Hawkesbury caregiver shares her story for Kidney Health Week
22 May 2016
22 May 2016
Michelle’s husband Glen has been diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure (ESRF) and knows first-hand how Australia’s silent killer can creep up.
“I did not know that 90 per cent of kidney function can be lost without experiencing any symptoms, and I have been a midwife for 25 years,” said Michelle
"My husband Glen, was 52, and had type 2 diabetes and hypertension and was diagnosed with kidney failure in January 2015.
“After a few short weeks of feeling nauseated, unwell, a loss of appetite, tiredness and headaches, and then a rise in blood pressure and high blood sugar levels, Glen was diagnosed with renal failure.
“We found it very difficult to accept his diagnosis of ESRF when we didn’t even know he had any renal failure prior to this diagnosis, she said.
Glen was told he would need dialysis within a year. He started peritoneal dialysis in May 2015 (five months later). He has a catheter permanently in his abdomen which he connects to a peritoneal dialysis machine, which filters 12 litres of dialysis fluid in and out over 10 hours every night to filter out the waste products - the job his kidneys can no longer do.
“It has been a huge life changing year for us and our two children,” Michelle said.
Glen has recently been added to the renal transplant list which involves keeping well and active and having regular follow ups with his renal specialist and blood tests every month. The wait time for a transplant is about 3.5 years, and there are approximately 1,200 Australians waiting for a kidney transplant."
This year’s theme for Kidney Health Week is ‘I Kidney Check’ focusing on encouraging Australians to care about their own kidney health.
“Early detection can save your kidneys and your life. Kidneys cannot be repaired once they have been damaged. If you have one or more risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart problems, family history of kidney disease, a smoker, overweight or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin, you are at risk of kidney disease,” Michelle warned.
“If kidney disease is found early, medication, dietary and lifestyle changes can increase the life of your kidneys and in turn your life.”
One Australian dies with kidney-related disease every 25 minutes, 16 times greater than the road toll. An estimated 1.7 million Australian adults have signs of chronic kidney disease but are unaware of the disease
To find out more about risk factors or symptoms please visit the KidneyWeek website.