Dear Hive
I consider you all to be a good bunch of people, as what I’m about to write is personal, hard, and challenging because my quality of life is in peril once again. This is a tough read.
In the early 2000s my wife (then girlfriend) met a man (me) who was “healthy” but had recently spent time in hospital after being suddenly admitted with high blood pressure issues. They’d put me on some meds and I was undergoing tests, as perhaps I had a heart defect. It later transpired that I had kidney disease but that was around 3 or 4 years later.
Long story short I ended up having a kidney transplant in 2008, with my dad being my live donor. He’s now 82 and doing very well health wise.
I’m facing a similar problem now. The transplant is on the decline and my eGFR is slipping, slowly, not horrendously but we must now begin considering a second transplant. I avoided dialysis last time. I will avoid it again. The alternative is not something I even want to think about. Doing nothing, yes, you guessed right would be fatal.
Life can be horribly tough at times and this year has dished it out to my family and I in big doses.
However I can take control of this to a degree and whatever happens, I am going to write about the positive side of this. Is there one? Yes there is. I think the human mind is a powerful and versatile thing. That exercise, diet and mindfulness can bring about positive change.
What is eGFR? It stands for estimated glomerular filtration rate, simply a measure of kidney function. In normal people, this declines with age anyway but if you have a history of CKD (chronic kidney disease) it is more of a consideration when it comes treatment.
https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/can-my-gfr-get-better
This article has proven to be interesting, encouraging and hopeful. The main message is focus on the healthy habits, don’t worry about the eGFR number. This may sound difficult, I’ve been losing sleep worrying about it after my last doctor appointment. However the only thing I can do is. DO. To sit back and give in is to deny life’s gift. I’m not religious but have faith in life, which counts for more than nothing.
Chin up!
I’ve fought this battle before and maybe having being fixed in the past, led me to thinking that I’m sorted, no need to worry too much. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. All I can do now is look forward, to live, to love and enjoy for life is precious. I need to shape up as in 18-24 months I’m going to undergo major surgery again. Losing some weight is a must and being much fitter. I also need to find another donor.
I want to document this journey and I will warn you if it is not for the feint hearted at any point. I wrote a blog last time and I saved the content somewhere. It actually won an award in a medical journal. No money, they enjoyed my writing and how funny it was at times. Despite also being about pain.
Humour is a great healer.
Now does anyone know of a hive to give system? Like a beneficiary for a charity. Mine is the local kidney research or our national charity. I could create a secondary profile. Let’s see.
