When kidneys fail, waste products such as urea and creatinine build up in the blood. One way to remove these wastes is a process called peritoneal dialysis (PD). The walls of the abdominal cavity are lined with a membrane called the peritoneum. During PD, a mixture of dextrose (sugar), salt, and other minerals dissolved in water, called dialysis solution, is placed in a person’s abdominal cavity through a catheter. The body’s peritoneal membrane enclosing the digestive organs allows waste products and extra body fluid to pass from the blood into the dialysis solution. These wastes then leave the body when the used solution is drained from the abdomen. Each cycle of draining and refilling is called an exchange. The time the solution remains in the abdomen between exchanges is called the dwell time. During this dwell time, some of the dextrose in the solution crosses the membrane and is absorbed by the body.

http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/Kudiseases/pubs/peritonealdose/

            I am lucky that I still have some residual function of my left kidney and that is why I qualify for peritonealdialisis.  My kidney has been out of business for quite a while.  Blood clots cut off my blood flow to the right kidney and it is now the size of a pea.  The bottom line is I can be at home with my family and still take care of myself. 

          I thank God for each day for I know it is a gift.