This will probably be the first of many Q's

[jakia]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and this will probably be the first of many Q's.

My story so far - I went to my GP as I had what can only be described as pins and needles in my scalp. To cut a long story short doctor done BP, urine and full blood tests. The result was I was informed my GFR was 11 and I have ESRD and was referred to a nephrologist, this happened 2 months ago. So far I have seen her once and have been given an appointment to see her again in 6 weeks.

This came as a massive shock to me and my husband, we have a 3 year old daughter (I'm 44) and live in Bonnie Scotland, UK.

I'm not even sure what I want to be asking my neph on my next visit but came across this forum while googling and thought it would be nice to get some friendly advice from people that are already 'wearing the T Shirt' so to speak. The inevitable time will come when I will need dialysis, I'm leaning towards CAPD but not entirely sure .... I have a lot of things to take into the equation ie my young daughter, my work etc.



EDITED: Moved to proper section - okarol/admin

[WishIKnew]

Welcome!  Sorry you need to be here but glad you found us!  Hope your questions get answered.  This board has been a godsend to me over the years.  I  started dialysis in 2007 (Nocternal PD) and that went well for a long time.  I did in-center hemodialysis from June of 2011 until my transplant in January of 2012.  Kidney function is good now.  Anyway, 

 

[CebuShan]

I was diagnosed in May of 2008 also having no clue there was anything wrong. I managed to hold off on D until April of 2009. I did in-centre until September 2012 when I started Home Hemo. I chose Home hemo because I didn't want another tube. I like to swim and take baths and I was told that I wouldn't be able to do that on PD.
Glad you found us so early! I had been on D for a year before I was told about this site. I LOVE it! Great people and you never feel like you're alone.
Best of luck to you in whatever modality you choose!

[Riki]

Ask away.. we all do.. *G*  if you are unsure of something, just ask.  Odds are someone here knows something about it

[Mr Pink]

If your GFR is 11%, you'll need to make a decision quickly. I remember when I hit 11%. I was feeling pretty poorly, and knew the the end of the road was near. At that point, I was two months away from dialysis. That said, some people can last longer than that. Good luck.

[Ken Shelmerdine]

Hi Jakia and welcome to IHD. Fire as many questions as you like. We are all happy to help and support you as much as we can.

I know what shock it is to be told you will soon have to  begin dialysis. The two big questions are whether to go for CAPD or Haemodialysis. Both modalities have their advantages and disadvantages. I did two years on Capd which allowed me to dialyse overnight in my own home which which freed daytime hours and allowed me to continue working full time. Unfortunately it carries a medium risk of contracting peritonitis and when this happened to me I decided to do haemo instead which I have done for the last 5 years.

I was still able to work part time until I retired at 65 in January of this year. There seems to be general agreement in medical circles that both methods can give an adequate dialysis