My Kidney Diaries

It's been a week since Kidney Education Day at IU Hospital. A week to let the realness of everything sink in.  A week to wrap my brain around the truth of how badly I need a new kidney to live.  We learned that the life expectancy of living on dialysis and not ever having a transplant is 5-10 years.  We learned receiving a live donor kidney transplant could last 20 years!  I don't know about you, but 20 years sounds a lot better to me!  You see I'm only 48 years old, I'm the mom of three great sons, Evan is 25, Logan is 23 and Isaiah is 19 and wife to a wonderful, devoted husband.  I need them and they need me.  I am also very blessed to be Mimi to a beautiful little girl who is 6 and a little boy who I expect to meet on January 22nd ~ in just a few days!  I need them and they need me.  I recently moved back to Indiana to live near family, my parents, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews and my grandmother.  I need them and they need me.  I need a kidney and I need one s…

Doctors, Dialysis and Donors

We'll start with dialysis.  So far my kidneys are holding their own.  I have not had to start dialysis yet.  My labs have been pretty stable.  My creatinine level is still climbing, but slowly.  It is 3.72 right now and my GFR is still 14.

Before dialysis could begin, I would need to get the fistula put in my arm and that takes about 3 months to heal before it can be used.  If for some reason my kidneys take a turn for the worse before my fistula surgery or while the fistula is healing, I will need a surgery to place a catheter in my neck straight into my heart.  This catheter will have two ports that the dialysis machine will hook up to.  We are really trying to avoid the neck/heart catheter as it has a higher risk of infection, and who wants an infection in their heart?  Not this girl!
For more information about Hemodialysis Catheters you can read about them HERE.


Doctors.  I have been to several in the last month.  In order to qualify for a transpla…