The Reality of Kidney Failure

By Marlize Schmidt

Kidney failure is a life threatening disease with life changes. My family's world was turned upside down by kidney failure. This book will give you all the information on kidney failure. I'm also writing about my experience when my husband was diagnosed with kidney failure and the impact it had on my family. Kidney Failure is increasing every year and diabetes increase your chance of getting kidney failure.
This book is a combination of "A life with Kidney Failure within a family" and "Kidney Failure the Silent Killer".

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781300088059

Book preview

The Reality of Kidney Failure

THE REALITY OF KIDNEY FAILURE

By Marlize Schmidt

Copyright © 2012, Marlize Schmidt

All rights reserved

No part of this ebook may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

ISBN:  978-1-300-08805-9

FIRST EDITION

LULU EDITION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MJ was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure (end-stage renal disease) in 2007.  He is the father to our 3 children.  As mother it felt like I had to be the strong one to keep everything together, but somewhere along the road I gave up.  I couldn’t cope with the constant support and comfort everyone needed.  It was and still is a stressful road and it feels like a never ending story.

INTRODUCTION

Kidney failure does not only affect the sufferer, but it has an impact on the whole family.  To be diagnosed with kidney failure while you are still young, while you have small children, is really not easy. It is not a life anyone wishes or dream for.  It is not something anyone is prepared for. The whole family is under stress.  There is an uncertainty that is hanging over the whole situation the whole time.  You don’t know how long the situation is going to last. It takes time to adapt to, because it changes everything. Will he get a kidney transplant and when will it happen?  Will he get better or will he die before he gets a kidney transplant?  These kind of worries always stays in the back of your mind.  If you are not lucky enough to have family or friends who can donate a matching kidney, the road will be very long.

The four parts of this book:

PART 1 is – The Life Experience: about MJ’s kidney failure and the impact it had on our family. 

PART 2 – Everything about Kidney Failure:  all the information you need about kidney failure.

PART 3 – Emotional Side: a look at both patient and the relative or carer’s emotional stages.

PART 4 – Medical Terms: description of the medical terms used in the book.

PART 1 – THE LIFE EXPERIENCE

BACKGROUND

MJ was born with only one kidney.  The reasons are unknown, but according to studies every 1 out of 800 babies are born with only one kidney.  He knew from an early age he had