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

Thursday, December 16, 2010

So I guess I should let you know what happened at the specialists....

not much other than I had a complete and utter meltdown.  I am not handling my stress very well and have just found out that all the toxins in my body from being in predialysis isn't helping.

I am having difficulties trusting people and so I shut everyone out. I have done it in the past as whenever I let anyone in I ultimately got hurt and it is something I am dealing with right now. Not sure how to deal with my family and the moment...or even who to trust within that family. According to my one mother, I have a "new" and and an "old" family; now that I have this "new" family I don't need to be with the "old" family or some such nonsense.

I really would love to talk about it all but a publication ban on part of the story is in place so I could get arrested for contempt.  Hmmm almost sounds like an idea..lol. Suffice it to say that have a very strange family to deal with and somedays I wish I didn't have to.

This has become my theme song for my life lately...

 Bon Jovi's "Its My Life"


ITS MY LIFE
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Live in Chicago 2007

Bon Jovi - It's My Life (Live In Chicago 2007)
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Here are the lyrics...

Bon Jovi's It's My Life
Songwriters: Bon Jovi, Jon; Martin, Max; Sambora, Richard S;

This ain't a song for the brokenhearted
No silent prayer for the faith departed
And I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my voice when I shout it out loud

It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said, "I did it my way"
I just wanna live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life

This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder, make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky, gotta make your own breaks

It's my life
And it's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said, "I did it my way"
I just wanna live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life

You better stand tall
When they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break
Baby, don't back down

It's my life
It's now or never
'Cause I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said, "I did it my way"
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
And it's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said, "I did it my way"
I just wanna live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life!

Monday, December 13, 2010

I am off to see the specialist today.

I am a bit nervous as I haven't seen since March when the whole kidney failure diagnosis happened. I am not looking forward to this at all. I don't like the new nurse and I don't like my doctor....inspires a lot of confidence there huh? I am also still quite tired from the trip although I had an awesome time. I guess I am just tired. Everything is so up in the air right now. I will let everyone know how it went.

Cora