I spent a little bit of time recently browsing through some of the posts on Facebook having to do with peritoneal dialysis. There was a common thread throughout most of the posts. In general, they were made by patients new to dialysis, and more often than not, voiced fear and/or trepidation concerning their entry into the PD world.
While this is understandable to a point, my position is that the care and feeding of new patients is not serving them well. On Facebook, they are reaching out to more seasoned PD patients for consultation and input that obviously they are not receiving as part of their training. In retrospect, I did not have an opportunity to speak to a PD patient or group before or during training. It was not until much later that I was requested to talk to a large group of potential newbies in Fort Worth.
But this begs another issue and involves behavior. Why are patients entering the PD portal so afraid of what they are facing? What is so scary to raise so much fear and doubt among them? Numerous YouTube videos lay out what’s involved in excruciating detail. In training, you are encouraged to ask as many questions as you feel a need to and also progress at a pace you’re comfortable with. Personally, at the onset, I did not experience such feelings nor have I since. Perhaps it’s my military training to take charge and deal with life as it’s dealt to you. I’m certain shrinks have develved into this aspect of PD. I’ll see what I can dig up for a future blog.
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