Talking to Your Doctor
Getting the most out of the time you have with your healthcare team often means asking the right questions.
Understanding your options
Before you decide on a treatment plan, you will want to understand the various chronic kidney disease (CKD) treatment options and speak with your doctor about which may be best for you. You should also discuss your disease prognosis, possible complications and potential lifestyle changes.
At a certain point you will want to seek out the care of a kidney specialist, or nephrologist. Their focus is on diagnosing, treating, and managing CKD.
The importance of having an informed discussion
The information on this website is intended to supplement what you have discussed with your healthcare team. Your understanding of available CKD treatments may help you have more productive conversations with your doctor so you can:
- Decide if you want CKD treatment, such as dialysis
- Choose between different types of CKD treatment, for example hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD)
- Decide whether you want to continue with the same CKD treatment
Armed with this knowledge and together with your healthcare team, you will have the ability to make treatment decisions that are best for you.
Resource: Comparison of dialysis types
As you prepare to discuss treatment options with your healthcare team, refer to this document to better understand the benefits of each type of dialysis available to you.