days a week. "It was exhausting," Phyllis says. "I felt so tired when I got home; those days were ruined for me and my 6 year old son."
Luckily, Phyllis received a kidney transplant in 1993, and didn't need dialysis anymore. Her new kidney worked well for more than 10 years, but unfortunately it failed, and in 2003, Phyllis went back on dialysis.
Phyllis had her treatments done at the clinic for a few months, but became so unhappy with her lifestyle that she decided to try peritoneal dialysis (PD), which she could do at home. She did PD for 3 months, but kept getting painful infections.
Phyllis reluctantly returned to her clinic for in-center hemodialysis. Coincidentally, during one of her long sessions at the local clinic, Phyllis was watching the news and saw a story about a new, portable dialysis device—the NxStage System One. Phyllis was intrigued by the unique machine, which allowed patients to treat in their own homes, on a daily basis. On the very next day, Phyllis called Circle Medical Management, which was offering the new system locally, and was told she was a good candidate for the new treatment. Soon thereafter, she started the training program.
In June 2005, Phyllis took the machine home and started doing her own treatments 6 days a week, for approximately 2 1/2 hours each time. She noticed a difference almost immediately. "I don't feel tired at all. I feel like before I went on dialysis," she says. "It's worth doing it every night; I feel a huge difference. I haven't had a bad day since!"
Phyllis is happy with the flexibility of this new system, as she now has more time to enjoy with her family. "During the summer, my mom had to come and watch my son so I could go to the clinic to get the dialysis done. Those days were lost," she says. "But this system is so convenient I can do the treatment at any time. I can take any day off if I want to. I'm really happy!"