Hello, everyone. My name is Victor Greenwood, and I am an HDF dialysis patient at the Wigan Unit. I’m 68 years old, and I live with my wife and my little Border Collie called Sasha.
This is my first blog.
I was reasonably healthy up to early 2000 when I developed a Prostate problem. After many tests and several biopsies, a large amount of the Prostate was removed, and following the operation, I required two units of blood. A couple of months later I was watching TV news with my wife when it was announced that due to the possibility that some bloods can carry viruses and pathogens all blood for transfusion will be treated before use, my wife commented ” I hope you didn’t have contaminated blood “.
In early 2005, during a routine blood test with my GP, I was diagnosed with a renal problem. and referred me to a renal doctor at the Linacre Centre in Wigan, where I was informed that I had renal failure and my Kidneys were only working at 60% of capacity and were stage 3 CKD. Following many consultations at the Linacre, I was asked to attend all future appointments at Salford. At each consultation, I was informed that my renal function was deteriorating, and by March 2012, it was 41%. Six weeks later, on 8th March 2012, my legs and feet ballooned. I had an urgent appointment with my GP, who sent me for an immediate blood test, which was 11:00 am that same day; at 19:00, I took a phone call from a Dr in Salford who requested that I go to Wigan A&E immediately as I had acute kidney failure.
I was in Wigan for several days when my face went up like a balloon (my head looked like a big melon). I was rushed to Salford ward 3, where a PD tube was fitted. The tube blocked up after a couple of hours and every attempt to unblock it failed so the next morning I was fitted with a neck line and went on the HDf machine for the first time. It took two weeks to get used to the HD machine, I had severe head aces and my blood pressure would soar and the machine would be stopped. The staff reassured me that I would eventually get use to the machine and they by were correct week four I was fine.
Eventually, I had a consultation with Dr Ed, who said my kidneys had failed due to an antibody, and he diagnosed GM Vasculitis. He also told me that the renal department had discovered the antibody in 2005, but I wasn’t informed, and no one could tell me why. At this point, Dr Ed said he couldn’t give the usual drugs for this condition as they are carcinogenic and would bring my bladder cancer back (I was two years in remission at the time) with a vengeance. Dr Ed came back a few days later to ask if I would be willing to try a new chemo drug called Rituximab, although it was a trial drug and had not been cleared by N.I.C.E it should kill the antibody. Following a further consultation with Dr Ed, I agreed, and two days later, I had my first dose of 500ml of Rituximab, followed a few weeks later with a second dose. Blood test over the following months showed a reduction in the number of antibodies in my blood, twelve months later Dr Ed informed me that the antibody count was zero but the kidneys had been destroyed.
