new and unsure but want to learn.

[mynda216]

Hello, my name is mynda. I'm 40 and have one daughter age 14. I currently am in stage 5 ESRD. My gfr is 12. Not on dialysis yet, but very soon. This is very scary to me. Unsure of lots of things. I'm a very strong woman, but not knowing is a weakness in itself.

[Poppylicious]

  Mynda.  This is a brilliant site for those who are unsure and scared!  I'm glad you found us!

*huggles*

[highway61]

Hi Mynda,

     You have come to the right place. I have only been on IHD for a few days and I have learned a lot, and gained strength from the people here. This is a great resource.

     I am in the same boat as you. I am in stage 5 and starting dialysis soon. I have chosen to go with Peritoneal Dialysis. I had my catheter inserted on Friday the 28th and will start treatment and training on 5 December. It is pretty scary when you are first diagnosed and get hit with the fact that your kidneys are failing. It is easy to feel lost, sort of a "what the hell just happened" feeling. That is how it was for me anyway.

     After I calmed down, a few weeks later, I moved on to a "what do I have to do now" phase. I am lucky to have support and caring from my wife of 34 years. So that is where I am at now. Looking over the options of dialysis, PD seems most conductive to the lifestyle my wife and I enjoy. It seems like the best option to allow me to continue to work full time. Your situation my not be the same and you will have to decide which route is best for you.

     Ask a lot of questions here and you will get a lot of great info.

[Rerun]

Hi Mynda, and welcome to IHD.  I'm so glad you found us.  Yes, it is scary when you don't know everything ... NOW..... about what is facing you.  The first thing, to put your mind at ease, is that thousands of people live on dialysis everyday.  You will be amazed that this went on everyday and you didn't know about this machine world.  It is really something off Star Trek.  But, these machines filter your blood of toxins and extra fluid.  It will take some time for your body to adjust.  Your body gets use to the high toxins so when you get clean it is like putting a fish from a dirty tank to a clean tank.  Sometimes they don't feel so well in the clean tank because they aren't use to it.  So, give yourself some time to adjust.

Read more on the site and ask questions.

Rerun, Moderator          

[billybags]

Welcome to the site  highway61 and mynda216  So glad you joined us. Feel free to ask any question. Dialysis  is scary to start with but get to know as much about it as you can.It is not the end of the world. Look forward to your posts.

[RichardMEL]

Welcome Mynda!

You've hit the nail on the head that not having information and just not knowing what will happen is the scariest thing. You've taken a great step by joining our community. Here you can find support from folks who have been there, done that - advice and shared experience.

Rememkber though you are the best advocate for YOU and YOUR BODY. Ask questions till you feel like YOU understand!

It's half the battle to dealing with dialysis in my view - the more I understood the more I could intelligently help myself and manage my treatments better.

Again, welcome to IHD!

RicharMEL, Moderator