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Just Diagnosed
You watch as your doctor’s
mouth moves, but the words coming out just don’t make sense. You feign
understanding with an occasional nod, but inside you are tumbling head to heel,
trying to unravel the sentence he spoke when you first sat down. “Me? I have a
chronic illness?” Over the next few weeks, the shock will wear off, but a range
of other difficult emotions awaits you. I’m here to tell you you can and will get
beyond these feelings and live a fulfilling life. Your life is not over, it’s
just begun.
excerpt from Chronically Happy
First of all, it will take time to accept and understand the idea you have a
chronic illness/Chronic Kidney Disease, (CKD). Know you have
treatment options, such as,
dialysis, peritoneal dialysis and
transplantation, to help you stay alive and enjoy your life.
 After the shock, and myriad of emotions, become knowledgeable about your disease
through social workers, doctors, material from the internet, support groups and
ask your doctor questions if you don’t understand something.
Knowledge and participation will help improve your care and you will feel in
more control of your life. Although you have CKD, you can still live a long and
good quality of life by listening to your healthcare team.
The
Renal Diet plays a huge part, so try to stick to your diet. Become familiar
with your lab results, which reflect how you manage your diet. Then, you may
make adjustments if necessary. Make sure you’re taking your medications as
prescribed. Most importantly don’t skip or shorten your dialysis treatments.
Finally, know that you still can have a happy life living with a chronic
illness, especially if you’re a compliant patient.
Although, you may have CKD, don’t let it stop you from doing what you enjoy in
life, work, caring for family, hobbies etc. If you’re not working and don’t know
what to do to keep busy, because it’s vital to keep busy, volunteer for a local
organization. Volunteer work also helps you to stay connected to your community.
Remember with CKD your energy maybe not what it used to be. Therefore, it’s
important to listen to your body and understand you’ll be going through
adjustments. RSN’s
HOPEline is available to help with these adjustments. Learn all you can
through RSN. You’ll also discover success stories.
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Take Action |
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Become a
Renal Support Network member and receive complimentary articles and information
about kidney health
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Call someone who
is living successfully with kidney disease and find the support you need
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Attend a local
Patient Lifestyle Meeting or support group meeting and connect with others
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Prepare
Renal Friendly Meals and learn about the food you CAN eat
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Join our online community
KidneySpace
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Listen to short educational
podcast interviews on KidneyTalk!
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Read the Live & Give
Newsletter, which is full of articles written by patients and professionals
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Support legislation that will
positively affect people with kidney disease
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Write an article for RSN
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Check the
kidney-related news
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