Have you ever heard someone say something to the effect, “I’d
give my right kidney for a chance to be a part of that expedition?” Would you give your right kidney to save the
life of a human being, a stranger, or your neighbor? How about Tom, your third cousin on your
mother’s side? You’ve never met him, but
you heard from your aunt at the reunion that he has been on the recipient waiting
list for a year and a half. Tom happens to be married and has a one year old
daughter. Do the odds of saying yes increase if the person in need of a kidney
was your wife or child? My guess is your
answer would be yes.
The National
Kidney Foundation hosted a luncheon in the 920 building at Trident Technical
College recently for patients that are on dialysis and their caregivers. The
purpose of the luncheon was to make sure the recipients were aware of the
options available to them. Some of the
patients may be waiting on a kidney transplant, while some may not meet the
criteria for a transplant. These men and women depend on dialysis to survive.
There were speakers from the National Kidney Foundation, representatives from
the local dialysis clinics, and personnel from the Medical University of South
Carolina on hand that day to answer questions about the recipient process. Some of the patients shared their personal
story; it was heartbreaking to hear what each of them has to endure each day.
Dialysis takes hours to complete the filtration process.
The attendees arrived by bus,
transport, and personal vehicles to attend the luncheon held in the 920
building. I was amazed at the diversity when it came to the men and women that
are dialysis patients. Some of these
patients are hoping to be matched for a kidney; some of them are accepting the
fact that they do not meet the criteria to receive a kidney transplant. These
men and women know dialysis is their only chance of staying alive without
healthy kidneys.
I was
assigned to take pictures of the event but found myself wishing I could just
take notes so I wouldn’t forget one word that was spoken that day. I paid special attention because my family is
rampant with diabetes. Having diabetes
does not necessarily mean you will have problems with your kidneys, but it
definitely increases your chances of being diagnosed with kidney disease.
According to
the National Kidney Foundation 1 in 3 Americans are at risk for kidney disease.
1 in 9 Americans already have kidney disease. I also learned…
Kidney disease is irreversible
it kills more
people
than
breast cancer,
prostate cancer,
and leukemia
These sobering facts surprised me because you hear and see so
much about a cure for breast cancer and, to be frank, I do not recall ever
seeing a commercial or hearing much about the National Kidney Foundation other
than the program for car donation.
I also found
out that detecting kidney disease only requires two simple tests. Having diabetes,
high blood pressure, a family history of kidney disease, and older in age increases
your risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD). These are just a few of the factors
that put a person at risk. For more
information please go to the National Kidney Foundation website www.kidney.org.
If you have
even one risk factor, insist that your doctor give you two simple tests. The first test is called ACR, which looks at
protein in the urine. The second test is
a blood test to estimate GFR. Your GFR
numbers tell your doctor how well your kidneys are filtering blood. The only
way to find kidney disease is to be tested.
There are no early symptoms. Most
people don’t know they have kidney disease until their kidneys fail. If your
kidneys fail, you must rely on dialysis to function for your damaged kidneys,
but this is not a permanent solution.
There are
two types of dialysis, peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis. Both processes remove excess fluid and wastes
from the body. Hemodialysis is routinely
done in a dialysis facility and can be done at home with training. Peritoneal
Dialysis is typically done at home. Currently, the recommendation for dialysis
is three days a week, but in actuality patients should receive dialysis more
frequently. Resources are simply not available to provide the patients with
what they really need.
The only
other option is a transplant. The
screening process takes months; you must go through a battery of tests to
determine if you are a candidate for organ transplant. If selected you must
adhere to strict guidelines regarding your health, diet, and you will have to
take medication to lessen the chance of your body rejecting your new kidney for
the rest of your life. Cost is also a huge factor in the recipient
process. If you do not have insurance or
access to a couple hundred thousand dollars you will not be afforded the
opportunity to receive a kidney even if you have a person willing to give you a
kidney. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t have that kind of
resources. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees with transplant or
dialysis. Your best bet is to do
everything in your power to keep your kidneys healthy by adhering to your
doctor’s recommendation for treatment of any condition that could increase your
risk of CKD.
The
representative from the Medical University of South Carolina that processes
donor applications provided some sobering data.
According to the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN), there
are over 100,000 people waiting for organ transplants in the US. Eight out of 10 of these people are waiting
for a kidney. In the US alone there have
been over 600,000 organ transplants since 1988; almost 400,000 have been kidney
transplants.
I do not
understand how this can be, but it is a fact.
This information has me wondering how my kidneys are doing. My mother had diabetes, early stage kidney
disease, and I am of a certain age, which increases my chances
substantially. Until now, I had no idea
how at risk I am for chronic kidney disease.
I didn’t know there were tests that will let me know how my kidneys are
functioning, but I do now. I plan on making an appointment with my doctor to
assess my risk factors as soon as possible.
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