Teen going on peritoneal dialysis

are there any teens or parents of teens using peritoneal dialysis out there. I would like to hear how it is working for teens who are wanting autonomy and less parental involvement. Are teens very successful with the automony and demands of PD or is it better with the less responsibility of treatment thru hemo?

Debbie
I am the Home Dialysis social worker at Piedmont Dialysis Center Winston Salem , NC 336-721-1364. Our children almost always do peritoneal dialysis unless there is some special circumstances involved. This allows them to attend school and social activities during the day easier. The parents are always trained and are responsible for the dialysis but they usually gradually allow the teen to do some of the treatment themselves (get the machine ready, get weight and blood pressure). Once they turn 18 the teens can be instructed to do their own dialysis treatment and some of the teens come to appointments alone. Usually parents continue to be involved. Shifting responsibility to the teen can be a concern if the teen is turning 18 and does not have the maturity to manage their treatment responsibilities for themselves. I have had one teen who left home when he turned 18 and did not do his peritoneal dialysis and eventually became a incenter hemodialysis patient at a center closer to where he lived. This is a complicated issue and one which will be discussed at the CM06 meeting By Dr. Hong in April. Please call me and we can talk more.
Sharon