Surgery
“I used to giggle and laugh at the people at the supermarket who were looking at labels; now I’m that person. I have to go, ‘Does this have too much sodium? Does this have too much potassium?’ Most people don’t have to think about whether they’re drinking too much orange [...]
“There was a time where I didn’t do dialysis for a month, and I refused hemodialysis,” says Michelle Obespo-‐Theus, whose high blood pressure led to kidney failure. She notes her biggest battle with kidney failure was ensuring that dialysis didn’t ruin her high-profile career as a consultant for major athletes. [...]
“Pete had a stem cell transplant because he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and the [subsequent] prescription drug interaction is the reason he experienced kidney failure,” says Kathleen Koch-Weser, wife of Pete Koch-Weser, who started peritoneal dialysis in June of 2013. Pete adds, “I’m on PD for nine-and-a- half hours each [...]
"I completely lost my kidney function when I was 9 years old. My mom donated a kidney, but then I lost it in 2004. I've been on dialysis for 11 years," says 27-year-old Monserrat Hinojosa, who has focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kidney disease that results in kidney failure. She remains [...]
“I was on a gurney ready to have surgery and my blood pressure was over 200. I said that can’t be right, it must be the machine. They tried another, and it was 213,” says 83-year‐old Arlene Dunaetz. “They couldn’t go ahead with surgery; I could have had a heart [...]
“Everything goes back to my grandmother. She passed away from kidney failure. My mom (left) has it, my sister has it and I have it,” says 27-‐year-‐old Antonio Negrite, who has Alport’s syndrome, a genetic disease that leads to kidney failure. “My older brother, who passed away, was the first [...]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSTFZ_mpJC4 Help for rare, frustrating breathing condition Rare condition prevents diaphragm from getting the message to breathe David Powell could not catch his breath. The 35-year-old from San Diego got winded walking up the stairs, exercising or even just bending over to tie his shoes. His favorite pastime, [...]
I know the surgery was one of the best decisions of my life.
