The journey · Step 1
You have just been told you need dialysis. Take a breath.
Whatever you are feeling right now — shock, fear, anger, numbness — is normal. This page explains what has happened in your body and what happens next, without jargon.
What kidney failure actually means
Your kidneys do quiet, constant work: filtering waste out of your blood, removing extra fluid, balancing salts and minerals, and helping control your blood pressure.
When kidney disease progresses far enough, they can no longer keep up. Waste and fluid build up in the body — which is why people often feel tired, swollen, itchy, breathless or off their food.
Haemodialysis replaces that filtering. Your blood is gently drawn out through soft tubing, passed through a filter that removes the waste and extra fluid, and returned to you. Nothing is taken away that your body needs.
It is a treatment that keeps you well, started at the point where your kidneys need help. Thousands of South Africans are on it right now, living ordinary lives.
A short welcome from our team
Before your first visit, we would like you to see the faces you will meet and hear what your first session involves.
If you remember nothing else
The three most important things to know today
This is a treatable condition
Kidney failure cannot be reversed, but it can be treated — and treated well. Haemodialysis takes over the cleaning work your kidneys can no longer do.
Life carries on around it
People on dialysis work, study, travel, attend weddings and raise families. Your routine changes; your life does not stop.
You will not be doing this alone
A nephrologist, renal nurses and a pharmacist look after you at every session. You will get to know them, and they will get to know you.
It is normal to feel…
Frightened, for a future you cannot picture yet. Angry, that this happened to you. Guilty, if you wonder whether you could have prevented it. Flat and quiet, because it is a lot to take in.
Many people describe the first weeks as grief — for the version of life they expected. That feeling almost always softens as the unknown becomes familiar and the routine settles.
If low mood or anxiety does not lift, please tell us. It is as much a part of kidney care as your blood results, and there is real help available.
Questions worth asking your nephrologist
- How much kidney function do I have left, and what does that number mean?
- Why is haemodialysis the right option for me right now?
- What kind of access will I need, and when will it be created?
- How will treatment fit around my work and family?
- What should I change about what I eat and drink from today?
- Could I be a candidate for a transplant later?
Take this list with you, or send it to yourself on WhatsApp.
This is general information and does not replace professional medical advice. Please speak to your doctor or our team about your own situation.
Quick answers
Talk to someone today
You do not need to have your questions neatly written down. Send us a message and we will help you work out what happens next.