One Brave Woman: My Mother's Battle Against Kidney Disease - Complete Essay - by Elizabeth Quintana - English 110

Elizabeth Quintana

Community Profile

English 110 

Professor Lewenstein

1 June 2019

 

                    One Brave Woman: My Mother's Battle Against Kidney Disease 

When I was nineteen years old, I recall spending a summer vacation with my mother. On our way to the store, I sat on the passenger seat while we listened to the radio. We sang songs and shared some laughs. My mother loves to go shopping and spend her hard earned money on her children. She knew what to buy us.I remember for my birthday she gave me a bag full of clothes. I remember feeling so happy and lucky to have a mother like her. She is a good woman. She is generous and the most loving person. When my mother told me her health was declining we both cried.We both knew her life would change. My mother became disabled and couldn’t drive anymore.

Now I am the one who takes her to doctor appointments while she sits on the passenger seat like I once did when I was younger. As the days go by she looks healthier and stronger. The main concern regarding this disease is what the future holds. Connecting with people with the same issue can offer support. Also maintaining a normal routine and doing activities may help cope with depression. Through their participation in their healthcare and getting the knowledge accessible to the patient can help reduce the progression of the disease. I always cheer my mother and tell her, “keep up the good work mom”.

My mother’s name is Maria.  In the beginning she was in denial about the severity of her health. She prolonged her dialysis surgery that will help her clean her blood to and from a hemodialysis machine. She was on a roller coaster between depression and fear of this whole life change. The thought of her being in a dialysis center sitting in a chair for three or four hours every other day petrified her. The good news she received from the medical professionals is that she will be put on a waiting list for a kidney transplant in which my brothers, sisters and I can be potential donors.  Another great piece of mind is that she is a candidate for peritoneal dialysis that this will give her a better quality of life. She will be able to do her dialysis at home. Now, she is more determined to live and keep fighting for her health and accept her kidney failure condition. Now with the help of medical professionals, counseling and Dr. Hussian my mother is getting the knowledge and support she needs to understand what her future holds.  She is more involved with her medical plan and is now willing to fight this battle with the help of her children and health care professionals. Although she is still scared of this life change she finds her motivation to stay alive for her kids and grandchildren that adore her. Hopefully, one day she can inspire other people suffering from the same condition. Family members believe she is making the wrong decision in choosing peritoneal dialysis at home verses hemodialysis at a clinic because they think she will be prone for infections doing it at home verses going to a clinic. But her motivation is stronger then ever. She doesn’t care what they think. Her support system has influence her decision to stay at home, on her own bed, watching TV while she gets her treatments without leaving her house. It is easy to get discouraged and my mother knows she must stay strong. She knows she has supporters to help her succeed in this long journey.

Unfortunately, chronic kidney disease has no cure. There are several treatments to slow progression of the disease. Some of the methods to control the disease are medication to lower high blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, and a low protein diet to minimize waste products in the blood. If the kidneys become severely damaged, it may need treatment for end-stage kidney disease.

It consist of dialysis or kidney transplant. The main focus is to look out for any symptoms that may occur during this process. Copping with this disease can be worrisome. Through their participation in their healthcare and getting the knowledge accessible to the patient can help reduce the progression of the disease.

When you meet my mother, you probably will not notice anything wrong with her health.  She looks great but looks can be deceiving. She is always smiling and stays positive after resisting dialysis for a very long time. In fact she is my son’s babysitter since he was born and stays active. According to the American kidney fund, “ Kidney disease it’s self is often invisible until the late stages”. For people like my mother who suffer from kidney disease, dialysis becomes a very important life changing decision. Kidney failure has no symptoms. A person can be feeling good one day and sick the other day. Sometimes the body retains water and the body swells. At this stage its an indications that your kidneys aren’t functioning how they should be. For people like my mother who suffer from kidney disease dialysis becomes a very important life changing decision.

The article “ Learning To Say No To Dialysis,” describes Gerald J. Hladik a seventy-four year old male with kidney damaged. He had lost 85 percent of their function due to a viral infection. But from the beginning, Mr. Hladik resisted. He loved fishing, boating, gardening and hated hospitals. He loved mother nature. I can see why Mr. Hladik would resist having dialysis. Unfortunately, many people who suffer from kidney disease fear dialysis. At age seventy-four and being an out door person, dialysis can take a token in someone’s life. He feels like a prisoner in his own body. He wants to be at home with his dog. Not in a clinic, on a chair sitting down four hours while his blood is being filtered. Mr. Hladik understood better then most how kidney dialysis would consume his life. He was living proof of it. He knew that without the treatment he would die. He would be leaving behind what he loved most. I supposed, Mr. Hladik was not adequately informed about the burdens and how to get over his fear of the disease. All he was told is “ You have to go to dialysis or you’ll die.” He’s poor education would eventually kill him.  With the help of counseling and family support, he would have continued fighting for his life and enjoying the things he loved most.  He said, “ I don’t want to spend my time doing this.” The title says it all.  Come on now people stop being a coward and take control over your life. Don’t let a disease kill you instead manage the disease so it doesn’t kill you.

My mother and I were having breakfast at her house one morning. We started out with some coffee. We can hear the birds singing and roosters crowing. We felt extremely relaxed. It felt like we were at a chirping forest having breakfast. I saw my mother reaching for a pamphlet from the kitchen table and started a conversation about her kidney. We discussed her kidney transplant plan. She asked me if I was still interested in donating a kidney to her. My Mother with a broken heart asked me, “ Why are my kidney failing?” My Mother never drank beer, she never did drugs, smoked or even stayed up late. She had a lot of questions unanswered.  I comforted her and told her that only God knew why this is happening to us.  As we kept talking I saw her sadness through her eyes. She was at a point in her life were she didn’t know whether to continue with the kidney transplant. She was confused.  In her confusion her eyes were watery. “ It’s like I didn’t know whether to continue living this life or be better of dead.  As we talked and cried together, she felt reassurance that everything will turn out for the best. After our long conversation she felt at eased. I noticed her facial expression had changed after I told her I was willing to donate a kidney to her. At first, she was sad, depressed and hopeless. She Admitted, “ I should have drank beer and maybe my kidneys would have worked properly.” But then she realized that her family was there one hundred percent.  She realized her life wasn’t over. She wasn’t going to let this disease kill her.

In A to Z Health Care Guide are the types of procedure for kidney failure also known as CKD (chronic kidney disease). Most people who are born without a kidney can live a normal life. However, that is not the case for my Mother. She was diagnosed with right kidney cancer and is now battling with the left kidney. My Mother’s treatments are three times a week. She wakes up at four in the morning and connects herself to the machine for four hours each treatment. After treatment she continues her daily routine, babysitting, yard work and house work. My mother is a very devoted wife and mother. She is a hard workingwoman. This is why I have decided to donate one of my kidney’s to give her a second chance in life. As in gratitude for helping me raise my four children and being there for us. I feel this is a good way to repay her. Living with kidney cancer or kidney failure could be tough. However, a person like my mother that has had one kidney removed due to kidney cancer may have complications if the individual does not have a well balanced diet. In some instances cancer can spread to other organs like it has affected my mother with her left kidney. It is important to stay healthy as possible and protect the only kidney to avoid serious complications. The first approach to treating kidney cancer is chemotherapy. This procedure is first decided by a health care professional by sending a patient for imaging and renal biopsy tissue sample that is stored in a special container and sent to the laboratory. The health care provider will then decided which route to take the health care plan. Another procedure is Dialysis. It's a machine that filters blood outside the body and removes waste products from the blood. This is the procedure my mother is now receiving while we are waiting for a kidney transplant clearance. This also helps get her electrolytes and minerals to their proper levels in the body. Life expectancy on dialysis can depend on other medical conditions and how well the individual follows the treatment plan. In some cases chemotherapy cannot cure or control the spread of cancer cells but it can be used to stop it from growing and give patients a better chance of survival. On the other hand dialysis is a full commitment because a patient goes three times a week for three or five hours each visit. Either way kidney disease is an every day fight for survival and must be taken serious.

America Kidney Fund writer Cortney describes her life as a mother living life as a dialysis patient. Not only does she have to take care of herself but also she has child that depends on her. According to Cortney she beliefs any time someone hears about another person's suffering from a chronic disease, it is easy to use the disease as a label to describe the person. Cortney shares a glimpse into the over all by stating ," There's so and so, she has cancer," or " He's a diabetic." Everyone is guilty of doing this at one time or another. I have noticed that many of the Doctors I work with are doing this mistake too. That's unethical! No one should ever stereotype a person because you don't know what challenges they are facing in their life. The imagery in the story mirrors what's happening on her life. When she looks in the mirror she doesn't see her pancreas failing or her two kidneys that have stopped functioning. She just doesn't see a sick person who might die. She sees herself as a woman and a mother who has a family that needs her more than ever. I understand the writers point. Comparing herself to a disease can be very devastating. She is not the disease. My advice to others is always remember who you. 

My mother is a beautiful person inside and out. She is a Christian and believes she is still here in earth for a purpose after everything she has been through.  She loves her family and enjoys life to the fullest. The main concern with kidney dialysis is getting the support and knowledge a patient needs to continue living life. During this difficult time family are usually the main supporters and are involved with the care. My mother hasn’t always been positive about her condition but she knew well without dialysis she would die.  She wakes up  early everyday but every other day she connects herself to the dialysis machine for her treatments at home. My mother stays active on a daily bases. She now lives a normal life but with some restrictions and well balanced diet to prevent any complications. She is avoiding sugars and salt to prevent diabetes and high blood pressure because these two things may cause more damage to her health.  She stays active and continues to be is my son’s babysitter.  I Strongly believe my mother is strong because my son doesn’t give her the time to think of her illness. Research say peritoneal dialysis patients have a better chance of living a better quality life. I can see that statement being true. My mother is living prove of it. She looks forward the day she receives her kidney transplant from me and stops her dialysis once and for all.

                             

                                                        Works cited

“15 Symptoms of Kidney Disease | Kidney Disease Info.” 15 Symptoms of Kidney Disease | Kidney Disease Info, 2019, lifeoptions.org/learn-about-kidney-disease/kidney-disease-symptoms/.

 

“Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).” Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Symptoms, Treatment, Causes & Prevention - American Kidney Fund (AKF), 2019, www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd/.

“Diet - Chronic Kidney Disease: Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia.” Medline Plus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2019, medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002442.htm.

“Kidney Disease.” Learn about Your Kidneys | Kidney Disease - American Kidney Fund (AKF), 2019, www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/.

“Transplant Central.” Kidney Transplants - Waitlists, Preparation, Types and Kidney Donation - American Kidney Fund (AKF), 2019, www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/kidney-failure/treatment-of-kidney-failure/kidney-transplant/.