Understood, Dr. Q sir, and I sincerely appreciate any information I come across, including yours. I’m doing everything I can to educate myself about my situation and prospects as possible; I may not have explained myself well. I wanted to point out that there’s a little more of a spectrum of how kidney failure is experienced than might be apparent from what one encounters from everyday or passing conversation, since I find that those trend more toward the spectacular and worst-case (being, of course, more entertaining, for lack of a better word). I sometimes have trouble convincing people that my CKD is at the level it is – and believe me, I know how lucky I am – since they’re expecting something other than how I present. More of a “within given parameters, YMMV” sort of statement.
AuGratin, good luck to you. My comments weren’t directed at you specifically, but were rather an example of me ruminating about a few of my more memorable dialysis patients. Which, as you noted, did trend towards being the more problematic ones, as I spent a lot more time worrying about them.
But many have done reasonably well, and many have also gone on to get transplants which continue to work well for them.
I must admit I don’t see too many folks with GFRs in the single digits who still don’t need dialysis, but it shows just how YMMV.
Caveat: I am not a nephrologist, just a simple primary care country doctor who provides the rest of the medical care that my dialysis patients require beyond their renal needs. I’ve been doing this atypical sort of primary care practice for 15 years now and have learned a LOT in the process from my patients.
Thank you. If you have questions, feel free to PM me. I can tell to my experience, only, of course.
At my dialysis shift I am by far the youngest person. I am the only one with my type of failure (PKD). I have, like Q, seen a fistula blow. I, myself, have dealt with horrible infiltrations. One guy near me has been on dialysis for seven years. He’ll be compliant for a few months, then go on a poor behavior bender, due to the psychological stress kidney failure causes. He can no longer be on the transplant list.
I’ve said before, I’m not living - I’m existing. This is not a life I would wish on anyone, yet I know I have it good in comparison to many.