This is a subjedct that my wife and I have given a lot of thought to. I am a cancer survivor, having lost my left kidney to renal cell carcinoma. I now have stage 4 kidney disease in my remaining kidney. No big deal, really. I’m taking care of myself and may never progress beyong stage 4. But IF I do I’ve decided that I will not rely on dialysis to keep me alive. My mother was on dialysis for the last 2 years of her life. Years that she spent dying, not living. No thanks. Not for me. Ditto with the cancer. If RCC ever metastasizes treatment options are limited, brutal and largely ineffective other than surgery. Therefore I’ve decided that if I’m faced with that and surgery isn’t successful I’ll do what the Dr. in the articel did. Go home and live for as long as I have left.
My beloved girlfriend was on at-home Perineal dialysis with a cycler for two years. She had other cards stacked against her and at the end was morphined to death while unconscious, but we travelledand had as good a life as could be.
I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. She was the Best. Girl. Ever. She saw it her duty to fight for her life as long as possible. Too bad the hospital didn’t.