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    1. About Kidney Disease
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
      3. Kidney Disease Stages
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      5. What to Expect with CKD
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    2. Treatments
      1. OVERVIEW
      2. Dialysis Basics
      3. Benefits of Home Dialysis
      4. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
      5. Home Hemodialysis
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      7. In-Center Hemodialysis
      8. Transplant
      9. Insurance & Managing Costs
      10. Choosing Not to Treat
    3. Life On Dialysis
      1. OVERVIEW
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    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center

    Find a Dialysis Center
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      1. About Kidney Disease
        1. Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease
          1. Symptoms
          2. Risk Factors
          3. Causes
          4. Diagnosis and Testing
          5. GFR Calculator
        2. Kidney Disease Stages
          1. Stage 1
          2. Stage 2
          3. Stage 3
          4. Stage 4
          5. Stage 5
        3. What Is a Nephrologist?
        4. What to Expect with CKD
        5. Kidney Disease Management
          1. Kidney Diet Basics
          2. CKD Medications
          3. Your Kidney Care Team
          4. Diabetes
          5. High Blood Pressure
        6. Understanding Acute Kidney Injury
          1. Acute Kidney Injury Treatment and Recovery
        7. How Kidneys Work
        8. Take a FREE CLASS on Kidney Disease
      2. Treatments
        1. Dialysis Basics
          1. How Does a Hemodialysis Machine Work
          2. Starting Dialysis
          3. Types of Dialysis Access
          4. Your Care Plan
          5. Dialysis Medications
          6. Monitoring Your Lab Results
        2. Benefits of Home Dialysis
        3. Home Peritoneal Dialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. PD Access
          4. PD Training
          5. PD Monitoring
          6. Your Care Team
        4. Home Hemodialysis
          1. What to Expect
          2. Getting Prepared
          3. HD Training
          4. HD Monitoring
          5. Your Care Team
        5. Sign up to Talk to a Home Dialysis Expert
        6. In-Center Hemodialysis
          1. In-Center Treatment Options
          2. What to Expect
          3. Types of Vascular Access for Hemodialysis
          4. Your Care Team
          5. How to Choose a Center
        7. Transplant
          1. Finding a Kidney Donor
          2. Considering Kidney Donation
        8. Insurance & Managing Costs
          1. Understanding Medicare Coverage
          2. Understanding Medicare Advantage
          3. Understanding Employer Plans
        9. Choosing Not to Treat
      3. Life On Dialysis
        1. Your Emotional Health While on Dialysis
          1. Managing Your Emotions
          2. Talking About Dialysis
          3. Intimacy
          4. Body Image and Dialysis
          5. Building Your Dialysis Support Network
        2. Staying Engaged
          1. Tips for Working While on Dialysis
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        4. Dialysis Travel Services and Information
        5. Tips for Loved Ones
          1. In-Center Hemodialysis
          2. At-Home Hemodialysis
          3. At-Home Peritoneal Dialysis
        6. PatientHub
      4. Recipes & Nutrition
        1. Recipes
        2. Managing Your Diet
          1. Eating Well on a CKD Diet
          2. Eating Well on a Dialysis Diet
          3. Salt and Kidney Disease
          4. Potassium and Kidney Disease
          5. Phosphorus and Kidney Disease
          6. Talking With Your Dietitian
        3. Fluid Management on Dialysis
        4. Dialysis Diet Planning
          1. Kidney-Friendly Shopping
          2. Eating Out
          3. Holiday Diet Tips
          4. A Chef’s Advice | Chef Aaron McCargo on Kidney Friendly Meals
        5. Cookbooks
      5. Thrive Central
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        4. Stories
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        6. See All
      1. Home
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      3. Stories
      4. Freedom to Do What She Loves on Peritoneal Dialysis
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      Freedom to Do What She Loves on Peritoneal Dialysis

      Sandra Metzger

      Sandra Metzger isn’t the type to let kidney disease stop her from doing anything. “If I do get down, I get right back up,” she says. A retired executive administrative assistant, Sandra spent over 30 years supporting six regional offices and the headquarters for KFC YUM—so she knows a thing or two about staying busy. Sandra loves to travel, and her long-term friendships continue to play an important role in her life.

      Learning about dialysis for the first time

      After her doctor discovered she had high blood pressure, a blood test confirmed that Sandra’s kidneys were only working at about 20% of normal levels. Her doctor recommended dialysis. At first, Sandra was a little upset by the idea. In-center dialysis treatments would have made it harder for her to travel and keep up with the people she loves. Fortunately, Sandra’s doctor suggested another option: peritoneal dialysis.

      Peritoneal dialysis gave Sandra the flexibility she wanted

      For Sandra, it was important that her dialysis treatments didn’t slow her down when taking road trips to see the country. She’s a history buff and has visited 49 of the 50 states, with only Alaska left on her list. “Each state has something beautiful to see,” says Sandra. Choosing peritoneal dialysis lets her visit more places and enjoy more freedom with her diet. She appreciates that she can complete most of her treatments while she sleeps. “You have so much more freedom,” she says.

      Keeping up with treatments and her loved ones

      In 2016, Sandra was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite that, she’s been able to keep up with her dialysis treatments and stay strong. Between her kidney doctor, her nurses, and her friends, Sandra has an excellent support network. Each year she visits Isla Palms in Charleston, South Carolina with her six sorority sisters. It’s a tradition that's very important to Sandra—and peritoneal dialysis helps make it possible for her to continue participating in the fun. 

      October 2020

      SHARE YOUR THRIVE ON STORY

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