End Stage Renal Disease

For this blog, I thought it would be prudent to explain exactly what End Stage Renal Disease is like. It's kind of a scary name, End Stage Renal Disease. It's called End Stage because it's a disease that will kill you quickly if you don't do something about it. It will "End you". I've known a few people with End Stage Renal Disease who decided that they have lived long enough. All their affairs are in order, so they quit dialyzing. They die within one week.

Basically, End Stage Renal Disease means that your kidneys no longer function. Your kidneys are filters. When you drink liquids, the liquids pass through your kidneys where all the bad stuff is removed and sent to your bladder to be shot out of your body the next time you pee. People with End Stage Renal Disease can't pee. Since their kidneys shut down, all the bad toxins from the liquids, as well as the excess water, build up inside the body. If nothing is done about this, you will die. Isn't it neat the way God designed the body. All this stuff we find gross like peeing, pooping, farting, are actually your body's way to removing bad stuff. If you don't do it, you die.

Dialysis is what you do to survive. They take these big machines and hook them up to your body. There are several ways to do this. I have tubes sticking out of my chest. One tube is where they remove the blood and the other is where they put it back. Three times a week, over the course of several hours, the machine pulls blood out of my body, puts it through a filter and attempts to remove harmful toxins and excess water. Then, they put the blood back into my body through the other tube. Every time I go to dialysis, I lose about 6 pounds.

Unfortunately, dialysis is man's attempt on God's design and; therefore, doesn't work perfectly. All the toxins will never be completely removed from my body, so I am adversely affected. Over the past three years, you may have noticed many changes in me. These are almost all due to the kidney failure. Yeah, I went through lots of other stuff too, but the kidney failure has affected me far more than any other thing.

The build up of toxins in your body affects you physically, emotionally and mentally. Basically, toxins slow everything down. Physically, I have no energy. I sleep all the time, and don't do much of anything. Even menial tasks seem insurmountable.

Emotionally, I feel nonchalant, lazy, unmotivated. I get depressed easily. Sometimes I cry for no stinkin' reason. That's annoying! I'll just be sitting there, watching TV and all of a sudden, tears well up in my eyes! I'm thinking, 'what the heck! I have no reason to cry, but I am.' I'm not a big fan of that part.

Mentally, I have no energy. I can't keep thoughts in my head. I walk into a room and forget why I went there. I can't remember people's names or where I know them from. I still get ideas for youth ministry and my business, but I can't develop them. They don't have a hold on my brain any more. Being one of those uber thinkers, this is probably the most annoying aspect of this disease. I used to think all the time. I used to have a hard time shutting off my brain at night so I could fall asleep. Now, I can't keep thoughts in my head. I have to write everything I need to do down on paper, just so I remember to do it. Even simple things like eating a meal and brushing my teeth go on my to-do list.

Well, this blog is long enough now. Next time, I'll talk about diet. That's right. People with End Stage Renal Disease can't have a normal diet. Until next time, thanks for reading...

Grace and Peace,
-Nat