How many people end up....

[Sydnee]

Ed and I have decided to sell our home and land and buy something we can own out right  (which of course means a SMALL place) with 4 kids it will be tight. But thinking about it all makes me wonder....

How many people facing D decide to chuck it all and change?
What did you change from and to?



Edited: Moved to proper section - okarol/admin

[Joe]

At the beginning of the year, we moved from the overly large house we had been in for 12 years to a home that was half that size. Additionally, our yard went from one the size of a football field to one the size of half a tennis court. It's take us 5 months to get rid of all the stuff we had in the old place that just wouldn't fit in the new one. But now that we are settled in, it is a whole lot less work to maintain and clean the house. And the yard that took over 3 hours to do at the old place takes about 30 minutes to do here. It's a lot easier to keep up with things in the new place and that was the goal.

[jbeany]

I didn't "chuck it all" but I've certainly made some changes.  (Well, I did chuck my husband while I was still on D, but that's another story...with one too many characters involved for a marriage between two people.    ) 

I've been lucky enough to get a transplant.  I also got an inheritance from selling my Gram's house less than a year after the transplant.  I used the inheritance to plan for future dialysis. 

First was moving.  With my Gram gone, I moved south to a much more urban area, and much closer to my remaining family.  If I do get sick, I'm now 30 minutes from my family, instead of nearly 5 hours.  Much easier for all of us.

Second was a paralegal certificate.  I spent a chunk of money on tuition for a really good program that has given me a great education in a job that comes with benefits, and little physical effort.  Hopefully, if I need to, I can continue to work if I end up back on D, even if it's only part time.  This beats where I was living before by a long shot.  It was a resort area, and office jobs were few and far between.  Anything I could have gotten would have involved shifts on my feet, waiting on customers.  Not so great with anemia.  (Ask me how I know....)

Third and fourth, the rest of my inheritance was spent on a house and car.  I paid cash for both, so I have no loan payments, no rent and no mortgage.  The house needs a lot of work, but right now, I'm physically capable of doing most of it myself.  If I end up back on D and unable to work, I will be able to live in my house with only taxes and utilities to pay.  My disability payments will cover all my expenses that way. 

I also carefully researched my neighborhoods while I was house shopping.  I'm less than a block from the bus route, less than a mile from the closest dialysis center, and less than 3 miles from the major hospitals in the area.  There are plenty of shopping areas on the bus route, all very close.  If I can't afford the up-keep and insurance on my car, or if my eye problems return in the future, I won't have to be dependent on friends and family for transportation.

I am, of course, hoping I don't need to put any of these plans into action for years and years....but with the possibility of dialysis in my future, I think they were changes well worth the sacrifices I made - like a nicer house, a newer car, and all the other fun things I could have done with my inheritance, like traveling and clothes and a smart phone and and and....

[RichardMEL]

Totally different situation for me, but I felt compelled to answer anyway ( ) - I didn't chuck it all in and I don't have any kids or a partner but I did buy an apartment specifically with D's approach as one of the main consideration.

I purchased a place right over the road from the hospital so that I could be close to the D unit, and well down the track I would also be close should the transplant actually happen (and it did, finally.. and the laughable irony is that I was on D *in* the hospital when the call came, and I wasn't even allowed to go home-right over the road-to get anything or say goodbye to my loyal feline owner).

Anyway so yeah I did buy a small apartment, with the support of my perents (very generous to help out with $$$) so I could be close for D since I had been told it could be very draining and most people did not drive or go far after it. As it happened, and maybe because I was a bit younger, that I did OK on D but still it was great to come home in minutes after 5 hours in the chair rather than having to travel far.

I'm still there, but the medium term plan is to sell and go somewhere better.

[Deanne]

I'm not on D yet and I'm hoping for a pre-emptive transplant, but I've been planning ahead with dialysis in mind. I sold my mulit-level townhouse in favor of a one-level house with a small-ish yard. I'm throwing everything I can at the mortgage to try to have it paid off quickly so I'd be able to afford to live on disability if needed. The yard is big enough for the dogs to run around when I don't feel like walking them, but it only takes about 1/2 hour to mow. I have a landscape crew taking care of it until I get a transplant and it only takes them about 10 minutes. I think the house is still too big at 1400 sq ft, but it's ok. It gives me a room to use for dialysis supplies. I still work full-time. Several years ago I moved into a career that has options for working from home, which I do now at least a couple days a week. I hope to be able to work until close to a normal retirement age, then I'll probably sell the house and go back into a rental apartment or small condo within walking distance of a dialysis center and shopping area in case I can't/don't want to drive anymore.