A Night in My Life Doing Peritoneal Dialysis.

Every night around 10pm, while most people are winding down, I'm setting up my dialysis machine.

I've been doing peritoneal dialysis (PD) for years. Seven nights a week, 9 to 10 hours each night, I'm connected to a cycler that does the work my kidneys can no longer do. It filters my blood, removes toxins, and keeps me alive.

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On The Pd Machine

The setup takes about 40 minutes. Supplies laid out, lines connected, machine programmed. Then I climb into bed, hook myself up, and try to sleep while the machine runs through the night.

What peritoneal dialysis actually feels like

People always ask me what it feels like. Most nights you don't feel much physically. The machine does its thing quietly. Sometimes there's a warming sensation when fluid fills or drains. Sometimes an alarm wakes me up. Sometimes I sleep straight through.

What you DO feel is the emotional weight of it. Knowing that without this machine, you wouldn't wake up. That never fully goes away.

Why I chose peritoneal dialysis over hemodialysis

When my kidneys failed I had a choice. Hemodialysis means going to a center three times a week for four hour sessions. Peritoneal dialysis means doing it yourself at home every night.

I chose PD because it gave me freedom. The nights belong to the machine. The days belong to me. Time to me is the most valuable asset. So If I can get more of that, I will choose Hemo over PD currently. But I did enjoy Hemo as a stepping into the dialysis world. The techs helped me a lot.

What keeps me going

Building Platinum Kidney keeps me going. Creating dialysis clothing that actually works for patients like me. Sharing my story so newly diagnosed CKD patients don't feel alone. And searching every day for a living kidney donor who can give me a second chance at life.

If you're newly diagnosed or just starting dialysis — I see you. It's hard. It's scary. But you adapt, you find your rhythm, and you keep going.

That's what we do.

— Justin Pham, peritoneal dialysis patient, Los Angeles CA