31 YEARS OLD MALE FROM KANSAS CITY, MO

[msf21]

My name is Michael and I am 31. I have been on dialysis since May of 2013. I still manage to work full time which isn't always easy. I hope to meet people on here that are closer to my age who I can relate to better. There doesn't seem to be a lot of conversation about younger people who are going through this.

EDITED:  Merged 2 Intros, Rerun, Moderator

[Shaks24]

Welcome Michael.  I hope you make many friends here.   

[iketchum]

Young or older does not make much difference. We all are cursed with this disease and share the problems that come with it. I will admit I do not know as much about dateing or what concerts are going on, but ask about cramping or low bp and I can help. I hope you find some good advice chatting with the good people here.

[Ninanna]

Welcome Michael!  I am 29 years old, and although I haven't done the big D yet, I am currently at stage 5. I grew up in your neck the woods (southern Iowa). I hope you find answers and lots of support here.

Can you tell us a little about your situation?

[Poppylicious]

Hello Michael, and  ...

There are quite a few younger members closer to your age who use this forum; hopefully they'll pop along and say 'hi'. I'm the wrong side of thirty-five so am never sure if I should spend most of my time conversing with older people or younger people.

 

Like iketchum says though, most people can relate to lots of different situations that kidney failure throws up regardless of age.

[Bambino_Bear]

 

[Rerun]

Hi Michael,  I was 24 when I started and now I'm 52.  I can just hear you "OMG, I'm going to be doing this crap that long!"   LOL  So, I'm not your age but I've been your age.  Hope I can help.  I had a transplant for 17 years and worked full time.  That was the best for me.

What does a transplant look like for you? 

Rerun, Moderator    

[CebuShan]

    Michael. I also am older than you but I can also tell you my experiences on D!
How did you find out about your kidney failure?

[msf21]

I am 31 and I have PKD. I have been on dialysis since May and PD since July. I still work full time, for a property management group. Overall I think I have handled this process fairly well, but it has not been easy. The mentality I have been trying to keep throughout this thing is " I am still 31, I am not an old man. I still want to work, I want to have a GF, get married, start a family, I still want to act like I am 31."   I believe that something like this poses some challenges for everyone, but it seems there is not a lot of support directed for people in my age group. I hope that I can connect to some people close to my age, because I have questions about sex drive, starting new relationships, working, transplant, post transplant, etc. By the way, I am almost done with my transplant workup at KU Medical Center, in Kansas City, KS (my hometown) . I should be on the list soon.

[msf21]

It looks like I introduced myself twice by accident, sorry. The new thread has more info about me, my transplant status, etc

[cassandra]

Welcome to the site msf21

 


,and there's quite a few members here around your age, lots of your questions are also on previous threads.

Take care, Cas

[MooseMom]

There's not a lot of support for people in ANY age group.  And like Cass said, there have been many people of all ages who have had the same questions/issues as yourself and have posted them here.  I know you'll find a lot of answers!

Do you have any potential living donors?

[UltimaRatio]

welcome to this site .
as you said in my thread : i am close to your age , and ofc i will be happy to pass on information or help you.

so basically if you have any questions feel free to post them or , if you prefer , send me a message.

see you around
phil

[Rerun]

Hey, so glad you found us.  Lots of support here.  Lots of threads already here you can read through.

 

Rerun, Moderator

[msf21]

There's not a lot of support for people in ANY age group.  And like Cass said, there have been many people of all ages who have had the same questions/issues as yourself and have posted them here.  I know you'll find a lot of answers!

Do you have any potential living donors?

Thanks. This site does seem like there is a good variety of people of all ages so I am sure I find the support I need. I wish my clinic would have given me some info on this site when I started. I guess the support I lack is on the local level. I have only found one person to talk to who is about 3 years older than me. As far as living donors, my dad and girlfriend both expressed interest. They have not done any of the tests yet but should start soon.

[chiromac]

I guess I'm on the older side at 42.  I'm kinda close in STL.  Welcome to the IHD online family.

[deniferfer]

Hi there Micheal,

My name is Jennifer and I'm 32 years old. This site has been very help to me with any questions I may have. I have been on D for now 15 years and still learn new things. Its great that you have been able to continue to work and stay active in your life. I believe in staying positive and have a good sense of humor on life to keep me going strong. If you need someone to talk to feel free to PM me anytime!   

[KarenInWA]

Hi Michael,

I am 40, started dialysis at age 37, and had a live-donor tx 7 months later at age 38. I worked FT throughout it all. I am single and live alone. I have been told by a nurse that I was a "high-functioning" dialysis patient since I was able to work FT, and still did things like go to concerts, shows, did a few 3-day weekends, etc while on dialysis (I did in-center HD). I had dreaded starting dialysis, then when I had to, I adopted a positive attitude about it as a way of survival. I couldn't let myself get down, because then that would mean the disease would win. I had a set-back a few months after my tx - it was permanently injured by a biopsy. I had to have emergency surgery, which caused me to tap out my FMLA at work. I was lucky that my job worked with me on that. The best my GFR has been since is 17, so I am now back on the list so I can accrue time. My goal is to have this kidney stay stable for as long as possible. I am lucky that despite it all, I'm doing good. The best advice I can give you for post-tx is - Be careful with biopsies!

KarenInWA

[msf21]

I just wanted to update my profile. I am now on the list, I found out a few days ago. I am really happy that this is going well. I have 3 people that want to be live donors, dad, gf, and brother. Chances are good at least one will work out. Hopefully by the spring or at the latest summer, I should have my surgery. At least thats my goal. When this started I made a personal goal to have my surgery a year after my diagnosis, and so far it looks like a possibility.

[CalamityEC]

hey there

I'm 29. Female.  Definitely not from your area.  Welcome!

I have been on hemo for...2.5 months now?  But, I've been dealing with kidney issues since I was 6 mos old.  (I had a transplant when I was 3.)  It's great that you're on the list and you have people willing to donate.  Hopefully there aren't any other issues and you get your surgery sooner rather than later.