Every night at 10pm, while most people are winding down, I'm hooking myself up to a dialysis machine. Seven nights a week. Nine to ten hours a night. This is what life with kidney disease actually looks like — and why I keep going.

If you're starting dialysis for the first time, nobody tells you what to wear. Here's a patient's guide to the best clothing for hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and other treatment types — from someone who's been through it.

Setting up your PD machine every night can feel overwhelming at first. Here's my real, step-by-step routine — every supply I use, every step in order, and the tips I wish I had when I started peritoneal dialysis.