Welcome One and All!

I started this blog to chronicle the my life as a renal patient. I started having issues back in 1983. I had an infection that hadn't been treated as an infection; it had been treated as pulled muscle as I had been working as a nanny at the time. Life went on and then I dealt with a series of infections of infections which resulted in 4 minor surgeries from 1985 to 87. Than I had 3 kids; dealing with minor infections along the way. This culminated in discovering in 1998 that I was in what the call Chronic Renal Failure, my right kidney was imploding, the left was starting to go as well.

I finally had the right kidney removed in 1999, which resulted in complications. I almost didn't make it. When I moved back to Edmonton from BC, I started seeing a nephorogist, Dr. Caldwell, from the U of A. In 2007 I had 75% renal function, fast-forward to today I have 13% and it is getting worse.

I decided I needed a place to share what I am going through for a variety of reasons:

1) to get out of my head and work through the anxiety and fear that I am feeling.

2) that somehow my ramblings can be of help to others.

3) most of all to share my journey with others and to help me share with my own family.

Great Sites for Information

Kidney Foundation of Canada

Kidney Foundation of Canada

National Kidney Foundation (USA)

National Kidney Foundation (USA)

(I will Post more as I find out more information.)

Here are some great foums and educational sites...

Kidney School
Kidney School
Kidney Friends Forum
Kidney Friends


Also there are some groups on Facebook:
Canadian Kidney Connection
Canadian Kidney Connection

Ontario’s Renal Community
Ontario’s Renal Community

I will add more as they come in. Cora

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Another post from my main blog....

I went to see my nephyrologist this morning....

I got news I wish I hadn't got...my creatine levels (measures protein taht is uses to develop muscle mass, the by-product creatincine is what is measured) are up again, which means kidney function is down. Back in march I was at 16%, when i went in to get a special x-ray done I was at 15 % and now I am at 14 %. What does this mean? It means that I am looking at dialysis and/or transplant almost immediately. I have already gone to the PD (Peritoneal Dialysis) Clinic at the U of A Hospital. Now I am being referred to the transplant unit.

So I have two types of transplants to look at: cadaver and live. Cadaver is an organ from someone who has already passed away and we are most aware of this one as most organ transplants depend on this. However with a kidney, peopel can survive with one all their lives. In fact I have done quite well with only one and it was only in the year that it went downhill.

My hope is that friends would be interested in looking at organ donation.  This is a scary time for me as I look forward to celebrating my 3rd wedding anniversary, I am pretty sure this is not what DH signed up for you know. He knew I had kidney issues but they were stable at the time...now they are not.

Wow I was not prepared for this at all.

Cora
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