The lived experience of being a patient on hemodialysis: Enduring between a rock and a hard place.

A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore the lived experience of patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). The grand tour question was, "What is it like to be on hemodialysis?" Three categories emerged from the discourse: Health Care Providers, Making Meaning and Losses Incurred. The category most pervasive in the discourse of all five participants involved their experiences with health care providers (HCP). HCPs significantly affected the ways in which the participants endured. Making Meaning of their illness experiences involved making trade-offs between the hardships of HD and a certain death without it. Incurring Losses related to the Loss of Relationships, Loss of Control over their own lives, Loss of Enjoyed Activities and Loss of Well-Being. These findings reveal areas where nurses and other HCPs can improve their care for this patient population. Areas of future research are suggested.