ContinualNaba wrote:Diet or genetics?
Either way, I might well end down your path if I didn't donate blood roughly once a month. See, this is what happens when you supe an iron recovery biological system without giving the blood vessels and organs to match.
No scars, though. Planning to donate my kidney next month, provided my cousin's condition doesn't improve.
Genetic, Alports Syndrome. and speaking of that, have you gone through the blood tests to test for compatibility? cousins are close enough to do a passable job, but the chances of rejection are higher then say, parent or sibling. (mines from my uncle, 90% matchup in genetics, which is odd)
will also point out that the donor of a kidney has it rougher (recovery wise) then the transplantee. be grateful that both donor and transplantee have morphine via IV. (press the button 5 times and get high as a kite, only needed to use the morphine to fall asleep while i was recovering)
Wrench Wench wrote:Kidney failure eh? Sounds nasty. I seriously hope I never have anything like that, if only because of the fact that my kidneys are probably the same size as your liver...
lol, My own kidneys have shrunk to the size of a walnut since my kidneys cacked it. besides, i was born with the kidney problems. males with my condition usually suffer renal failure at around 25-40 on average. I broke that norm by having mine go at 14. whereas women dont get hit until 50+ usually. several years of both hemo and peritoneal dialysis (my doctor doesnt like transplanting teenagers for 2 reasons, 1)higher chance of rejection due to puberty and such, and 2) rebellion, not taking tablets etc etc) before a cock up with my local hospital and the specialist one, one was saying i had peritonitis, other was saying I had appendicitis. had appendicitis, that went bang, bloody hospital had to cut through my peritoneum to get at the appendix.
end result of that was that I couldnt do PD (peritoneal dialysis) due to the damage. had op for a fistula, that failed, hospital couldnt keep putting in temp lines to do hemo dialysis, so only had one choice, transplant or bust.
if my transplanted kidney dies, thats it for me. after 7 years of dialysis, I cant go back to PD, and the temp lines will damage the veins to the point that they cant be used. My doc has told me that the chances of finding a suitable kidney would be... remote. only good news is that if my kidney fails, I will get medication to control the symptoms as the toxins build up in my body. but it will still have the same result. Death.
but I ain't gonna worry bout that till it happens, most likely I will go and have fun for the remainder.
but thankfully my kidney is a good enough match that it should last at the minimum (excluding outside influences) about 5-20+ years, no way to tell.
so in some ways that actually helps me understand hisaos condition.
TL,DR : have kidney transplant, if it goes, I die.