Weather can be a challenge when it comes to making it to a dialysis treatment. If weather prevents a patient from making it to a treatment, their care team implements a plan to manage and monitor their health until they can receive a treatment and additional follow up care.

It’s vital to get excess waste, minerals and fluid out of the body. This is why we encourage patients to never miss a treatment and to work with their care teams if they have to miss due to weather or emergency.

Making it to dialysis treatment can be challenging for a variety of reasons. From transportation to coping with depression, there can be many reasons why patients may decide to miss a treatment.

It’s important to know there are health risks when you miss a treatment without consulting your care team for follow up care. These include being:

• 4 times more likely to be hospitalized or end up in ER
• 4 times more likely to be admitted to ICU
• Heart complications
• Fluid overload resulting in emergency dialysis
• Cramping and low blood pressure
• Worsening anemia or bone disease

Missing 1 treatment a week for a year = missing 4 months of treatment

Stopping 15 minutes early = 39 hours of treatment a year

Talk to your health-care team about options if you are struggling with making it to your appointments.