The build up

On the 5th December 2012 I had a routine appointment with my renal doctor. My GFR was 32 Stage 3, which is has been around that number for a while. Nothing was unusual about this appointment, just a bog standard, go in check my blood and urine test, quick chat and then home. However, I did actually ask at what stage do they start to discuss the future, ie transplants etc. To which he said "Oh not until you reach stage 4, but you are a long while off that yet, so don't worry about it!" Happy with that I left and carried on with my day.

I had my next routine appointment booked for the 13th March 2013 but the clinic was cancelled due to holidays and a shortage of doctors, they rescheduled my appointment for the 3rd April, which being a childminder, during the school holidays and having 4 children was most definitely not convenient. I called back to rearrange the appointment but could only get 22nd May!

I woke up on Tuesday 8th April and did not feel right, my legs were so itchy, I was so exhausted and something just felt so wrong. On Thursday 11th I was watching Daybreak and they were talking about the donor register. A man came on to talk about his Kidney Disease, getting a donor and how he was told he had 10 years, but in actual fact his Kidneys failed within 3 years. With that I called up my GP and asked if I could have a blood test to check my kidneys as my routine appointment was so far away. Given my condition and symptoms they were very happy to oblige. I collected the blood form on Thursday evening and then went straight to the hospital to have my blood test done.

I knew full well they would not have the results until after the weekend, so had in my head I would call them Monday, late afternoon or Tuesday morning. At 8am on Monday 15th, the phone rang. "Hello, Mrs Reed. This is Dr S. I am calling about your results!" I remember thinking, this cannot be good!!

My GFR reading had taken a huge dive from 32 in December to 25! STAGE 4!! The stage at which the doctor in December said I was a long way off! This could not be right, it had to be a wrong reading! I called the renal team at about 9.30am and explained about my symptoms and the blood test results. By lunchtime I had a call back, they had made an urgent appointment for Wednesday 17th.