From the Living Kidney Donor site....

While dialysis can be life-saving, it is only a stop-gap. It is a long, tiring, physically and emotionally draining process that is very hard on the body. Dialysis can do only about 10% of the work that a functioning kidney can do and frequently causes other severe health problems such as anemia, infection, bone disease, heart disease, and nerve damage. Consequently, the average life expectancy of a person on dialysis is only about 5 years.¹

A transplant provides a far longer life expectancy. Patients who have a transplant before dialysis becomes necessary live an average of 10–15 years longer than those on dialysis.² As one physician notes, “Kidney dialysis is an amazing procedure. But it is not yet as amazing as the kidney itself.” ³ Given the^foptions, a kidney patient’s best chance for survival is to avoid dialysis altogether and to receive a transplant^ffrom a living, rather than a deceased donor.

Dialysis is very hard on the body. When someone has been on dialysis, even if only for a short time, the risk of transplant failure is much greater. The longer the wait, the more extensive the dialysis and the higher the risk of failure grows.

Read more: http://www.livingkidneydonorsearch.com/living-donation/dialysis-a-poor-option
Imagine waking up every day with the possibility of having to be placed on a machine to stay alive.
Scary statistics...but a reality for me. I feel as though the monster is lurking outside my door. I will be starting dialysis when my gfr dips below 10% and stays there. Right now I am at 13%. I have been at 8% and managed to regain a few points. I never know what the day is going to hold for me. I wake up in the morning not knowing if I will need to go to dialysis by the time day is through. Things can change so quickly with this illness. I have accepted this as part of my life and just take it a day at a time.