So glad to find all of you out there - My introduction

[Baileygirl]

Hello, I was doing research on the internet and found this sight and was so thankful to find your support.  My sister is currently ready to begin dialysis and has been trying to put it off for some time now but has become very ill.  She was hoping to avoid dialysis and go straight to a transplant (living donor).  She has just had her final test and we are hoping she will presented for approval in two weeks.  We, however do not yet know if we have a live donor match (we are doing the cross matching this week).  Her blood pressure is very high, a lot of water retention, and she is very short of breath.  She may now need emergency dialysis as there is not time for a fistula to form.  She is very scared and I am trying to get educated as much as I can to best support her.  So thankful to find this sight and I want to thank you all in advance for your education and support.  Very new to this and just learning.

[MooseMom]

Thank God for family members like you!  Welcome to IHD.  I do have a suggestion.  Starting dialysis can be so overwhelming, and this is not the best time to educate yourself because you are just fighting to survive, so kudos to you for doing what you can to learn as much as possible.  Please visit Kidney School

http://www.kidneyschool.org/

Click onto "learning modules", and you will find "chapters" about kidney disease, dialysis and all sorts of other information presented in a very easily digestible way.  It is a brilliant learning tool, and I think you will go back to it over and over again as you need.  Please do make the time to read it!  I think it will help enormously.  In the meantime, if we can help in any way, do let us know; that's what we are here for.

Good luck to you and your sister.  I'm sure she is very frightened.

[willowtreewren]

 

Hi, Baileygirl!

All of this CAN be overwhelming. Your sister should not let herself get too sick before starting dialysis. My husband was still functioning well when he started, but he still felt years younger once the toxins were being cleaned from his blood.

The transplant process can be very slow. I hope it isn't for your sister, but it is best to be prepared for her needing to have dialysis before her transplant.

 

Aleta

PS. She might also be interested in joining!

[jshabanian]

With my first transplant I was able to avoid dialysis and go straight to living donor transplant.  It was wonderful!  But then 4 years later the transplant failed and I hoped to do the same thing again but was not able to because all of my potential donors were not matches for me...  So I started dialysis.  I too waited to long and did not have time for a fistula so had to get a graft.  They started using the graft one week after it was placed...OUCH!

i hope your sister gets her transplant QUICKLY!  If not tell her it is better to start dialysis so she doesn't get too sick.  I was very sick the second time around and vomited all day long.  This is not fun at all!!!

Dialysis sucks but barfing sucks too.

Good luck to you and your sister. 

[Rerun]

Welcome to IHD.  I'm so glad you found us.  Your sister probably should start dialysis through a catheter for now.  Who wants to feel short of breath plus the high BP is not good for her other organs.  Plus she will be healthier for when her transplant does come.  You hate to jump off that bridge, but sounds like it is time.

Best of luck and stay tuned to IHD.

Rerun, Moderator      

[Traveller1947]

 Welcome, Baileygirl!  Your sister is so lucky to have someone like you at her side!  All of us here hate dialysis, but dialysis isn't as terrible as the way you feel when the fluid and toxins build up, ready or not.  How lucky she is that there's a transplant down the road for her, but in the meantime, don't let your sister be afraid of dialysis.  Read deeply here, and you'll see that most of us cope quite well and live satisfying lives.  Let this forum serve as bread for your journey.

[RichardMEL]

Welcome BaileyGirl - as MooseMom said thank God for family members such as you - that you want to know more, get informed and do the most you can for your sister, and I presume are also being tested to donate. Even if you can't donate to her, that you want to learn more is wonderful in my view - even just by understanding more of what she is dealing with, and what is going on means you can be more supportive and that could mean a lot.

It definitely sounds like she needs to get the fluid off her as it's dangerous to hang around the heart and lungs, even if dialysis itself isn't required per se - and she'd probably need that if a transplant happened tomorrow, so guess she'll wind up with a catheter or something in.

Yes, that's pretty scary but I think the unknown of what might or will happen is probably actually scarier than the reality. Hopefully just getting it done will ease her immediate situation and so she can move to a transplant ASAP!!!

Again, welcome to IHD and I hope to hear more about your sister's (and your) journey!

RichardMEL, Moderator

[looneytunes]

Hi Baileygirl and bless you for being there for your sis.  I also joined this forum as a care partner to my hubby.  There are a lot of wonderful folks here who will share their experiences with you, give you a shoulder to lean on, answer questions and have a little fun along with it.  Glad you joined us.   

[lmunchkin]

Welcome Baileygirl. Glad you found us.  We will help you through this with your sister.  We are here for you both!  She is so Blessed to have you in her corner!

Again Welcome & God Bless,
lmunchkin
 

[Poppylicious]

  Baileygirl!

[billybags]

  Baileygirl, sorry to hear about your sister, it can be a scary situation, but she has you. Learn as much as possible about the disease.Ask us as many questions as you like, there will always be some one on here that can answer. Look forward to your posts.

[fearless]

What a beautiful sister you are!  i am on dialysis and I have a beautiful sister too

It sounds like your sister is very sick now.  She will feel so much better if she starts getting some dialysis.  If you're doing live donation I might even wonder if she should go ahead and start dialysis so that she can be in better shape for the surgery.  (I don't really know if that's what a doctor would say, but it doesn't seem like they'd want to put her through a surgery if she's got too much fluid on.)

I was very sick before I started dialysis.  My blood pressure was 210/110.  I was so sick I could hardly walk and was throwing up every day.  And I exploded in tears when I learned I had to go on dialysis.  But within a few months, I was doing better than I'd done in 3 years. 

I wish her renewed strength and hope a transplant can happen soon.  It's so good that you're there for her.  Welcome!

[Mr. B 123]

Welcome to the group.  Good friends and help are here.

[Ang]

 

[Lindia]

         Dialysis is overwhelming --  its great that you are researching and helping her !

[sullidog]

Welcome! I am also on dialysis and I too waited too long that I was considered lucky to be living, good luck and ask us anything!

[Baileygirl]

Thank you so much for the overwhelming info and support.  I am sorry for the delayed response.  I joined and then was not on line for a few weeks with so much going on.  Well a update on my sis.  Unfortunately on Friday she received a call to go to the hospital right away - CT scan showed significant fluid around the lungs and heart- she was admitted and what she was trying to avoid has begun...so from me trying to get educated on dialysis I have received a crash course   My sis now has  a catheter and has started hemodialysis.  She is right now in the middle of treatment #3.  So onward and upward - I am learning as I go to best support her through all this and your stories and advice are so helpful - thank you for making me feel welcome and for all of the support! 

[looneytunes]

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your sis.   

[willowtreewren]

So sorry this hit suddenly....

 

Aleta

[lmunchkin]

What an awesome little Angel you are!  Thanks for being there for her cause she will need the support for awhile, till she gets sorted out. It is a never ending process, but some do well with D.  It just becomes a routine for them.

Again, thanks for your being there for her & God Bless,
lmunchkin