Talk to a Patient Consultant

Interested in home dialysis? Talk to a Patient Consultant* today! Our consultants are all former NxStage^® users who can help answer your questions and share their experiences on what to expect with home dialysis. Below you will find stories and personal experiences from our team members.
 

*Patient Consultants are employees

Donald

PATIENT CONSULTANT

I love having the opportunity to be a Patient Consultant with NxStage. Being able to help other patients find their way through such a huge, life-changing experience as starting dialysis has been an honor. I enjoy being that listening ear and providing the guidance most patients seek when weighing their treatment options. I was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease at the age of 24. The diagnosis left me feeling scared and lost. Before receiving a transplant in 2016, I spent six years on dialysis, the final two of which were on home hemodialysis (HHD). More frequent HHD gave me the health benefits I needed, as well as the quality of life I wanted.

Alberto

PATIENT CONSULTANT (FLUENT IN SPANISH)

As a former dialysis patient, it has become my passion to reach people who, like myself, may have found themselves lost and confused throughout their dialysis journey. As a Patient Consultant, I am able to share my story with current dialysis patients, educate them about different treatment options, and empower them to take an active role in their treatment plan. I was diagnosed with End Stage Kidney Disease in 2014. I started as an in-center hemodialysis patient, was introduced to peritoneal dialysis (PD) as a home therapy, and once my PD therapy lost its efficacy, transitioned to more frequent home hemodialysis (HHD) using a NxStage system. While on HHD, I started to see the difference in my quality of life. I was able to get back to work, spend more time with my family, and travel. As a Patient Consultant, I would be happy to have a conversation with you and get to know your story, as I help you better understand the different dialysis treatment options potentially available to you.

Chelsea

PATIENT CONSULTANT

I have been a kidney patient all my life and it is an honor to be able to share my story with other patients and spread the message that it is very possible to live a full, productive life on dialysis. As a Patient Consultant, I am here to guide you as you decide on a therapy that may help you flourish. I started my dialysis journey in 2017 as a solo patient on home hemodialysis and continued HHD until I got my transplant in 2019. Living with kidney failure is all I had ever known. Home hemodialysis changed my life by helping me experience and enjoy what life has to offer. Having kidney disease can be overwhelming but know that you are not alone. As a Patient Consultant, I am here to guide you as you decide on a therapy that will help you flourish.

Tangela

PATIENT CONSULTANT

I am grateful to be a Patient Consultant at NxStage and excited to hear your story and support you as you evaluate and decide what treatment option is best for you and your lifestyle. I have gone through 7 years of in-center dialysis, 5 years of home hemodialysis and a transplant. I know it can be scary to learn that you need to begin dialysis but with the right treatment, it is possible to get back to the things you love. My long journey with kidney failure has taught me that it is possible to take control and live your life to the fullest while on dialysis. I am excited to hear your story and support you as you evaluate and decide what treatment option is best for you and your lifestyle.

Risks and Responsibilities

Patients should review the following information carefully and discuss it with their doctors to decide whether home hemodialysis with NxStage systems is right for them.

Users should weigh the risks and benefits of performing home hemodialysis with NxStage systems.

• Medical staff will not be present to respond to health emergencies that might happen during home treatments, including, among other things, dizziness, nausea, low blood pressure, and fluid or blood leaks.
• Users may not experience the reported benefits of home, more frequent, or nocturnal hemodialysis with the NxStage systems.
• The NxStage systems require a prescription for use.

• Medical staff will not be present to perform home treatments. Users will be responsible for, among other things, equipment setup, needle insertions, responding to and resolving system alarms, system tear-down after treatment, monitoring blood pressure, ensuring proper aseptic technique is followed, and following all the training material and instructions that nurses provide.

Users will need additional resources to perform home hemodialysis.

• Users will need a trained care partner to be present during your treatment at home (unless their doctor prescribes “solo/independent” home hemodialysis, described below).
• Users must have a clean and safe environment for their home treatments.
• Users will need space in their home for boxes of supplies necessary to perform home hemodialysis with NxStage systems.

Certain forms of home hemodialysis have additional risks.

• If a doctor prescribes home hemodialysis more than 3 times a week, vascular access is exposed to more frequent use which may lead to access related complications, including infection of the site. Doctors should evaluate the medical necessity of more frequent treatments and discuss the risks and benefits of more frequent therapy with users.
• If a doctor prescribes “solo/independent” home hemodialysis without a care partner during waking hours, risks of significant injury or death increase because no one is present to help users respond to health emergencies. If users experience needles coming out, blood loss, or very low blood pressure during solo/independent home hemodialysis, they may lose consciousness or become physically unable to correct the health emergency. Users will need additional ancillary devices and training to perform solo/independent home hemodialysis.
• If a doctor prescribes “nocturnal” home hemodialysis at night while the user and a care partner are sleeping, risks increase due to the length of treatment time and because therapy is performed while the user and a care partner are sleeping. These risks include, among other things, blood access disconnects and blood loss during sleep, blood clotting due to slower blood flow or increased treatment time or both, and delayed response to alarms when waking from sleep. A doctor may need to adjust users’ medications for nocturnal home hemodialysis, including, among other things, iron, Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESA), insulin/oral hypoglycemics, anticoagulants, and phosphate binders.

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