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Absolutely! My husband's kidneys failed 30 years ago. He didn't have to go on dialysis straight away, but after a few years he started home dialysis. He then got a transplant which lasted 10 years before it failed. He did CAPD for a couple of years which is chemical dialysis. He had a tube that went in his side and 4 times a day he'd pass a bag of fluids through the tube to clean his system out. Some people cope much better with this than haemodialysis (the kind with the machine) and it gives you more freedom, but it caused him too many problems with his blood pressure and infections, so he went back onto haemodialysis for another 8 years before he finally got another transplant. He had a heart attack during the transplant so his health hasn't been great since - but he actually kept really well while he was dialysing. In the 3 years leading to the transplant he had 1 day off sick from work. Dialysis does tie you down and some people don't keep too well on the machine, but if you follow the doctors instructions there is no reasn you wouldn't lead a relatively normal life. Kidney failure is by no means a death sentence - despite what you see on TV -so try not to worry too much about it. I hope everthing is ok for you.
Karen
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