Kidney Transplant. Is it for me?

Yesterday we went to Albany(NY) to a seminar about the kidney transplant organization. There is a lot to consider about this process. There are many pluses and minuses to really think about. The amounts of medication you have to take for the rest of your life are staggering. This is a huge decision that will require much thought before that decision is reached. My next appointment with my doctor will be filled with talk about this process because I have questions for him and only him. I say this because he knows my kidneys and knows how my body adapts to treatment better than anyone else. I need his input, his expertise in this area. I know a new kidney won't make me 18 again. I know it won't make me 30 again. What I don't know is what will change. What will improve and how much improvement can be expected. Will the pro's outweigh the con's? That's the real question.

The Next Big Step

On January 17,2010 I will start another journey on the road to a healthier life. This journey will start at Albany Med in Albany, New York. The end result of this journey will be obtaining a kidney transplant. This is a registration and information seminar that I will be attending, but it is still step one in what I am told is a long process. I am aware of the fact that everyone who registers for a transplant doesn't always get one. Whether I get one or not remains to be seen. For right now I'm doing fine on dialysis and I know that there are people in worse shape than me. This is sort of like learning to walk, small steps and one at a time with a few falls along the way. Life is full of changes and challenges that we all face in one way or another. Nobody ever said it was going to be easy and the fact remains, nobody gets out alive. We just have to do the best with what we have while we are here and enjoy the journey.

Treatment Update

It's been 90 days now since I started dialysis at home. My improvement has been slow but steady. My medications have been cut way back and I feel much stronger than I did before I started. My stamina has been the slowest to recover but I am hopeful that as more built up waste is removed that it will improve. The best part is my diet. I can eat all the foods that I enjoy with very few restrictions. Lot's of protein and potassium rich foods. My only real restriction is my pepsi. I have to limit my pepsi because it contains phosphorous which is hard for me to remove

My Schedule

It has been almost two weeks now that I have been treating myself at home. I have settled into a sort of a routine for my daily schedule. It's a little different and a little awkward at times but it is workable. The whole system is really simple to use. First, I have to monitor my blood pressure. This helps me decide on which solution strength I need to use for that days treatment. Every treatment requires fresh solution and all new tubing to hook-up to. The whole process of setting up only takes about 15 minutes. The mid afternoon treatment takes about 40 minutes. Then I can resume my day until bedtime when I hook-up again. The night treatment goes on for 10 hours while I sleep or watch TV. At night the machine goes through 4 cycles. Every 2 hours the fluid is changed. Most of the time I will sleep right through this process. If a problem should occur, there is an alarm on the machine to wake me. Most often if a problem does occur it is because I rolled over and kinked a line. I haven't had any real problems with the system as of yet. I'm starting to feel better and my life hasn't been altered much.

Before I go any farther on this subject, let me tell you a little more about me. First of all, I'm just an ordinary guy with a kidney problem. What I'm writing is just about my experience with my condition. I'm not a doctor, and I am not doing a research study on this. I'm just writing to tell what I'm going through to anyone who cares to read this. Others who use this type of dialysis may have a completely different view of the process but this is what it is like for me. Now that I have been treating myself for a week, I am still sure this was the right decision for my treatment. It has gone fairly smooth so far. The machine has an alarm system for problems and this alarm has sounded a few times. Most of the alarms have been for a kink in the line. Sometimes in my sleep I run over on the line, which restricts the flow. The alarm sounds and I straighten the line. All is well again. I monitor my vital statistics to know what strength solution to use. My daily routine has had to change a little, but it is still pretty much the same as it was before. My night routine is where the changes have occurred. Once I hook up to the cycler machine, my mobility is limited. I have to try to have everything done that I have to do before I hook-up. I have line enough to sit in the living room and watch TV, but can't go to the kitchen for a drink or a snack. This isn't a huge problem though. If I have forgotten something, I just rely on an old and proven system to remedy this, "Honey, could you please get me a drink? Thank you, I love you."

New Routine

Now that my training is done, I have my cycler machine and all my supplies at home. The nurse who taught me how to use this equipment calls every day to get my stats and see if I have any questions or had any problems. Once she is confident with the way things are going she won't call everyday, I'll call if I have problems. There haven't been any problems so now we are just adjusting the treatment to my own needs. I feel better, that's the important thing. Being hooked to the cycler at night does restrict my freedom of movement somewhat, but I'm not tied down to one spot for hours. The line that is hooked to me allows me to move a little. I just have to make sure I have done what needs to be done beyond my range of motion before I hook up. I'm sure that this was the right choice if treatment for me. The little inconveniences it creates are offset by the benefits of treating myself at home, on my schedule. The few minutes a day it takes to set up the machine and write down my blood pressure, weight, temperature, and pulse are a small investment compared to going to the dialysis unit three times a week, for up to 6 hours. I have to go to unit once a month for a routine check-up with the nurse, my doctor, and the dietician to make any adjustments in the program that might be needed.. Time will tell but I do feel this is right for me.