My first ever post!

[enzosmom]

Hi everyone. Let me first off begin with an apology if I am not getting this right. I have limited experience with anything computer related unless it is my emails. I am not a dialysis patient, but my father is, and I am hoping to gain some insight into what his life has become. He is a WWII veteran and was diagnosed with kidney disease one year ago. He has been on dialysis for one year and it has been agonizing to see how his life has changed. We do not know how the disease began; he has no history of high blood pressure or diabetes. Please let me know if it is appropriate for me to access this site. If there is a better venue I am open to suggestions. My goal through this is to try to help my dad through knowledge I might gather from here. Thanks for your help.

[looneytunes]

hello Enzosmom and you are most certainly welcome here at IHD.  I am caregiver to my hubby who has been on dialysis since 2007.  There are patients, caregivers, medical professionals and others here who have some connection to renal disease.  Read and learn, rant and vent or just have a little fun with us.  Bless you for being there for your dad, and bless him for his service to our country.
 

[galvo]

G'day enzosmom and  .

[Bajanne]

Welcome to our community!  You have come to just the right place for information, support and encouragement.  We even have a section especially for caregivers and loved ones.  I was born just after WWII and appreciate the freedom that people like your father fought for.   You will soon come to consider this your new family - wonderful group of sharing and caring people.  Just keep reading and keep posting, so we can know how your father is doing.  Looking forward to hearing more from you.



Bajanne, Moderator

[monrein]

  and  again.  Your being here is extremely "appropriate" and I hope that you will find useful information as well as support to help you come to grips with your Dad's kidney disease.  This site is valued and cherished by so many and it is always lovely to greet new people who seek to understand just what is involved for those of us who must live with ESRD and all its complications.  I'm sorry that your Dad and your family must be part of the renal community but I thank you for your support and caring, on behalf of your Dad.

[billybags]

enzosmom, welcome to the site, you have made a good decision to be here. Ask  lots of questions, there is always some one on here that will know the answers. It is not easy being a career.Can you get your Dad to join in as well? 

[Darthvadar]

Hello....

You're VERY welcome!..... You'll find us a friendly, helpful bunch, but the others aren't as quiet, shy, and retiring as I am!... What are you horrible lot laughing at???... I AM quiet!... LOL!!!!....

Love to all...

Darth...

[peleroja]

Welcome to the group.  Everyone is welcome here - newly diagnosed, patients already on dialysis of any kind, transplantees, etc.  I agree, your life does change, and some of those changes take getting used to.  Tell us more about your dad and someone here is bound to have been there, done that.  Glad you joined!

[enzosmom]

   Thank you, everybody, for such a warm welcome. My dad is a very healthy 84 year old, who retired from working full time when he was 82. He has never taken meds for anything, and now does only related to the dialysis. The first doctor he saw at the dialysis clinic in a small town near their home told him during his first visit there that he was "too old" for a transplant. I am wondering if anyone knows how old a transplant patient can be... is it based on current health, past health, age? I understand that he would probably not live long enough to receive one from the transplant list, but he has family members willing to donate.  Any success stories out there on elderly patients?

[rsudock]

welcome!

yes there is an age limit to be on the list, but if he has a living donor and is in good stable health you may find a center that will transplant him.

xo,
R

[cariad]

What is the age limit? I have not heard that there is one, I am pretty sure it is on a case by case basis with no set age. This is obviously a huge debate point in this field.

In the past few years, they have really refined the list, with a few special categories including extended criteria (EC). I have a strong suspicion your father could get on the list for one of those kidneys - a kidney that may have a great chance of lasting a few years, but would not be a good choice for a 20-year-old transplant patient. Also, the wait is usually much shorter for EC kidneys. I think this is all part of the compromise that was struck when people wanted to impose age limits and point systems.

I know someone who is at least in his mid-70s who just had a transplant. This is actually not the nicest story because he was, um - sort of a mean old bastard - but as far as I know, he's doing fine physically. He had a live donor. It's a whole soap opera of a story, and I was going to post about it once I got more information from my mother. Right now, the only point I want to make is that he seems to have come through the process fine.

Oh, and of course, to IHD. Hope you find all of the information and support you need here!