Daddy had a failing kidney and I just felt I needed to be home for him.
My dad and mom on Decmber 9, 2007
46th Wedding Anniversary
@ Serendra, Fort Bonifacio, Makati
He was diagnosed with about 50% kidney function way back in 2004 and during that time, he was assymptomatic, he was strong and going about his normal ways. My dad was strong at 69 years old. Considering he was a chain smoker, has had a heart problem since he was 27 years old, my daddy was strong. That even made me decide to leave for the kingdom the following year. But on diagnosis, he was told that his condition had to be monitored and his kidney function analyzed regularly for its function.
Why was his kidney failing him? Back then it was called Chronic kidney disease - assymptomatic but guarded kidney failure/failing, if I may put a definition to it. It was explained to us that a lifetime of hypertension took a toll on his kidneys so while he is hypertensive and taking his meds for his heart, his kidneys are being hurt by it. The doctor put it this way, a man can live without a kidney but he can't live without his heart. So we must do all to save the heart at the cost of his kidneys .
What can be done for him to stop the kidney from failing? His heart has to be diagnosed, his blood vessels evaluated for any blockages or heart structure problems by injecting a radioactive dye that would be bad for his kidneys as well....further "kill" the kidney for lack of better word to use. Such a double edged problem.
We go for the conservative way of looking at the heart and its functions .... no dye. Tests show that the heart is strong, but daddy has peripheral vascular disease, blockages on his arms and legs blood vessels, including his kidney blood vessels.
The solution to this was either to wait for his kidneys to eventually fail and then need dialysis or have a kidney transplant.
Our family was put in a very delicate situation of deciding the fate of our dear father.
Very clear to all of us was we did not want to lose dad, so any procedure that would threaten his life at present we would avoid. So no radioactive dye which would hasten the kidney's failure, no kidney transplant because as it is, his kidney was still functional. The likelihood if it failing would be years provided he takes the right medicines, follows the right diet and lifestyle...and of course, the power of prayers and miracles we deeply believed in....daddy would get well and we claimed that. This was in 2004.
Fast track to 2007, 3 years after, my father starts losing weight, kidney function is down to perhaps 30% and he feels weakening. Daddy begins to miss his eldest son in the States, Kuya and Joyce and all his 5 grand kids - 2 of which he has never ever laid his hands on. Him and mom plans for a trip to the US.
I on ther other hand, finally home preparing for my wedding in Feb 2008, gets an aggressive advice from my former boss (a kidney transplant surgeon) to consider a kidney transplant for my father. More than the age as a consideration, dad's suitability and his health condition as a receiver as well as the donor is of utmost priority.
Again, the family is faced with the decision, to go or not to go for this. kidney transplant was expensive, where would we find the donor, would daddy be fit to go through it and live at 73? Dialysis is imminent and we were already told to prepare for it emotionally and financially.
My advisor, and my boss, said life in dialysis was not only hard but it did not offer any hope for the patient. Dialysis was a procedure to extend life by putting yourself in a machine that acted like an artificial kidney but for how long would you endure it, 4 hours every other day....taxing, expensive, and for a 73 year old, no way to spend the remaining years of his life. Whereas with kidney transplant, dad would get better, it was a solution. It was not to say there would be no risks but atleast, the chance of a better quality of life was there. Would we take the risk?
For now, dad is getting sicker by the day and we had to do something.....decide on what to do...fast.
