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My First Symptom-Hypertension
There are 20
million people who suffer from chronic kidney disease.
Many do not know they have the disease since the symptoms
develop slowly over a long period of time. I was not aware
that I had any symptoms of the disease until I tried to donate
blood at a local church with my friends.
At the time I was active in sports, politics, civic organizations, and a partner
in a successful law firm. I considered myself healthy, wealthy and
wise.
My friends,
after completing their questionnaire and blood pressure test,
gave blood. My questionnaire went fine; however, the nurse advised
me that my blood pressure was extremely high and, therefore, was an
unacceptable blood donor candidate. I was rejected, my first
of what would be numerous
health set backs and surprises.
My First Doctor’s Visit
All of us have
gone to our family doctor countless times throughout our childhood,
teens and young adulthood. We all have had our share of colds,
flu, broken bones, stitches and other medical events. This
first appointment
seemed like any other. I
advised my doctor about my incident at the local church. He took my
blood pressure and also found it to be high and prescribed medicine
for the high blood pressure. He then suggested I go
for blood tests. At the time I did not think anything of it, since I
considered myself healthy and medically strong. I therefore waited
to take the blood tests for some period of time. Since my
blood pressure remained high, I then decided to follow my doctor's
advise and had blood tests performed.
My
First Surprise-Hereditary Disease
When the tests
came back, my family doctor asked me to stop over to discuss the
results. I expected a stern rebuke for working 60 hours a week and
an order to lay off the high salt diet (which comes from all those political
dinners). However, I could tell from his expression that this particular
doctor’s visit was going to be anything but routine.
He began by
asking me if I knew how my father died at the age of 42. I always
thought it was a stroke brought on by years of chain smoking and
hard work. “While it was never conclusive,” my doctor said, “Your
father may have had polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and that
you may have the same.” WOW- What is polycystic kidney disease and
how do you cure it? Instead of answering those and other questions
my family doctor suggested I get an x-ray of my kidneys and see a
nephrologist, my first step on a long medical journey.
I later
discovered that my grandmother, who died in 1952 at the age of 54, had PKD.
My father’s brother also suffered from PKD, and had been on
dialysis for five years until his death in 1983.
My First Nephrology Visit
I was told that
PKD causes cysts to develop in both kidneys. In extreme cases,
the kidneys can enlarge to the size of a football, each weighing as
much as 38 pounds. With proper diet, medication and luck my
kidneys could function until at least my mid to late 50's, or beyond
. Since I felt lucky and age 55 seemed so far away, I was
feeling relatively optimistic at the end of my first nephrology
visit.
I later
discovered that this type of chronic disease may cause end stage renal
failure (ESRD) in which the kidneys totally fail to remove dangerous
fluids and wastes from the blood stream. Without treatment, ESRD can
be fatal.
Over the next few
years I took my medication, somewhat lowered my salt intake, and
visited my friendly nephrologist on a semiannual basis. My creatinine
(a substance found in blood and urine) level was rising slightly.
High creatinine levels are a sign of depressed kidney function. My
blood pressure was considered “high” normal. Since I had no other
symptoms, I never took this disease seriously until my first PKD
experience.
My First PKD Experience-
Hematuria
In 1995
I was not an internet person. My nephrologist had retired and there
was little information in my local library. I had no reason to
understand PKD until one day I observed blood in my urine. I was
startled and frightened. Many causes ran through my mind.
My family
doctor referred me to my current nephrologist, who advised me that
blood in the urine was a common symptom of PKD and that renal
failure was a distinct possibility sometime in the future.
My nephrologist,
Dr. Larry Weisberg, is a bright, young physician who aggressively
treated my symptoms with strict diet, new medication, and regular
blood tests and exams. This regime helped extend the life of my
kidneys which allowed me to benefit from the advances being made in
the area of incompatible kidney transplant.
On June 24, 2000
I married my beautiful wife, Rita, and I had planned a wonderful
two-week honeymoon in Hawaii.
The first week was terrific. On July 5 we decided
to go snorkeling. About three miles off shore I started
experiencing sharp pain in my lower back. It became so severe that I was forced to lie on the floor of this
tiny boat. On the way back we hit a squall causing choppy waters.
The pain was unbearable. I was helped to my car and driven to
the nearest doctor who diagnosed the problem as kidney stones.
I later discovered that this is a common symptom of PKD.
The stone was
large and had to be removed. I was flown to
Honolulu Island and admitted to the local hospital. Since I had PKD,
extracorporal stone wave lithotripsy (ESWL), a simple noninvasive
procedure, could not be performed. Instead, the stone was surgically
removed through an instrument called a urethroscope and a stent was
place in my ureter. The stent was removed two weeks later at a
local hospital. This was not a fun experience.
Needless to say,
my honeymoon photo album has great pictures of beaches, sand and me
in a hospital gown. |
