Home Therapy the Right Ticket for Writer, Comedian and Kidney Patient

Home Therapy the Right Ticket for Writer, Comedian and Kidney Patient
Featured In: Baxter

By Baxter Healthcare

Thursday, July 8, 2010

For five years, Jim McFarlin hoped his kidneys would get better by themselves. That's how long he went before seeing a nephrologist, (kidney specialist) after a checkup in 2001 revealed high levels of protein in his urine and creatinine (waste generated from muscle cells) in his system. Both are indicators of compromised kidney function.

When McFarlin finally saw a nephrologist in 2006, his symptoms had worsened, leading to a severe case of gout that rendered him unable to walk. His inability to process waste, toxins and excess fluid from the bloodstream - the main function of the kidneys - was wreaking havoc on his body.

A special diet and medication improved things for awhile - until December 2009, when McFarlin was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease, or irreversible kidney failure. He was put on a waiting list for a kidney transplant - the closest thing to a "cure" for kidney failure - but with a shortage of donor organs, it could be years before a transplant is possible.

An Entertaining Career
When Jim McFarlin was growing up in the 1950s and '60s, he and his parents were the only African American family living in the town of Spring Lake, Michigan. After graduating from Spring Lake High School in 1970, McFarlin attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where he currently sits on the board of alumni. He earned a degree in journalism and worked for the Grand Rapids Press for five years, followed by 16 years at the Detroit News, where he was the entertainment critic.

"I kind of carved out a niche for myself as a comedy reporter," he says. "I've always been a big student of comedy. Whenever there was a comedian in town, I would beg to do a story on him. I got to meet Rodney Dangerfield, Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Allen and other comics as they were coming up. I'd ask them how they rehearse, how they write their material and other tricks of the trade because I actually wanted to do stand-up comedy myself."

And that he did, doing stand-up at local comedy clubs for about three years in the late 1980s and early '90s. But working at the newspaper all day followed by late-night comedy sets in dark, smoky rooms eventually took its toll.

"I either had to give up the newspaper job and go into comedy full time, or give up stand-up," he says. "The paycheck was coming from the paper, so I gave up stand-up."

In the meantime, hypertension, or high blood pressure, was silently doing damage to McFarlin's kidneys. Hypertension, a leading cause of kidney disease, is more prevalent among African Americans than the rest of the population. Kidney disease also has a disproportionate impact on African Americans.

The Charm
In March 2009, McFarlin married Karen, whom he calls "the charm" because she's his third wife. He says he actually tried to talk her out of marrying him because of his advanced kidney disease.

"I kept telling her I loved her but I can't guarantee that I'll be healthy or what's going to happen. She said she didn't care if it was six months or 50 years, we'll deal with whatever we must and enjoy the time we have together."

They moved from Detroit to Decatur, Illinois, to help Karen's parents raise 10-year-old twin girls they took in when another family member could not look after them. McFarlin became a full-time freelance writer for several publications and is also writing a book about a young man he met in Detroit who has persevered to lead a productive life despite having no arms or legs.

"We've been working on it for the better part of a year," McFarlin says. "He's just an inspiration and I feel privileged to know him."

Time for Dialysis
The only treatment option besides a transplant for people with end-stage kidney disease is dialysis. There are two main forms of dialysis: hemodialysis (HD), which generally takes place in a hospital or clinic, and peritoneal dialysis (PD), a home-based therapy. Because PD could be performed at home, McFarlin chose this option.

In PD, patients infuse a solution through a surgically implanted catheter in their abdomen into their peritoneum, or abdominal cavity, where it draws waste products across the peritoneal membrane (which serves as a natural filter) into the solution. The used solution is then drained and discarded.
Baxter delivers McFarlin's PD solutions monthly. He uses Baxter's HomeChoice automated peritoneal dialysis machine to perform the therapy, either during the day or at night.

"I chose PD because it's best for my lifestyle," McFarlin says. "I wanted the control of being able to do dialysis on my schedule as opposed to someone else's. If I don't need to leave the house during the day, I'll usually dialyze during the day. If I do, then I'll do it at night. It takes about eight hours but I can move around. I don't have to be laying down the whole time or anything."

Today, McFarlin's doctors and nurses say he's doing great. In addition to work and family, he has dedicated himself to spreading the word about kidney disease, writing a blog called "JK - Just Kidneying," which has led him to meet others with this condition.

"When I was diagnosed, I was like a general going into battle," he says. "I wanted to know as much about my enemy as possible. I read everything I could get my hands on about kidney disease, dialysis and transplantation. Knowledge is power. My advice to anyone with kidney disease, or any medical condition, is to learn as much as you can so you can play an active part in your care."

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