kidney failure - fasting experience

This year is the first year, hubby is fasting as a kidney patient. We heard a few views about the hukum of fasting during dialysis. Some say can while some say cannot. But we are taking the view that it is dharurat and dialysis is a must. A person can die if he or she does not undergo dialysis several times.

On the first day of dialysis which fell on the 2nd day of Ramadhan, hubby get himself prepared with a drink in a flask. Just in case he had difficulties during dialysis. Alhamdulillah, he was OK and still continuing fasting until today. There are a few other patients who are not able to fast. One of the ladies Kak Ana, said that she was feeling nauseating when she tried fasting on the first day. I remembered that she was looking weak and pale on the 2nd day of Ramadhan. The others like Cikgu Rahman, En. Hashim are doing OK fasting while undergoing dialysis.

Since his dialysis time is in the afternoon, starting around 3.00 pm, the breaking of fast is normally while he is still in the process of dialysis. He will eat a little, kurma or some kueh. Then, he will have a heavier meal when we get home. His current regret is not being able to go to the Pasar Ramadhan. I prefer for him not to go since he usually will over spent when he went to the Pasar Ramadhan. Anyhow, it would tire him easily walking in the hot sun from one gerai to another. I tried to get something he like at the pasar Ramadhan or cook it myself. It is healthier if it is cooked at home, I can control the ingredients such as salt, sugar, MSG and etc. But, in doing so, the food taste a little bland and hubby does not like it that much.

As for me, dialysis days breaking of fast is also at the hospital. I usually send him to the hospital at 2.30pm, perform my zuhur prayer, then I will buy food at the pasar ramadhan near by. Then I will head home first, because, ayin, syia, my mother and the bibik will need food to eat for breaking of fast. After asar prayer around 6.15 pm, sometimes earlier, I will be driving back to the hospital. After placing the food for hubby, I will either chat with the other patients or will get ready for breaking of fast myself. So the food will be in 2 portions, one for hubby, one for me. I usually will have to break the fast all by myself, alone. If I can see some cleaners sitting outside the dialysis center I will join them, otherwise it is all by myself at the surau or the waiting lounge outside the dialysis center. At times, the emotion of having to break the fast all alone engulfed me, filling my eyes with tears. However, thinking back, Alhamdullillah I am able to perform my duties as Allah's servant and wife.

Reflecting on the current condition, hubby and I will be spending half of our lives in the hospitals. For how long, I have no idea, maybe when the girls are all working and married, my duties to send and fetch hubby to the hospitals can be taken by one or all of them in turn. It all depends on who will be working and living near us later.

Today is already the 10th day of Ramadhan, I hope that the quality of fasting has increased. My prayers are with all kidney patients out there, InsyaAllah, may you be able to fast this Ramadhan.

Kidney Failure - My Husband's Story 3

Sorry lambat sikit update. Been very busy driving around hospitals. My life recently is revolved around 3 hospitals. Will continue soon.

This is what I posted at facebook.

My husband hospital episod

by Normah Hassan on Friday, April 8, 2011 at 10:12am

It started with a simple case of inserting an IJC for haemodialysis when he was first warded. Then a few days after he was discharged, he had to be re-admitted due to infection. Spent 2 nights in ICU because he was coughing blood. Then when the IJC was re-inserted he was bleeding the whole night non stop. So the IJC need to be pulled out again. The neck was swollen rather bad, so the catheters had to be inserted at his groin now for a week.

Due to the bleeding, the dialysis was only done for 40 mins, vs the normal 4 hours last monday. The doctor decided to do the insertion to the groin only last friday. So it was almost 4 days since he was dialysed. Because of that his urea increased and we was vormitting very badly and feeling dizzy. He was dialysed on the bed.

He is still under observation, and so far but stable now. We have been recommended to go to KPJ on Monday for another procedure. I can't remember what is the medical term for it. But according to the nephrologist here it has a lower risk of infection than the common IJC. Next he need to do the permanent fiscular on his arm for dialysis.

Dialysis is for life, 3 times a week at 4 hour every session. Once a person get use to it then, they are almost as healthy as another person.

Moral of the story is TAKE CARE OF YOUR GOD GIVEN ORGANS. Go for a regular checkup and lead a healthy life. Poor health is expansive.

Kidney Failure - My Husband's Story 2

Although we knew in our hearts that eventually my hubby would need to do dialysis, we tried to avoid it. He was in denial, he thought that my taking medication his kidneys would eventually get back to normal. Of course it would not be true, when an organ in your body is damaged, it would only be Allah's power that can turn it back to normal. Divine intervention so to speak. Medication sometimes can help to reduce or prolong the damage.

In case of kidney failure, there is no symptom for you to know that your kidneys have failed. Tak ada kaitan nya kalau kita sakit pinggang dengan kerosakan buah pinggang. I have also learnt along the way that although we have 2 kidneys, only one is active, while the other is on a standby. In case of the active kidney failed in it's function, the other would be working as normal. For damaged kidney patients, it would mean that both kidneys are not functional anymore.

In hubby's case, physical symptoms were, his swollen legs and feet. They got bigger and heavier each day. His weight keep on increasing even though we have been controlling his diet. Blood pressure were always on the high end, his blood sugar level is already normal i.e between 5 - 7 mmol/L. The blood sugar level was normal because, the medication is accumulated in the kidney, since the kidney is no longer able to process them to discharge them through urine. His urine is getting lesser and lesser too.

Since the kidneys are no longer functioning, with the presence of fluids in the body not discharged out, the pressure on the other organs are also increasing, this is causing the blood pressure to increase. As the fluid in the body keep on increasing, my hubby was coughing and wheezing almost non stop, his chest was full of phlegm. For the past one year, I think, we became the largest consumer of tissue papers.

During the monthly visit to the hospital, his blood was taken for testing. Progressively, blood urea level and creatinine level in his blood had also increased. Starting with around Creatinine 200+ mmol/L in April 2010 to 700+ in March 2011. Urea level in March 2011 was 24. (I will put down the spec for normal people later). No way he could survive without dialysis, if we prolong it, he would have complications, may even be in a coma or worse.

The Neprologist - Dr Goh, advised him to be warded for dialysis. So on 15 March hubby was warded into Hospital Seberang Jaya for the second time in his life. On the 16 March, the first IJC (Inter Jugular Cathether - I think hehehe) was placed on his neck by Dr Goh. After that they performed blood dialysis on him for the first time.

A kidney patient will need to go through dialysis for the rest of his/her lives 3 times a week and at 4 hours per session. Cost wise, each session cost between RM150 to RM200. If you can get yourself listed to the government hospital (a long waiting list), then nit is free. Otherwise be prepared to spend around RM3000 per month (inclusive of medication). If you don't do dialysis, either after you have started it, death can prevail since your toxin level (urea and creatinine) will increase and eventually overwhelmed your whole body functions.

After the first session, hubby's condition improved a lot. The swollen on the feet seemed to have shrunk a bit, he was not coughing so badly anymore, the amount of phlegm was reduced too.

To be continued...

Spec for normal kidney function - blood test result (the only way to know)

Creatinine 51 - 124 mmol/L (millimol per liter of blood)

Urea 2.0 - 6.8 mmol/L

Kidney Failure - My Husband Story 1

It has been 4 years since I have left the employment. Berhenti kerja lah tu. Tahun pertama tu aku tercari-cari jugak apa bisnes nak buat. Bermacam-macam kursus keusahawanan aku join. Macam-macam program aku fikir nak join. Tapi akhirnya tak menjadi pun.

Actually, I was getting a bit depressed as well. My husband was getting stressed out by the fact that I was staying at home without any income coming in. We used to enjoy 5 figures salaries between the 2 of us and now it was reduced to a around 40% of the total income. The girls are getting into the universities and everything would rest on his shoulders. I was using the excused that I have no one to take care of my mother who was getting more and more dependent on me. I couldn't get out of the house without worrying that she would fall and hurt herself. She is almost bedridden and has the tendency to stay awake at night and sleep through the day. She really need someone to look after her day and night.

At the end of 2009 I finally made up my mind, I had to go out to be earning an income before I "kill" my husband or ruin my marriage. I told my sibling that either we hire a maid to take care of my mother or someone else had to take care of her.

The maid finally arrived on 4 April 2010. It was Ayin's birthday. It was at subuh prayer time on 16th April, at the time when Syia wanted to go to school that we noticed my husband had fainted. I remember that he woke me up at around 5 am. when wanted to go to the toilet. We went back to sleep and at 6.30 am that we found him fainted. I panicked, called his cousin Dr Zainab for advice and with the help of Abang Lang (who arrived the evening before, Alhamdulillah) Ayin, we rushed him to the hospital. He was diagnosed with hypoglycemia. His sugar level was 1.8 which was far too low. For a diabetic, hypoglycemia is much more dangerous than a hyperglycemia. If we had delayed a few more minutes he would have had a stroke or even die.

Prior to that attack, hubby had been complaining that his eye-sight were not good. He wanted to make new specs, but he was adviced to see the eye specialist before he should make new glasses. His eyes could not focus well, and it would be a waste of money to make glasses which he would not be able to use. The specialist found sugar deposits on his eye nerves which is common for diabetic. Hubby was asked to control his sugar level.

My hubby was so paranoid about the increase in his sugar level that he dared not eat anything. On the evening prior to his hypo attack, he could hardly walk because he had not eaten enough. All he would eat was rice and soup. He was so weak, he could barely walk without holding to me. I had started to drive him to work because of his tiredness.

Since then we have been going for monthly regular check-up. After a year, we are told that my husband has kidney failure.

Note :

Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar level below 4.

Hyperglycemia is high blood sugar level.

The normal person reading would be around 5 to 7.

Disclaimer :

This is going to be a personal journal on my husband's strive as a kidney patient. My intention to blog this is not to gain symphathy from anyone. It is more of documenting the journey that we have to go through from the eyes of the care giver and the patient himself. Maybe something good may come out of this but at least it would remind me to be thankful to Allah.