Blogs

So much going on...

It has been a little while since my last post – work has slightly taken over in recent months. At least that is the excuse I am going to use! Work wise I feel much more settled in my role as the London and South East Fundraising Manager – I am beginning to get to know my supporters much better and slowly but surely I am helping organising more fundraising events for the Charity.

I have lots of things that I am involved with over the next few months so please do get in touch if you would like to involve yourself in anything. We also have World Kidney Day coming up on 8th March so even if you don’t fundraise on any other day of the year….make sure you do on that day!
On the health front things have been, dare I say it, very stable since my last blog back in September. I have had ongoing low levels of the CMV virus, which if left untreated can attack the transplant kidney. Fortunately the team at Guy’s were quick to spot any increase and dealt with it accordingly and all traces seem to have disappeared now.

On January 20th it was my year’s anniversary of my transplant! It’s been a trying yet rewarding year and I am fortunate that I have ended up with good health and a job at the end of it! My transplant was through the paired donation scheme and so I very much hope my other ‘pair’ recipient is also doing well one year on.

With the year anniversary came the sad news that I was no longer required for any of the three research trials, which I had been involved with as a patient at Guy’s hospital. One of the more interesting studies (The Repair Study) is done through the inflation of a blood pressure machine before and during transplantation. Doctors believe that by inflating the cuff for certain periods of time at specific intervals tricks ensures that the body directs more blood into the vital organs such as the kidney. This means that when the kidney is in transit between donor and recipient, the organ is able to keep in an improved condition prior to transplant and ultimately this will minimise damage to the kidney and should improve the life expectancy.

Something to exciting to think about anyway. The more us patients can assist doctors with their research the better the outlook will be for us after all what is an extra bit of blood and urine at each clinic visit?! Discovering new treatments is so important for the outlook of all kidney patients and that is why the work Kidney Research UK does in providing funding for these studies is so vital.

Lastly I just want to remind anyone in London or South East area would like to know more about how to fundraise for Kidney Research UK then please contact me on 07535 740814 or email me at: henrykimbell@kidneyresearchuk.org

I look forward to hearing from you!

I am finally back...

Hello Everyone!

One major change since I last posted – I am finally back in employment! The first time since my transplant in January and what makes this even more exciting (certainly for this blog) is that I am now a Kidney Research UK Fundraising Manager! Not something that I predicted I would be doing earlier on this year however it does follow a fairly logical path in that I am a renal patient and I enjoy fundraising.

My first week has been incredibly busy with numerous visits to Kidney Research UK HQ and to see other employees for training. Plus there are a vast number of supporters to get know as well as new colleagues however I am sure I will get there! I am really looking forward to meeting many fascinating kidney patients, families and friends from all walks of life and help them raise as much money as possible for the Charity!

On the health front things have settled down and I am only going back to clinic twice a month. I have contracted a couple of episodes of CMV (Cytomegalovirus), a common post transplant virus, but this has been kept under control with medication. CMV is a virus which the majority of humans have but it only becomes activated if you are pregnant or your immunity is compromised.

Hopefully I will have much more news on the job front the next time I post! If anyone in London or South East area would like to know more about how to fundraise for Kidney Research UK then please contact me on 07535 740814 or email me at: henrykimbell@kidneyresearchuk.org

I look forward to hearing from you!

Henry

My first blog!

Hello!
I am yet another kidney patient to join the Kidney Research UK blog mafia!

A bit about me…I am twenty five years old who was diagnosed with kidney failure at seventeen. My kidney failure was caused by inheriting an extremely rare genectic condition called Dent’s disease. Not a huge amount is known about Dent’s – even my doctors at Guy’s hospital in London say they are lucky if they actually meet a dent’s disease patient in their lifetime – I should take it as a compliment I suppose! Needless to say I am the only patient at Guy’s with Dent’s.

For those that don’t know, Dents disease is a genetic condition that affects the proximal renal tubules of the kidney through hypercalciuria and it is this build of calcium that will often be the underlying cause of the patient’s kidney failure. The disease often causes sufferers, who are predominantly male (although some females do develop symptoms, they are generally carriers), to develop anemia, fatigue, weight loss and appetite loss. Patients can also develop osteomalacia, a condition which weakens the body’s bones and causes great discomfort.

After a short stint on Peritoneal Dialysis I underwent my first transplant in 2004 from my father sadly this only lasted until Christmas 2008 where I returned to PD.

The doctors were always convinced that my diseased native kidneys were causing problems for my transplanted kidney but weren’t sure how! In January of this year I was fortunate to receive a second kidney, this time through the paired donation scheme, which is a method that cross matches incompatible donors and recipients. The improvement expected subsequent to the transplant wasn’t as great as the doctors had anticipated even with me having one of my native kidneys removed only a month before the transplant!

So in May I returned to theatre (my second home!) for a second nephrectomy and this seems to have done the trick. My creatinine is now at a much more respectable 180 compared to 230 prior to this operation. At the moment I am still returning to Guy’s for weekly visits but I am expecting this to extend to a fortnight sooner or later.