I have got some wonderful news of late!
During the first semester of 2012 the hemoglobin (which normal ranges in a young male adult like me should be around 14 to 16) had been dropping, slowly, but definitely dropping.
Among the functions a kidney has, is to produce a subtance called erithropoyetin, my kidneys started having the problem to produce that protein back when the "kidney damage" unleashed in Prague last year. That's why in the worst moments I was suffering such tachycardia and overall, the reason for feeling so weak.
In the old days, there wasnt much of a solution for the anemia (blood in which hemoglobin levels are lower than 11) People would have been condemned to a painful perish, no matter how much red meat they would eat, or blood they would drink.
Back in the late 80's, scientists managed to produce a synthetic version of the erythropoyetin protein, which was a huge advance in medicine, and which helped many people survive from difficult situations. However, as most allopathic treatments, it had its side effects; such as cardiac arrest, heart failure, and other terrible things. Risks for those things to happen would appear after a patient had been subjected to the treatment for a long term period. It is because of this as well, that doctors have decided to treat renal patients with just some erithropoyetin managing them to have hemoglobin levels of 11, which are above the ranges of mild anemia, but still not good enough as a healthy person. This being the cause of why renal patients despite being on dialysis, usually feel cold and lack of energy.
Back to my case, since my kidneys arent as affected as those of the majority of people on dialysis, the hemoglobin doesnt go down in such a critical way as theirs do. However, it does go down, or better to say, it used to go down. Last year in the worst moment my hemoglobin was in a level of 9.4, that's when I started dialysis and also erithropoyetin treatment (april 2011). Situation established on June 2011, month in which my hemoglobin had reached a level of 16, and for so the doctors decided to suspend immediately that protetin, since it could be risky. I kept a high level of energy and of a close feeling to normality, even though with a bit higher blood pressure (synthetic erithro rises the pressure) On November I was needing again the erithropoyetin, my hemoglobin had gone back to 11 and I was already feeling the chills. This time the treatment lasted for about 3 weeks, (two injections at home per week) eventually it normalized back again.
From January of this year until May, the hemoglobin was dropping slowly but surely, from 15 to what I was expecting was again, 11.
Due to obvious reasons of not desiring to have anemia once again, I asked the doctor at Fresenius to formulate that treatment once again. She told me she couldnt, as first I would need some iron. This mineral being the fuel necessary to produce the erithropoyesis. Without iron it doesnt matter how much erithropoyetin one has in the body, no hemoglobin will be produced. The plan was then, to give me some iron and then the next month (now) to give erithropoyetin. This is when everything gave an unexpected turn, as the last blood results show that the hemoglobin "magically" went up from 11,5 to 13,7 in two weeks. What happened here?? Well, in the moment the body received iron, my own kidneys produced the original erithropoyetin, and for so the hemoglobin went high by herself! Something which the doctor wasnt expecting to happen, and sincerely, I think she believes me to have got the synthetic version of the protein in the black market lol, as she has warned me that 13,7 hemoglobin level is dangerous. Naturally, as whenever I hear a doctor or for that matter anyone tell me something that worries me, I decide to investigate on my own. It is for my great delight, to know now that there's no danger in having this "high" hemoglobin level in this moment, as this has been created spontaneously by the kidneys, not through a drug.
These news are wonderful and not only make me feel happy, but also my mother, my relatives, and some friends..... The thing is, that I don't know what step to follow now.
No matter how much the allopathic medicine, specially Fresenius and my insurance keep on insisting that once sick the kidneys cannot get back to their healthy state, I refuse to believe them. I have researched about this topic quite a lot, and I have read about many cases of recovery. Moreover, I have gained knowledge on Ancient Chinese Medicine, in which are stated the psychological/physical causes for kidney damage, and how eventually there are ways to recover the kidneys. Not happy with this, I have contacted a doctor speciallized on this topic in China, which has confirmed what I had been suspecting: If the kidneys suddenly have regained their function to produce hemoglobin, it means that a part of them has recovered, and so the other parts can recover as well.
I have no idea what to do now. I had been planning to go on the transplant procedure for not needing any kind of dialysis dependence anymore. However with these news, and considering how almost everything seems to be fine in my body, I don't know if I should wait for my kidneys to recover, and if so, how much time should I wait? Breathing exercices, root chakra meditation, great diet, chinese medicines, sound frequencies of healing, prayers,etc. ALL OF THIS IS PART OF MY DAILY LIFE. And all of it is wonderful... but when will the kidneys awake completely?
The most vulnerable part of me wants to get rid of all this dialysis-related stuff. Fresenius aren't at all my favorite people, and even though I only have to go about 2 times per month now, it still causes me some stress and pisses me off. Specially in occassions such as yesterday, when the nurse couldnt put a simple needle on my arm, which left me as result an uncomfortable pain for hours, similar to the one a bee can cause.
I also have the biggest wish of travelling freely across the world was again... to go to places I really want to go such as Russia and Brazil. and which are might possible to go to while on dialyisis , but which would require a big amount of money and papers.
Last but not least, there are also key elements that make the life of a young person: Sports (I have to avoid those with physical contact as to prevent risks) activities involving rivers, lakes, seas, and even ordinary swimming pools (yep, water might be risky for the cathether) and of course there's also the intimacy (which concerning the libido part everything's intact, but with the self esteem affected because of being on dialysis) those being the most important.
I love the new life I have adopted of writing on a blog, going to the cinema, learning and playing piano to spend more time with my cats, and to have become a much more holistic individual. However, I think its too much of a life of a priest to my taste. What is next? having prophetic visions?
I think that for the moment I will wait. Wait for my own kidneys to recover, or to stem cell treatment to become the worldwide norm, to life give me some revelation, for aliens to arrive here in the middle of the London Summer Olympics, to the world to finish on 2012, what else? It would give me the feeling that if I go for the transplant in this moment, I would have been impatient and weak.
Until the next time...
