A Family’s Love

On entering Madam Sarbanon Binti Buang’s home, it is difficult not to notice the rows of family portraits on the wall of her living room. Her husband, Mr Mohd Yassin, is proud to point out his children and granddaughter in the photographs as he speaks fondly of them.

Her two younger children are still living with them, but the eldest son and his family live on their own. He visits them every week with his wife and daughter.

Multiple Conditions and Amputation
Sarbanon, 63, was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2010 during a routine monthly diabetes check-up. Before the diagnosis, she had been suffering from vomiting and loss of appetite, and once fainted at the market. She had thought nothing of all these, thinking that these arose from her other medical conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension.

Sarbanon started peritoneal dialysis (PD), a home-based treatment, as her condition made it challenging to travel to the dialysis centre three times a week. Instead, with PD, she can do that at home every night.

Multiple Conditions and Amputation
Sarbanon’s right leg was amputated in 2012 due to diabetes. Mohd Yassin, a retired technician, is her full-time caregiver. Although her movements have been restricted since amputation, Sarbanon remains cheerful. A former restaurant cook, she teaches her husband her recipes so that he can cook for the family. She will go to the market with her husband every week. Occasionally, she joins her children at family outings. Mohd Yassin is aware that diabetes runs in the family, so all members in the family know the importance of going for regular check-ups.

Despite her condition, Sarbanon remains cheerful. She credits this to having strong family support. Besides her children who rally around her and encourage her in her dialysis journey, she can count on her husband who devotes his time caring for her. He often advises her not to brood on the past, and to look towards the future. Her eldest son helps with the medical fees. With NKF subsidies, her family pays only about $80 a month for the dialysis. An NKF PD nurse visits her regularly to provide support and advice to ensure that she stays well on PD. Sarbanon is grateful to all the donors for their care and kindness.

Advantages of PD

Painless and no needling

  • Unlike HD, no vascular access or needling is required for PD, hence PD is a painless procedure.
  • Vascular access-related complications are one of the common causes of hospitalisation in haemodialysis patients.

Home-based therapy

  • Patients carry out the treatment themselves in the comfort of their own homes.
  • No need to travel to the dialysis centre for treatment and not restricted to dialysis centres’ schedule.
  • More flexibility to better fit dialysis into their lifestyle.
  • Patients take charge of their own treatment as they follow the treatment plan and advice given by the PD care team.

Gentler and works more like the natural kidney

  • PD mimics the function of real kidneys more as the constant presence of the PD solution in the abdominal cavity allows waste products and excess water from
    the blood to be removed
    continuously.
  • The non-intermittent nature of PD
    makes it a gentler treatment.
    Patients have lesser food
    restrictions and experience
    lesser side effects.