Dialysis

So I have started hemodialysis (pronounced haemo- dialysis), which is the "removal of certain elements from the blood by virtue of the difference in rates of their diffusion through a semipermeable membrane while being circulated outside the body" (http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/hemodialysis). This is a hectic procedure which I have to endure for 4 hours a day, 3 times a week at the local Renal Care Unit. The nurses there are very attentive and aware of the various reactions to the dialysis process- meaning that some people sweat or pass out completely but come to once the flow rate of the machine has been adjusted. In my case however, each day is different. The more I have the dialysis the less I pass out due to abnormal blood pressure. However, I am finding that I sweat a lot and get really cold both at the same time, which is really starnge but the renal nurses assure me that this is a normal reaction to the dialysis. When I am on the machine, I find that I eat more than usual, which is an indication that the kidneys are being made to work by the machine while they are being dried out while the blood that usually filters through the kidneys is being cleaned by the dialysis machine (see below). The machine filters any excess liquids from the blood by sending it from the body via a tube to the machine and then back into the body. By doing this the machine removes any impurities and excess fluid from the blood that cause the kidneys to not function at their normal rate. However, due to the CKD (chronic kidney decease), the kidneys will not be repaired unless I have a transplant, and the dialysis cleans the kidneys and helps them to function, but cant cure the damage- sad reality but there you go...
Dialysis machine (below)                                                Catheta (below)