MY RENAL JOURNEY
The very first time I came into contact with nephrology was in outpatient 3 at LGH I was referred by urology consultant Mr Osborne to see the late Prof Walls, I actually saw the now Professor Feehally who told me that my kidneys had been damaged due to childhood urinary problems and eventually they would fail, which eventually they did in 1992. I was admitted to ward 15 which then housed mixed male and female patients in three nephrology bays but before you reached the main ward area you had to walk along the passage way which housed side rooms where inpatients received haemodialysis, once you reached the main ward you had transplant to your right and nephrology to your left. Once I had been admitted it was soon clear I had kidney failure and soon found myself having a catheter inserted into my shoulder and put onto a dialysis machine which would happen several times during my 5 week stay in hospital, during this time the doctors and nursing staff explained about CAP which I decided was my treatment of choice thus had a PD catheter fitted into my stomach. Upon discharge it was arranged for me to attend a daily training on how to perform CAPD at home. I ended up doing this for 2 years very successfully occasionally needing admission to sort out different issues, overall I got on well with CAPD and even went on holiday once to the Isle of Wight. However at the end of the holiday I got an infection which the local GP who was called to see me at the hotel thought maybe peritonitis and arranged my transportation to Portsmouth renal unit, who later discharged me with antibiotics so I could travel home, that was a long journey. On returning home I was admitted to Ward 15 who treated the infection over a several week stay. Then in summer 1994 the call I had been waiting for came a kidney was available for transplant and I might be a suitable match which I indeed ended up being. Professor Nicholson went on to perform the operation in the early hours of the morning. The kidney took several weeks to work and I was discharged continuing CAPD, then one night I couldn’t stop having to get up to urinate something I hadn’t been able to do for 2 years. My new kidney had begun to work and continued to do so for 16 years with only a few problems along the way which were easily treated. Then I attended transplant clinic one Monday and I had begun to loose protein in my urine, this however was sorted out but then as the months went on my creatinine started to rise it was arranged for me to have a ultrasound and later a biopsy which showed that the kidney had indeed begun to fail and there wasn’t an awful lot to be done about for the doctors to give me medication which hopefully slow the progression of loss of function down but the inevitable was that I would need at some point dialysis again so after a lot of thought I decided haemodialysis was my preference so 2 operations were arranged to create a branchial fistula. This was done and I continued for some time before it was needed in which time I attended a pre-dialysis educational course which was very helpful and worth doing even though a lot of stuff I already knew about. Then at the start of 2012 my health clearly begun to deteriorate and after many meeting in transplant clinic with Dr Topham we decided the point had come to start haemodialysis and I was added to the list of people requiring a dialysis slot, my GFR was about 14% at this time and following a 6 week period I went for my blood test prior to transplant clinic on the Monday however I got a call from Dr Carr saying my GFR was not 10 and the urgency to be located a haemodialysis slot had escalated, which it was at Corby. I attended there a couple of times then a place at Hamilton was available which I accepted and I have been having my dialysis there ever since. During this time I have been reviewed by the transplant team and they are happy for me to be transplanted again at some point in the not to distant future. When that will happen nobody on the list knows and we all hope the call comes soon.