Philippine E-Journals

Breathing the Last in Wishful Thinking: The Lived Experience of Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease in Hemodialysis

Maria Josephine T. Saycon

 

Abstract:

The aim of this qualitative study is to describe the life of a person with chronic kidney disease dependent on hemodialysis. It further seeks to fnd answers to how a decision in the past to enroll on hemodialysis is being lived in the present. The process of decisionmaking for going into hemodialysis was evaluated. There were eight participants who joined the study who had the disease for not less than six months. The lived experience was explored and the study utilized the triangulation method to depict their lived experience. A sixteen-item questionnaire of Annette O’Connor1 was used to identify the presence of post-decisional conflict or decisional satisfaction and an in-depth interview was conducted on all the participants wherein all conversations were recorded. Colaizzi’s1 Seven Step of data analysis was used to interpret the data gathered. There were fve emerging themes that surfaced: 1.) Family solidarity in the midst of adversity, 2.) Prolonging life through hemodialysis upshots insolvency, 3.) Yearning to live longer…let be and let God, 4.) Moving onwards with sanguine spirit despite limitations and the 5.) Somatic torments of hemodialysis under these themes were sub theme like forging alliances make living worthwhile and breathing the last in wishful thinking.