My Name is Jolene

[jmhoxsie1979]

I hope I am doing this right. I am 31 yrs old and was just told on 10-06-10 that my GFR was 17. Then on 12-05-10 was told it dropped down to 13. Now I was born with one bad kidney and had it taken out when I was 20 then a few months later the doctors told me I had a disease in the one I had left so it was no big suprise we they told me I will be starting dialysis soon. I have been a college student for the last two years, and now i have to drop out because of the crazy stuff that is going on. I have no insurance, so I am not getting a whole lot of help from anyone except from this website and other internet sites. My doctor told me I am not sick enough yet to start dialysis and this is something that I should wait until the very last minute to go on. Plus he is trying to talk me into a treatment that i really do not want which is PD. I also have a mental health issue and I go swimming in the hotsprings where I live it is an Olympic size pool which is drained everynight and then refilled. The swimming helps me relax and to help with my moods and other issues. So as you can see PD would not be a good choice for me. I am here for support and to find things out that I feel would not get answered otherwise. I have a supporting family 4 wonderful dogs and a very loving cat. I live with a friend which has been kind to me for ten yrs and supports me when I need it. My mom and dad live about 15 minutes from me. I also have very supporting friends that love and care for me as well.
I am a very type A personality which is lets get this started and get going I don't have time to waste. So to tell you all the truth I am tired of being sick and want to start my new life with dialysis. If you know me I am a very funny person, I love cooking and trying new things. I love car shows and cruising in my dune buggy in the summer. I live in Carson City NV where they have Hot August Nights look it up if you don't know about it. I love living here because you can drive 30 minutes in one direction and be in Reno go another way and you are in Lake Tahoe, drive another 30 minutes in another direction and you have the desert and the mountains. My very favorite is going to the coast!!!!! if I am around water it relaxes me and soothes my soul.
Right now my family is really having a hard time my dad has had chronic high blood pressure for years now and has had 5 major stokes the last one in august I thought was a bad one, this one messed with him being able to eat and talk. Then just this last week he had another one and he has decided to give up and not try anymore which breaks my heart to think about it. He is only 62 and has 5 major stokes and a few small ones. So as you can see i have a very stressful life and need all the help I can get.

Nice to meet you all and look forward to all the advice and help I can get sorry for being so long winded.

[Des]

 
You will get to meet people from all over the world.

Hope you post often.

[Bruno]

Hi Joelene. I think PD is suggested to you because it lets most people live as close to a normal life as possible with chronic kidney disease but you are right about the swimming. However, you might find that HD cuts back on your freedom quite a lot so that many other things you like doing become more difficult. But you are right, in the end it's up to you and this place is most helpful in that regard. So...Welcome!

[elihup]

Hello Jolene,  I live right down the road from you in Fernley, NV.  I can definitely understand not wanting to do PD, I never really even gave it two thoughts because I didnt want that catheter sticking out of my belly.  If you want to still retain your freedom and live a more active life, still being able to swim and do the things you love, you should ask your doctor about home hemo.  I have had quite a bit of experience with the different nephrologists in the area, and I strongly recommend Dr. Quigley at Sierra Nevada Nephrology.  I dont know, he might be your nephrologist already since I know he does a lot of work in Carson City.  Regardless, he is great, especially compared to some of the others in the area.  He will really listen to you and treat you like a real person.  If you have any questions, especially regarding area facilities or treatment options, I would be glad to share what I know.  My wife is a Dialysis Nurse with experience in home hemo, PD and in center dialysis.  I have gone through in center dialysis and a kidney transplant, so between the two of us, we are pretty knowledgeable about all treatment options.

[cloud393]

   Welcome to the site.  i'm sure you'll find all the answers your looking for here.  Look forward to learning more about you.

[MooseMom]

I totally understand about the swimming...it is the one thing that I do that can really help relax me.  I live in Chicago, and I HATE indoor pools, so I swim only during the summer when our park district's pool is open, but I swim almost every day and would be loathe to give that up.  You have to look at each dialysis modality and decide what you are willing to give up and what would be hardest to live with.  Lots of people on IHD really like PD, but others really prefer hemo; often you don't know which will work out best until you try each one.  Like another poster said, you may want to look into home hemo since you have the advantage of having a supportive family; maybe someone will train with you.  Now is the time to start thinking about these things.  In the meantime, there are a lot of people here who can perhaps help you decide.

[rsudock]

Welcome Jolene!!! I can't do PD because of some liver issues I have with my kidney disease but I was kinda relieved because I am kinda vain. I didn't want to walk around with a catheter and a big swollen belly. Also many folks get infections!!

xo,
R

[Chris]

Hi Jolene,
I did hemo because of the swimming issue. The ost important thing is to not let someone push you into something you do not want to do. Do your research first, take their advisement into heart, and then make a decision.  Either way you will need surgery for an access point for hemo or PD.
 
Good Luck

[monrein]

 

[galvo]

G'day Jolene and  .

[Rerun]

Hi Jolene and welcome to IHD.  I'm so glad you found us.  Yeah, if you swim a lot you wouldn't be able to do PD I don't think.  But, start with hemo and if you just can't do it then you have PD as a back up plan. 

You won't get much help until you start dialysis.  Sorry to say. But as you said you can come here for advice and the truth.

Rerun, Moderator       

[looneytunes]

   Jolene! 

[Desert Dancer]

Hi, Jolene and    I'll second elihup in encouraging you to look into home hemo; I currently do dialysis while I sleep (nocturnal) every other night. So far I've had really good bloodwork results and it doesn't cut into my waking hours. I'm completely with you on the PD; while I don't have much opportunity to swim (something I love) I simply did not want to risk even ONE bout of perotinitis!