Life After Kidney Dialysis
Hi everybody this is Michael, today I want to share with you the story of Ralph D, a friend of mine.
His story is just like mine, he had to fought with kidney disease and ultimately won his struggle, like I did.
But maybe he was not as lucky as I am. Hear from his own words.
A life challenging and an unforgettable experience
My story dates back to late one night on January 2007 when I had just returned home from a wonderful trip to Nepal.
A few hours after I had gone to sleep, I was awakened by an intense cramping in the left side of my lower stomach. My stomach was hard and my abdomen felt bloated. Lying down or even sitting was worse.
But then after around 20 minutes, I felt a bit better and went back to sleep. I guessed it to be the end but it was only the beginning.
A lot more of these experiences in the following days and finally having collapsed once, I was taken to the hospital where I realized that I had reached a stage of severe kidney failure.
Getting acquainted with kidney dialysis
Whether in hospital or at home dialysis always feels like an intrusion in our regular lives bringing in times of isolation and desperation.
But once you accept the situation, new doors will open automatically and you will learn to live with it happily.
The huge purple needles really terrified me at first. Hearing words like creatinine, nephrologist, clearances, kt/v and others disturbed me.
I had never imagined that I would be participating in a shared care program. I started doing all my observations before dialysis began, including weight, temperature and pressure. I then started feeling more confident with time and I was also taught how to drive the machine for dialysis.
Friends and family really supported me and I gained courage from them. From priming and observations to preparing equipment and medical supplies, needling and administering medications, I was dexterous in doing everything by myself.
The 4 years to get a kidney transplant
Kidney dialysis is a lot costly and can break your bank. But there isn’t any viable manner to either stop or discontinue it.
It had become my life. I was on nearly 6 years of hemodialysis and I hadn’t quite thought of transplant.
But, anyway, I was put on the waiting list when I was diagnosed with a kidney failure and had conducted all my desks.
Two years ago, I received a call from my doctor to realize that I was finally going for a transplant.
The operation went really smooth but the side effects weren’t a pleasure, definitely. I spent three weeks in hospital to ensure that my body was working in sync with the new kidney. The steroids made me uneasy and they were quite painful. Additionally my scars needed periodic dressing and I had to live on medications and fluids to encourage the new kidney to work properly.
The fear of a rejection
For some time after the transplant, I had to pay regular visits to the hospital.
I was not able to work for nearly eight months.
The transplant has been challenging at times in terms of how it has impacted my health, work and life in general.
Doctors told me to be extra cautious with the health of my new kidney.
I’m trying to follow the dietary regimen prescribed by Dr. Capicchiano in his book.
With time, I began to feel normal and lucky that I got to live a prolonged life. I am much healthier now and I enjoy sports and love to sport a game of football any time.
About the Author
Michaelw Hi, my name is Michael and in this blog I'm gonna share the story of how I got off kidney dialysis for good. Getting off dialysis isn't easy at all, and that's why I'm trying to help people as much as I can.
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