Dialysis used to mean going to the hospital, getting hooked up to a machine, and sitting for hours while the machine cleaned impurities from your blood. If you were required to do this more than three times a week, it turned into a lot of time where you were traveling to and from the hospital and just endlessly sitting as quietly as possible. You had to plan your entire life around your dialysis treatments.

Thankfully, many medical machines have advanced to the point where they are very small, very portable, and very effective. This includes kidney dialysis machines. Now you can get a home dialysis machine that is the size of a medium suitcase and easily rolls around or sits wherever you put it. Here are some of the uses and benefits of these machines.

Uses 

Need to go on a vacation? Home dialysis machines go with you on the plane. They are considered medically necessary equipment, so airlines allow you to take them on board. Some airlines ask that you check these items with checked baggage because of the size of the carrying case, but the machines are still allowed. 

Additionally, you can use your dialysis machine while you are asleep. Just connect the machine's hose to your port, and go to sleep. The machine works through the night to cleanse your blood. You wake up refreshed and ready to go.

Benefits

The benefits of a home dialysis machine are many.

• You will not feel so exhausted during the day because you did your treatments while you slept.
• You will not waste gas or time driving to the hospital and sitting. 
• You will have fewer dietary restrictions because you will not retain salt, sugar, toxins, and excess fluid between treatments.
• You can go back to work because dialysis treatments do not interfere with your daytime activities.
• There is less stress on your heart, pulmonary system, and kidneys because you are actively resting at night during your treatments. 
• Longer life expectancy because your nephrologist can increase or decrease your weekly treatments as needed without you having to wait for open machines and available appointments.

You can probably think of several other benefits as they relate to your lifestyle, too, but the above benefits cover most of what is most important to people needing hemodialysis. Just remember to discuss safe activity levels with your doctor before you participate in anything physical or strenuous.