Professional dialysis recruitment
I met a 30 year old guy yesterday at one of the NephroPlus centers. He has been on dialysis for a few months now. Very well informed and proactive, he knew his options and was making educated decisions. A refreshing change from many other patients I see.
The issues to deal with for the younger lot diagnosed with CKD are very different, the most important among them being the longer life with the disease you have to deal with. Many people who are diagnosed with CKD in their later years have mostly 'lived their life' and don't have too many regrets getting the disease. They resign to the fact and accept the disease and try to pass off the rest of their days peacefully. Of course, that is not to say they are having a great time. But, compared to the young, they are probably lucky!
The young, on the other hand, are just embarking on life's journey when God/fate/karma/whatever has struck a huge blow. Suddenly, their plans all go awry. They have to contend with a life-threatening, chronic condition for the rest of their lives. Every step of their life will now be dictated by this disease. What they eat, what they drink, where they travel, whatever they do, everything, will now be governed chiefly by this disease. It is not easy.
The side effects of long term kidney disease can affect your quality of life in many ways and they tend to become worse with time.
Therefore, I strongly feel that if you are young and have CKD, you should take a shot at a transplant. Yes, it is not always successful. It may have its drawbacks in terms of having to bear the cost and side effects of immunosuppression medication and steroids. But, in my opinion, it is the only shot at a normal life that people with CKD have. Unless you have some condition that prevents you from getting one (your primary disease, some other inherent condition, finances etc.) you should give a transplant a shot. Make sure your nephrologist has done plenty of transplants. This is very important from the point of view of handling post-transplant complications where medicine doses might need to be altered or the medicines itself might need to be changed. So, talk to your nephrologist about the possibility of a transplant immediately. You will not regret it!
The issues to deal with for the younger lot diagnosed with CKD are very different, the most important among them being the longer life with the disease you have to deal with. Many people who are diagnosed with CKD in their later years have mostly 'lived their life' and don't have too many regrets getting the disease. They resign to the fact and accept the disease and try to pass off the rest of their days peacefully. Of course, that is not to say they are having a great time. But, compared to the young, they are probably lucky!
The young, on the other hand, are just embarking on life's journey when God/fate/karma/whatever has struck a huge blow. Suddenly, their plans all go awry. They have to contend with a life-threatening, chronic condition for the rest of their lives. Every step of their life will now be dictated by this disease. What they eat, what they drink, where they travel, whatever they do, everything, will now be governed chiefly by this disease. It is not easy.
The side effects of long term kidney disease can affect your quality of life in many ways and they tend to become worse with time.
Therefore, I strongly feel that if you are young and have CKD, you should take a shot at a transplant. Yes, it is not always successful. It may have its drawbacks in terms of having to bear the cost and side effects of immunosuppression medication and steroids. But, in my opinion, it is the only shot at a normal life that people with CKD have. Unless you have some condition that prevents you from getting one (your primary disease, some other inherent condition, finances etc.) you should give a transplant a shot. Make sure your nephrologist has done plenty of transplants. This is very important from the point of view of handling post-transplant complications where medicine doses might need to be altered or the medicines itself might need to be changed. So, talk to your nephrologist about the possibility of a transplant immediately. You will not regret it!
