Dialysis-dependency: the reformulated or remnant person

Being dependent on dialysis is a potentially overwhelming experience where life as previously known is permanently altered. A dialysis-dependent individual may reformulate their identify or perceive that they are a remnant of their former self. This paper will explore and expand Morse and Penrod's (1999) model as a useful way to understand how a person might reconstruct their identify. Grounded in a narrative methodology, interviews of those on haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis were thematically analysed. It was found that dialysis dependency brings an acknowledgment of a lost past, an inescapable present and an unknowable future, filtered through hope and despair. Nurses need to understand the suffering, wrought by such a struggle, to facilitate the positive re-envisioning of those who are dialysis dependent.