Too young to be in clinic

[AJ1963]

I'm 42. Twenty years ago that was sooooo old.Now it's still pretty old but what ya gonna do, right?
When I started this E ticket ride that is renal failure almost 3 years ago I was told it was uncommon for someone my age to be on dialysis. So when I walked into the clinic the first time and found myself surrounded by, let's call them senior citizens, I was not surprised.Don't get me wrong. I like my clinic,(won't name names, but starts with a "D" and rhymes with Gavita).Where was I? Oh yeah, like the song sez, "I ain't got no body" that I can relate to, that is. So it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that to find a website just full to the rim with brim and young pin cushions is indeed a treat. By the way, I tend to ramble. I have found, however, if one rambles enough,,,I forgot where I was going with that. HEY, let me tell ya something, I got good nurses, good doctors, and I'm on the transplant list at the best hospital around, (Mayo, Jacksonville Florida), BUT I DON'T LIKE MY SOCIAL WORKER. The s.w. at my second home, Sally, (not her real name) is God's gift to the renal industry. She knows EVERYTHING. She NEVER makes a mistake. And she is without a doubt 110% Da vi taaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh. I pretend to be asleep when she comes round but she will wake me up to ask me some stupid something that's none of her business. It's OK though, I learned a long time ago how to look a person in the eye and lie like a cheap rug. Gonna end this rant-fest for now but don't worry, I'll be back to bore you some more later.

[Epoman]

I'm 42. Twenty years ago that was sooooo old.Now it's still pretty old but what ya gonna do, right?
When I started this E ticket ride that is renal failure almost 3 years ago I was told it was uncommon for someone my age to be on dialysis. So when I walked into the clinic the first time and found myself surrounded by, let's call them senior citizens, I was not surprised.Don't get me wrong. I like my clinic,(won't name names, but starts with a "D" and rhymes with Gavita).Where was I? Oh yeah, like the song sez, "I ain't got no body" that I can relate to, that is. So it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that to find a website just full to the rim with brim and young pin cushions is indeed a treat. By the way, I tend to ramble. I have found, however, if one rambles enough,,,I forgot where I was going with that. HEY, let me tell ya something, I got good nurses, good doctors, and I'm on the transplant list at the best hospital around, (Mayo, Jacksonville Florida), BUT I DON'T LIKE MY SOCIAL WORKER. The s.w. at my second home, Sally, (not her real name) is God's gift to the renal industry. She knows EVERYTHING. She NEVER makes a mistake. And she is without a doubt 110% Da vi taaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh. I pretend to be asleep when she comes round but she will wake me up to ask me some stupid something that's none of her business. It's OK though, I learned a long time ago how to look a person in the eye and lie like a cheap rug. Gonna end this rant-fest for now but don't worry, I'll be back to bore you some more later.

  Nice rant.

- Epoman

[kitkatz]

Hey, here is another 43 year old. Been staring at dialysis for the past seven and a half years.  I rant and rave all over this site.  Helps alot!  I go to clinic and see the elderly.  We have a few patients close to my age.


Katherine

[Panda_9]

I first went on dialysis when I was 14, hows that for young?  Im now 26 and back on dialysis  I havent seen many others my age, or close to it, only about a handful if that.

[kevno]

I first went on dialysis at the age of 10, on a dialysis unit in a children's hospital. All of us were under the age of 16. There was 6 of us on the machines at one time causing chaos, on the unit. 1977 that was.  81 had transplant. 88 at the age of 21 years back on dialysis been on ever since. I have known a lot of younger people on dialysis. But the unit I am on now, there are a lot of oldies (like kitkatz ) 60+.

[Epoman]

there are a lot of oldies (like kitkatz )60+.

  Oh man Kevno, is just ASKING for it. 

[Sara]

Hey, we're neighbors!  Kinda anyway.  We're in Jacksonville, Joe's been going to Mayo for pre-list workup/evaluation.  He's young too, only 36.

[Panda_9]

I sure wouldnt of liked to be on dialysis back in the good ol days, sounds scary to me.

[kitkatz]

Kevno,
    How did you know I was so old??? LOL  43 here and a karate chop to the head!

Katherine

[angieskidney]

First time I was on dialysis was when I was 16 but that was PD. I did see HD however when I went to a "Kidney Kids Camp" and girls my age where on HD there. It scared me because I saw them get bad leg cramps! This is my first time on HD thought. I started last summer. I still have yet to have the fistula to be used. I am sooo nervous about that. I was hoping I would not have to start HD so soon ... I feel I am too young I am 32. But since I was first on dialysis (PD) while in the Toronto Hospital for Sick Kids I have seen LOTS of kids on dialysis.

[karen547]

I understand that you're frustrated but do you realize there are KIDS on dialysis, like practically babies. I'm 22! So please don't say youre to young. No offense but that kind of iirritates me when ppl say they're too young, as if ESRD discriminates because it doesnt!

[glitter]

perhaps he was talking about the majority on dialysis...my husband is not the youngest at his clinic- but they(younger peeps) are WAY outnumbered by the older folks. If he feels he is personally too young....thats his feelings. Don't take his comments personal, he was just speaking his own mind.

[jbeany]

Yeah, I get that from some of the nurses at my clinic, too.  "You're too young to be this sick!"  or "You're so young to be on dialysis!"  Right.  Cause it's sooooo much better when you are old.  I think everyone is "too" something to be on dialysis - none of us like it!

At any rate, it was a good rant!

[Adam_W]

I was the youngest patient in my old centre by about 20 years (I'm 25). When I first started, I would look around the clinic at all these old people on their machines, some on oxygen, some with no legs, and I would think to myself "what am I doing here? these are all sick people. I'm not like any of them, I'm supposed to be young and healthy." That thought would instantly go away when I would turn my head and look at my own machine that I was hooked to. I don't know if one can ever fully get used to dialysis, but I've definitely adjusted to it enough that it usually doesn't bother me anymore. It's just one more thing I have to do. Home dialysis has helped so much with that adjustment.

Adam

[goofynina]

When i am feeling depressed and sorry for myself, i think of Gavin, http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=3209.msg31872#msg31872, and all the other kids that have to endure this damn dialysis crap and that pretty much snaps me out of my pity party 

[st789]

Yeah, it irritated the heck out of me when nurses at clinics and hospitals commented about my ages being this sick.  WTF..... do they think I planned and wanted to start dialysis at this young ages.  Hell no.

[keefer51]

When i was first on dialysis i was in my thirties. I don't remember anyone from that center. Now i am in my fifties and on it again. I think allot of us "old" folks hate to see someone young on dialysis because of how it has interupted our lives. There is no better age to be with this crap. At my center we have a young woman who is blind i think she may be in her twenties. We also have a gentleman who is in his nineties still married over sixty years! He is in a Barber shop quartet. My family had him and his boys sing at my fathers birthday. So i have found out from my experience ESRD never discriminates. I guess if i was given a choice i would rather be on my death bed and be on dialysis.

[poohkari]

I understand that you're frustrated but do you realize there are KIDS on dialysis, like practically babies. I'm 22! So please don't say youre to young. No offense but that kind of iirritates me when ppl say they're too young, as if ESRD discriminates because it doesnt!

I know exactly how you feel. I think that because dialysis sucks so bad and totally puts peoples lives on hold, anyone who is on it feels they didnt do enough pre-dialysis, so they feel cheated and "too young"!

[kidney4traci]

We are all too young.  Even at 40 now I feel too young.  I agree w/ Adam, being at home vs. the clinic helps.  The clinic always made me depressed, and at home I feel I am managing my own care.  No one getting sick next to you, no hospital beds, bare butts( and not cute!), nurses, techs, social workers, misc dr's doing rounds, snoring, on and on....

[Rerun]

The person that started this post did so over a year ago and has not posted since August 1, 2006.  Probably dead.

I wish people would read the post date before they start ripping into someone who won't or can't respond.

[thegrammalady]

Yeah, I get that from some of the nurses at my clinic, too.  "You're too young to be this sick!"  or "You're so young to be on dialysis!"  Right.  Cause it's sooooo much better when you are old.  I think everyone is "too" something to be on dialysis - none of us like it!

At any rate, it was a good rant!

only the uninformed say things like "you're too young to be this sick" the nurses at dialysis clinics should know better. kidney disease has no age barrier.

The person that started this post did so over a year ago and has not posted since August 1, 2006. Probably dead.

I wish people would read the post date before they start ripping into someone who won't or can't respond.

true, but sometimes responding to an older post makes for an interesting "new" conversation.

[Meinuk]

The person that started this post did so over a year ago and has not posted since August 1, 2006. Probably dead.

I wish people would read the post date before they start ripping into someone who won't or can't respond.

true, but sometimes responding to an older post makes for an interesting "new" conversation.

Wow, I am away for a while and come back to a reminder of what I love about IHD!  Yes, the original poster isn't here, but I do like the subject.

I have noticed that since I started on M/W/F nights at the clinic, the average age skews younger - quite a few working people.  At 41, I am solidly middle aged on our shift.  I am transitioning to nxstage this month - So, hopefully I'll have plenty to talk about in Vegas!

[highlite36]

I'm on PD right now.....but what I really enjoyed about HD was that there were many people....and we became a very tight knit community.  It was good to see others who were going through the same thing that I was going through regardless of their age or ability.....  That was just really nice.........

[fluffy]

it makes me really sad to see so many ppl of different ages all suffering from the same thing. and it gets worse when i turn on the tv and see commercials asking for donations for aids, breast cancer alzheimers and even the spca, but not one commercial for ckd, in the eyes of the media we dont even exist.

[angela515]

Your right, people barely understand ESRD and dialysis and transplants.... it's really sad. This guy I m talking to and who took me out to the movies a month ago knew I had a kidney transplant but didn't know what dialysis was or anything. I had to explain it to him... and then basically break it down to dialysis=Life Support for him to understand the severity and importance of dialysis.

I honestly can say I didn't know about it either before dealing with it... and to be honest when I was 14 and going through kidney failure the first time, I wasn't even shook when the doctor said if you don't get this chemo to reverse your kidney's you will need dialysis.. because I didn't know what it was and it wasn't even explained to me. Thank god the chemo reversed my kidney failure for some years and I didn't go on dialysis until i was 20.