Dialysis Essentials: A Practical Handbook for Patients New to Dialysis

Do books on dialysis cause your eyes to glaze over? Do you just want a cheap, simple, easy-to-read and follow book about dialysis, what to expect, what to bring, what to wear and what you should know for your first day, week, month at an in-clinic facility? This is your book.

As a journalist for 25 years, I recently started dialysis myself. I found all the books for beginners too riddled with medical jargon and complicated explanations to be useful. Where was the SIMPLE stuff, like bringing blankets, and weighing in, what 90% of in-clinic technicians, nurses, and doctors don't tell you!

After my first visit to a DaVita inpatient dialysis clinic, I left in tears, literally suicidal by the rude nurses, and the cold indifference of the dialysis techs. The fantastic experience I had in the hospital where I got my catheter reminded me there ARE good people out there. So I researched and compiled a list of questions to ask, and things to look for when you choose a dialysis clinic. You do get to choose!

I went home, called a friend who talked me "Off the ledge" and decided to write my own book about what to expect, what your legal rights were/are, and how to navigate the dialysis system. There are only two big dialysis companies in America - DaVita and Fresenius Medical Care. Davita is the largest, but OMG. They have been in so much legal trouble - what with DaVita Inc. and Former CEO Indicted in an ongoing Investigation of Labor Market Collusion in the healthcare industry, and their agreeing to pay a $350 MILLION dollar fine for giving doctors kickbacks for referring patients to them for dialysis. It's a dirty industry and it's only growing. There are many other smaller clinics, excellent providers and great doctors, but you have to know what to look for.

This is ONE in a series of books about dialysis from the perspective that matters MOST - the patient's!