Kidney: (from Wikopedia) Paired organs that serve the body as a natural filter of the blood and remove waste. They also serve homeostatic functions such as regulating electrolytes, blood pressure and acid-base balance.
Since November 17, 2005, my "kidney" has been peritoneal dialysis (or "PD"). PD is one form of dialysis and, in my opinion, is the easiest on your body. With PD, there is a catheter placed in the abdomen and dialysate is introduced through that catheter. The fluid stays in the abdomen for a period of time and is then drained. This can be done manually or with a machine.
When I first started dialysis, I was doing manual exchanges. This means that four times a day, I shut myself in a clean room with no fans or moving air, put on a mask and hooked up to the dialysate bags. There were two bags - one full of dialysate which was high on a pole and an empty bag that lay on the floor.
After "hooking up", I drained the fluid that was already in me into the drain bag. Then I would close off the drain bag and open up the line to the bag with the dialysate. The fluid (warmed to body temperature) would flow into me. The whole process took anywhere from 30-45 minutes. Once done, I would "unhook" and then go about my normal day until it was time for another exchange.
After a month or two, I talked my PD nurse into allowing me to go on the dialysis machine. The Baxter (one of two brands that I know of) machine does the exchanges for me while I sleep at night. This allows me to work full-time and enjoy my days.
PD is not without its challenges, but more on that in later posts. I am scheduled to get a kidney transplant in 4 weeks and I want to make sure I keep a journal. This blog will serve as my journal and keep track of my journey, both through my days of dialysis until the transplant and then through new life with a transplanted kidney from a wonderful friend.
That friend is Josh and we met at work. We used to work in offices about 15 miles apart, but he has since been promoted and now works in our corporate offices in another city about 90 miles away. A few months ago, I posted my angst on Facebook about being on the "backup list" for a cadaver kidney and not getting it. That post on Facebook was the best thing I ever did!
From that post, Josh decided that he wanted to be a living donor. He did his research and got tested. Yesterday we went for our 30-day blood test to make sure that my blood doesn't reject him. The transplant team seems confident, so we're assuming that it is full steam ahead. Josh is blogging about what it is like to be a living donor. You can follow him on http://www.thekidneyproject.com/.
That's it for today. Stay tuned....
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