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Ann Arbor resident Doug Thompson, 36, got a phone call in 2011 that changed the rest of his life.
Just days before, he went to his doctor for a routine physical and blood work. By the end of the week, his doctor told him that he was near kidney failure at just 19 percent kidney function. With such low kidney function, Thompson would either need to begin dialysis or receive a kidney transplant to stay alive.
Thompson says the initial news from his doctor was shocking.
"I didn't know much about what the kidneys do," he said. "Their main function, sure, but how important they are to your body was shocking to learn."
The hardest part about understanding his diagnosis, he said, was not actually feeling sick at first.
"I felt perfectly fine up until a point, but as the disease progressed, I became super tired all the time and had absolutely no appetite," he said.
After his diagnosis, things went downhill quickly for Thompson. In February 2012, he began hemodialysis treatments three days a week for four hours at a time. He says that hemodialysis was very challenging and demanding, often affecting his entire day.
"When I left the dialysis unit, my day was over. It took all of my energy to get home, and I had to have someone drive me," he said.
After about one month of hemodialysis, Thompson switched to peritoneal dialysis. Peritoneal dialysis requires regular exchanges throughout the day and can be managed without visiting a medical facility, but also has many risks related to having a permanent tube in the abdomen.
Despite the challenges that Thompson has faced in the last eight months, his own diagnosis has inspired him to help others. Continued...
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