Renal Failure Dialysis-Transplant

sidneykidney

Apologies Mods if this thread exists

I was wondering if there was any boardsies out there that are renal patients and would like to discuss there experiences.

I myself am a renal patient,over two years transplanted.

I was on dialysis for 10yrs prior to the transplant,i was hoping renal patients might want to discuss there paticular circumstances,be it post transplant or on dialysis. Reply here or please feel free to PM me.

I await any toughts or discussions we may share.

tbh

hey Sid - if you get a chance, would you post up your own experiences? (this is not an order by the way!!) - I'd be interested to hear how your illness progressed and how it affected you. It must have been scary? How are you doing now?

sidneykidney

Well i was diagnosed at 18yrs(31 now),i had many sympthoms prior to being diagnosed,which at the time i didnt relate to end stage renal failure(ESRF).

I was working for a well known grocery chain,which i dont know if i should mention i was always tired and even on my days off i would sleep at least 16-18hrs per day,which is totally unnatural for a teenager. I was in work one day and i felt lightheaded,deciding that i needed a break i approached the customer service desk,when i got to it i just fainted,i was brought down to the staff area and it was company policy to bring me to a doctor.

Luckily the nearest doctor was my own gp,he sent me for blood tests,to make a long story short i was diagnosed a week later,and admitted to beaumont.

Upon arrival i underwent several tests and within hours of my arrival i was put on dialysis,this was a scary time i didnt know what to think,my first toughts were well i am going to die. It turned out that my kidneys never developed since childhood,but didnt affect me until i was 18.

I was placed on home dialysis which consisted of 4 "exchange" treatments per day,every day. Which was a total change in my lifestyle. The company i worked for was nothing but brilliant the provided a romm in which i could do my treatment in private and were understanding of any time off needed. They also took it upon themselves to store some of the equipment i would need for my treatments which was a pallet of boxes.

I recieved my first transplant in 1996,3 months after first being diagnosed it was a great success,however it only lasted a year before rejecting. But in tha ttime i got engaged and was working away. When it rejected i went back on dialysis this time on Haemo-Dialysis which required 3 visits to the hospital every week to be put on the machine for 4 hours at a time.

This was very phyiscally draining,in 2000 i recieved a call for another transplant this was however unsuccessful and rejected within a week,so i was back to dialysis 3 times per week.

I recieved my current transplant in 2006,on december 16th,best christmas prestant ever and i am forever in debt to the donor and his/her family for making the brave decision.

This is the shortened down version of my story,i would be typing all night lol,i hope it doesnt bore you all to tears.

tbh

no it's very interesting! hope you don't mind me asking questions..So things are looking good now, yeah? Do you have to take much medication, and is your life now just like anyone else, or are there certain things you can/can't do?

sidneykidney

Thankfully on my last visit to my consultant,everything was great my blood levels are perfect and all is well.

My life is completly back to normal now,i have a drug regieme in the mornings and evenings,consisting of anti-rejection,immuno-suppresives,and steroids,and some other meds for blood pressure. This drug treatment is for life,however it is a lot less hassle than dialysis.

I have some after effects of such a long period on dialysis,my legs are a little weak,and walking is a little sore at times. Other than that i am normal(whatever normal is lol).

Can i just say at this stage(and i know its been mentioned a lot in after hours) I would encourage everyone to carry a donor card, the diffrence someones decision to carry one made to my life is immeasurable.

And please feel free to ask questions i will answer as best i can.