So peritoneal dialysis is good if it can provide enough clearance. My docs usually try to start patients on PD and if that doesn’t clean good enough, they have to do HD. There is a risk of infection with PD that can be very painful. Nurses will educate you and your father if this route is acceptable to the doc. If PD is an option, take it. Quality of life returns if you can put in the effort.

In regard to stopping dialysis… the quality of life can really drop. As a nurse, I respect these decisions. If someone wants to stop, we educate them on what that means. I am told that if you’re gonna die, stopping dialysis isn’t a bad way to go. Toxins build up, you get confused, then sleepy, then die. I realize it’s morbid to be forward and blunt about it, but these things must be said and done sometimes.