Next Stop: Dialysis and Transplant
Today I took a day off of work to visit UT Southwestern's neprology department and discuss my options for continued treatment. Thankfully, Mike was able to go with me, so I had lots of great support. The nephrologist spent over an hour with us discussing my options. I had planned to get a fistula surgery done next Friday so I would be ready for hemodialysis. However, today, after discussing my lifestyle and health goals, the doctor suggested peritoneal dialysis. A website that describes this is: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/peritoneal/ Basically, I would have a soft catheter implanted into my abdomen wall right below my belly button. Then, my abdomen would be filled with about 2 liters of dialysis solution. The toxins and wastes in my blood, which are usually filtered by the kidneys, would then be absorbed by the solution. At night, I would hook myself up to a pump that would exchange the dirty fluid for fresh solution while I sleep. I would probably have...