Greetings warriors!
Welcome to the new KDU blog and website! I am excited about this new venture, not only to share my journey, but also to be of service to my fellow kidney warriors. Anyone who knows me personally have heard me speak about my desire to do something for the kidney community for a while now. I am glad to finally launch this site!
Let me formally introduce myself and tell a little of my story. My name is Shameka, and I have been a dialysis patient since April of 2007. My journey with kidney disease began somewhere in 2006 when my endocrinologist, who was treating me for diabetes, suspected that I was developing kidney problems and referred me to a nephrologist. The nephrologist told me that I had some kidney damage from the diabetes, but it was not “so bad”. Both doctors were very reassuring. It was just a problem to be monitored. The nephrologist prescribed blood pressure meds and water pills and said that I was fine for the time being. Since I was brand new to kidney disease I was completely clueless. I didn’t know what questions to ask, so I just took the information I was given, and followed directions as a good patient should. I felt fine for the most part. I was tired, but I was working and going to college, so I thought it was normal for me be tired all the time.
Fast forward to sometime in March of 2007, I was rushed to the ER with difficulty breathing and walking. Later it was discovered that I was in kidney failure. In a matter of days I was given a chest catheter, and starting dialysis. It has been a whirlwind ever since! Surgeries, countless tests, hospital visits, and doctors became dominant in my life. All of these things dumped on top of work, family, and school. Being diagnosed with kidney disease became one of the most devastating experiences of my life! The first couple of years on dialysis were the most difficult. It was a huge adjustment not only for me, but my family as well. With time, I would learn more about my condition, get familiar with the medical system I was thrust into, and begin to cope with kidney disease. On days when I wasn’t having treatment, I would generally feel ok. I got adjusted to my “new normal”.
It wouldn’t be until 2017, when my health took another turn, seemingly for the worst, that I began to have heart problems. I had heart palpitations, that made it difficult to breathe, and the pulse rate and blood pressure would sky rocket. I remember going to the ER , I told the triage nurse that I wasn’t feeling well and that I was a dialysis patient. Her attitude towards me was as if I wasn’t supposed to feel well, because I was a dialysis patient. The ER doctor examined me, gave me blood pressure meds, and sent me home. I had to make a couple more trips to the ER within that month, and received the same attitude. I went to a cardiologist and went through a battery of tests. I was told that my heart was fine according to the tests. I was told by the cardiologist that I could ignore the palpitations or take more blood pressure meds. *Note: I was already on three meds and my blood pressure was still high. It was at this point when I lost trust in the medical system. If I wanted to feel better it was going to be on me.
I remember fervently praying to God, asking for help, asking for wisdom and healing, because I had no idea what to do. This started my wellness journey. I prayed and I sought out information. Eventually coming across a cardiologist on YouTube who described my exact problem and explained that it could be resolved with a supplementation of magnesium and co-q10. I tried it and I have not had the heart palpitation problem since! Glory to God!
As I continued to research and learn more about the body and how divinely designed we are, my health improved! God answered my prayer and He laid it on my heart to share what I have learned. So that maybe my story can help someone else.
I am by no means an expert. In fact, I am still learning new things daily. As I read and research, I would like to share my findings in this blog. Everything won’t apply to everyone, but hopefully useful information can be found here. Please be sure to check back often for new blog posts. Also check out the resources page for helpful links about kidney disease.
There will also be a new podcast from KDU called From the Chair, where I will discuss different Kidney topics.
If you made it this far in the post, thank you for reading and I hope you come back and visit soon!
I wish you all the best of health!
Shameka
