Hemodialysis can be a pain

A friend just mentioned to me that most hemodialysis patients sit still for 3-5 hours, 3 times a week, during their dialysis. That works out to about 350,000 Americans spending over 10 hours a week and 500 hours a year! There are people who probably sit in front of their TVs for longer periods, but at least they get to go to the bathroom or fridge from their self-imposed seat jails. Dialysis patients have to stay in their chairs because they are hooked to a machine.

Most dialysis chairs function like dentist chairs and are modified a bit to look more like reclining chairs.  They aren’t any more comfortable than a car seat. If my bottom and lower back starts to ache after a couple of hours of driving, my guess is that many hemodialysis patients’ bottoms and backs also ache during their frequent dialyses.  Lowering pressures is the key to staying comfortable over a long period of time. A cooling cushion adds to the comfort.  We need more comfortable chairs, and if that is not possible for some reason, we need to provide our dialysis patients with seat cushions that will provide as much comfort as possible during their frequent and long visits to dialysis centers.

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