The person travels to the center where a staff of healthcare providers performs the treatment. The person cannot move around during treatment, but must sit and watch television, read, or talk with other people in the center. An advantage to hemodialysis is that people frequently find that the dialysis clinic serves as a connection to other people with kidney problems who provide emotional support. In addition, many people are hesitant to take on the task of performing their own dialysis and prefer to have the clinic take care of it. The patient must have a home dialysis machine.
Some people also notice fatigue and discomfort as they near their next dialysis session.
This is because wastes are building up in the blood and it is time to remove them. Complications from hemodialysis can include infection around the access area where needles are inserted or clotting in the fistula or shunt. Clots are not life-threatening, because they remain in the fistula and do not break away to travel to the brain or lungs. However, they may block the fistula. If this happens, they must be surgically removed.