Hi Everyone,
My name is Joseph, and I am a CKD patient who is having a kidney Transplant on Friday 01st August 2014. I am very fortunate that my older Brother is giving me the gift of life.
In 2010, I became ill, and quickly, the doctors diagnosed CKD. For the next 4 years I had weekly plasma exchanges to control my reducing Kidney function, until the time came this year in February that I was told to start dialysis.
I am married to the most amazing woman I know, Michelle, and we live together in a small village called Stoneclough.
I am a Qualified Accountant and work full-time as a Global Business Manager for a company called LB Europe Limited, who are part of LB Corporation Limited.
Outside of work my interests are keeping fit, MMA, going to gigs, Comedy and music, I enjoy watching football. My passion is to play football though, and this I still do to today. I play Saturday football for Worsley Town FC, and played many a game on dialysis. I had to rearrange quite a few dialysis sessions this year as it clashed with actual matches or training, to the annoyance of the Dialysis unit.
My philosophy on being a renal patient comes down to 4 simple things.
1) Healthy mind – See a psychologist, understand your medicine and how it affects you and have projects and goals to focus on no matter how big or small they are, and always carry on working or carry on studying. Never give up.
2) Healthy Body – Eat right, you have to fuel your body with the right nutrients and minerals to allow it to work at it’s optimum.
3) Train right – Exercise as much and as hard as you can. Start off small and build up. Don’t run before you can walk. But once you are running (it may take 12 months) you will feel amazing.
4) Friends and Family – It is important to have a network of people around us to make us feel normal but also support us through our darkest days.
I aim to be 1% better each day at these 4 things.
I have broken down my philosophy to show you a bit more detail:
I see a psychologist once a month, as it helps me to clear my mind of any unresolved issues I have or any depressing thoughts I have. I personally believe that without this service (Via Salford Royal) then, I would not have been able to live my life in a way that has not been affected by CKD.
My dialysis is the evening slots on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, so it gives the least disruption to my career in work. My boss is also very fair and allows me to come in later on the days after dialysis. I still do 50+ hours in the office though.
I am very strict with my diet. I eat little and often and enjoy superfoods, and I only eat food which is natural and home-cooked. The hospital dietician said my diet was perfect when I presented her with a 4 week list of all the food I had eaten. Food shopping is not expensive either; my weekly shop is no more than £50-£60 so whatever budget you are on it can be achieved.
I train very hard at the gym, I do interval sprint training sessions which last 25 minutes once a week, and for all those who use twitter or Run Keeper will see I run 3 times a week 6km and over each time.
The reason for running and keeping fit is to stay in shape for my football matches, where I have to compete with people younger than me, whom all have HB level’s 1/3 higher than me if not more. The satisfaction that I even with my CKD and reduced HB can out sprint and out run others is something I am very proud of and I believe is a big reason I am still working full time and living as normal life as possible.
I talk to my wife about everything; she comes to all my appointments, and we always look for new things to eat or different ways to train at the gym together so that my life as a CKD patient is made easier. My family and friends come to my dialysis to understand what I am going through and how they can support me. I see and speak to my friends a lot as it also helps me maintain a normal life.
As you can see, I work hard and play hard, and I strongly believe that all CKD patients can live the lives the way non CKD people do, with the exception of tablets and being hooked up to Dialysis. I certainly do, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
