Hi I'm Gelly

[gellybean]

Let me start by saying "hi". I am Genelli but prefers to be called Gelly, I am 26 years old from the Philippines and is under twice a week dialysis treatment for almost 11 years now [well in April 24, 2011].

I was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure secondary to Glumerulonephritis in January 2000. I was 16 then and was immediately advised to go on Dialysis treatment but I refused to because I was feeling fine. Maybe the fact that I was young and "mind over matter" worked for me since I was really against it. I made myself believed I was not sick during that month until March 2000 because I was senior in High School and had great plans for myself after graduation. April of 2000 came and I can barely do anything. My whole body was swollen, I was so pale, I can't eat and keeps feeling like throwing up, my tongue was sore due to the increasing levels of creatinine in my body, I can't breathe and hallucinations started. I was not able to object anymore when my parents rushed me to the hospital because I was almost dying.

Upon arriving to the hospital, my doctor immediately put a Femoral Catheter on me. And the rest is History. My doctor said my will to live helped me survive having a creatinine of 29 [normail 0.5-1.0] and hemoglobin of 5 {normal 9-12] before my first dialysis.

[paul.karen]

Hello Jelly,

Wow you really waited till the last minute huh.  I am glad you found us here at IHD>  I am sure you have alot to share with everyone.

Why do you only do treatments 2X a week?  Is that standard in the phillapines.  How long are you on the machine. 

Hope you stick around.
P&K

[Rerun]

Hi Gelly and welcome to IHD.  I'm so glad you found us.  We are based out of the United States but have members from all over the world.  Boy, you were almost dead weren't you.  I'm with Paul.... why only two times a week?  Do you still produce urine?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting to know you.  Stick with us for the latest information on Renal Disease.

Rerun, Moderator          

[monrein]

  to IHD.

[greg10]

Welcome to the forum Gelly.  It is wonderful to have you.  It always amazes me how the rest of the world can get by with less health expenditure and do more for their patients and have great stories of survival such as yours.  As you may know, the US spends more on dialysis than any other nation, but our mortality rate for first year patients on dialysis is about 25%, a pitiful number compared to other nations and the amount of expenditures.  A lot of waste goes into the US system because of corporate greed and some physician neglect and greed that permeates the whole US dialysis business.

Many patients here in the US have found that they have to take control of their own care and own dialysis and I hope you can try to do some of that in your country as well.  Many here have found that doing longer period of dialysis at a slower blood flow can markedly improve the health of the dialysis patient and I hope you can read more about it in this and other forums.

Good health to you and we hope to hear more from you.

[lou]

hi gelly, great to meet you! 

[gellybean]

Thanks everyone for welcoming me here.

Firstly, standard dialysis here in the Philippines is twice a week I guess for the main reason it is not free. I pay around Php 4,800 [around $110] per dialysis session, including doctor's fee and erythropoetin. There are cheaper dialysis but what quality would i get from it, they're using acetate instead of bicarbonate, so it's a no-no for me. To be honest, the government have no real support for patients like me. I have always imagined myself living in a country like U.S. where dialysis is free or if not free, not too costly like here.

I'll be turning 11 years in dialysis in April, and no i haven't urinated for the past 10 years. I have learned to limit my liquid intake. My dialysis session is every Monday and Thursday. When it's Sunday and Wednesday already then that's the time i can drink more than I usually take. My doctor is not strict in my diet, I get to eat what I want as long as she say i go to dialysis twice a week, and just to know my limit in fluid.

I'm happy I found a forum like this because I know everyone here knows how I feel and can relate to my stories.

[Poppylicious]

  Gelly!