Outset Medical
Home Dialysis Patient Andrei Explains How to Make the Best of the Reality of CKD
Andrei’s quality of life and outlook have improved significantly after going from feeling powerless in an “aquarium” at in-center hemodialysis, to freedom and flexibility on Tablo at home.
Andrei and his family emigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines in 1998, when he was 17. Now 42 and living in Orange County, California, Andrei’s health journey has taken him from acute kidney failure and hospital dialysis to in-center treatment. But it’s his positive attitude and willingness to try something new that has changed his life. This May, his care team introduced him to the Tablo® Hemodialysis System, and now he’s able to do his treatments at home when it works for his schedule.
In high school, Andrei was active in varsity basketball, running and lifting weights. He knew that kidney disease ran on his mother’s side of the family, but doctors didn’t give him any direction on how to preserve his kidney function. His health status includes other risk factors for kidney disease, including being overweight, and having hypertension and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol). He also smoked cigarettes for about 20 years, but quit in 2019.
In 2021, Andrei was referred to a nephrologist, who ran tests and said his kidney function was beginning to decline. In May 2022, Andrei underwent a renal biopsy and found out he had IgA nephropathy, a serious condition in which the body’s immune system produces antibodies in the kidneys that cause inflammation and kidney damage. In December 2022, Andrei started having neurological symptoms of acute renal failure, and on January 3, 2023, he was admitted to the hospital.
New Year, New Reality
Andrei then had his first dialysis treatment in the hospital
via a chest catheter. He says he doesn’t remember the week he spent
there, as he was in a lot of pain. After Andrei was out of the hospital,
he began in-center dialysis three evenings a week at a facility close to
his home.
Andrei says that the reality of his situation was sinking in. “I felt like my life was over, and I was doomed to dialysis,” he says. “As a patient, you feel like you’re in an aquarium when you’re at the center, just sitting there in your chair during treatment watching and listening to the nurses.”
A Plan to Go Home
Initially, the plan was for Andrei to transition to nocturnal
peritoneal dialysis (PD) at home, and he had catheter placement surgery
and started training, all while going to in-center dialysis. However,
scar tissue from past umbilical hernia surgery prevented the PD catheter
from working properly.
Andrei’s PD nurse mentioned he could still do dialysis at home, using a new machine called the Tablo® Hemodialysis System. Helen would need to be trained also to help him with treatment. But Andrei really wasn’t interested in being trained on a new machine.
A few weeks later, after he thought more about it, Andrei decided to visit the dialysis center that had Tablo, just to check it out. After a home hemodialysis nurse showed he and Helen the touchscreen capabilities and how quickly the machine can be set up, and said he would be able to do his dialysis when it works for his schedule, Andrei immediately decided to switch to that center and start training to go home on Tablo.
(Photo caption: Helen preparing Andrei for a treatment at home on the Tablo Hemodialysis System.)
A Life Change
Andrei started on Tablo at home in early June 2023, and now
treats at home three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, four
hours per session.
“The main impact on my life has been the freedom and flexibility. I can do treatment when I wake up, or I can do it in the evening. The flexibility is ridiculous!”
Andrei also says in addition to being able to stay out of the dialysis clinic, he has enjoyed getting back to the gym. He is also happy to have more energy to help take care of his teenage nieces and nephew, and enjoy time with family. After all he has been through, he is also educating his family about getting their kidney function and blood pressure checked regularly.
Read Andrei’s Full Story Here
Note: Excerpted from Outset Medical Doc #1938-V1 (V1.0)
Disclaimer:
Results may vary. Keep in mind that all treatment and outcome results are specific to the individual patient. Please consult your physician for a complete list of indications, warnings, precautions, adverse events, clinical results, and other important medical information. It is important that you discuss the potential risks, complications, and benefits of this product with your doctor prior to receiving treatment, and that you rely on your physician’s judgment. Only your doctor can determine whether you are a suitable candidate for this treatment. Read more at outsetmedical.com.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog post represent the personal opinions of the parties interviewed. The content should not be taken as medical advice.