CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) is known as the silent disease, some people don’t know they suffer until they hit end stage kidney failure and when you hit end stage your kidneys are no longer working and will need to be supported to do their job. This could be via a kidney transplant or by utilising dialysis. I’ll be writing a short description on the various stages of CKD, feel free to click the links on the ‘My Story’ page to learn more!
I’ve been living with Dodgy Kidneys since the day I was born back on 4th January 1982. It’s not clear how or why I was born with scarred kidneys but I was, it’s no ones fault and it’s something I’ve had to come to terms with. As you will see it took me 36 years to come to terms with it, more about that later
One thing I’ve come to realise in recent years is that on the face of things there is not much official support for CKD out there and due to the nature of requiring a transplant or dialysis I’ve come to believe that CKD is not spoken about as much as it should be. My hope for this blog / site is three-fold. Firstly it’s one of way of me dealing with it, me talking about me and my experience is my coping mechanism, it helps. Secondly, to raise awareness of kidney disease and finally, if just one person can take some sort of inspiration from this blog then my job is done!
As it stands on New Years Day 2021, I’m in End Stage Kidney Failure with an eGFR of 12. I’m active on the transplant list and in the fortunate position of not starting dialysis yet. One thing is for sure though, it’s important to remember that EVERYONE is different and anything I write here is based on my story and my experiences. What works for me may not work for others. I hope you enjoy my journey…
Other than my weekly blog posts I’ve split my story into several categories, all listed below, follow the links on the ‘My Story’ page to find more information on these categories and how it has affected / continues to affect me:
- The early years (0 – 36)
- The kick (Sept 2018)
- Running to prolong my life (including weight loss)
- eGFR & The CKD stages
- Treatment – Medication
- Treatment – Transplant / Dialysis
- Donation through paired scheme
- Dieting (the struggles) & Blood Pressure
- Support
- Covid
- Blog
Living with Dodgy Kidneys! 