Hope Is Where The Heart Is: My Battle Against End Stage Renal Disease

Chp 1: Reality Check

     In the summer of 2003, after graduating from high school I had no idea what direction my life was going. My mom would tell me, "You have to make a choice either go to college or get a job, because you aren't sitting around the house." At that moment I asked myself, "What am I going to do next?" I went job hunting during junior year of high school, but had no luck based on me having "no experience." I didn't want to go directly into junior college after leaving high school, but I had no other choice. I started the fall semester at a local college taking graphic design classes part time. I was clueless on what my plan was, but began to start job searching once again.

   In July 2004, I received a call for an interview at a retail store. I went into the interview with confidence that I will come out with a job ready to make some money. The interviewer asked me, "Are you going to school?" I responded letting her know I was enrolled in college, and was expecting to work around my class schedule. She smiled and said, "I like your ambition. I want you to study hard, and stay focused in school because you will realize how important it is to have that degree in the future." She wanted me to promise her to finish school, and continue to educate myself because it's valuable.

   I took her advice, and began to work part-time while going to school. The pressure with multitasking became stressful with my social life. I started having less time to eat decent meals dealing with everything that was going on. All I had time for was fast food to eat after work, or during break after a class. Sometimes I was not feeling right physically as I began getting sick more than usual. I thought maybe all the obstacles that I was dealing with was slowly draining me not realizing how serious it could get.

   My mom scheduled my yearly physical exam to make sure everything was well. The doctor noticed that my blood pressure was slightly raised around the 140 (systolic - blood pressure as the heart beats) over 85 range (diastolic – blood pressure as the heart relaxes between beats) known as stage

one of hypertension. He asked if I was physically active as well as my eating habits.

Facts about Hypertension (high blood pressure)

- 67 million American adults (31%) have high blood pressure that's 1 of every 3 adults.

- Only about half (47%) of people with high blood pressure have their condition under control.

- Nearly 1 of 3 American adults has prehypertension – blood pressure numbers that are higher than normal, but not yet in the blood pressure range.

- Since 1999, more people with high blood pressure especially those 60 years old or older – have become aware of their condition and gotten treatment. Unfortunately, about 1 of 5 U.S. adults with high blood pressure still do not know

that they have it.

- About 7 in 10 U.S. adults with high blood pressure use medications to treat the condition.

- In 2009, Americans visited their health care providers more than 55 million times to treat high blood pressure.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

   The doctor prescribed me a pill to help me regulate my blood pressure. I had to take one a day, and make sure that I stay away from stress as much as I can. Stress can trigger my blood pressure to increase which will cause a greater health risk. I followed the doctor's order to begin to take the medication. I started exercising regularly and prepared better meals. I started feeling better to the point where I felt I didn't need to take medications anymore. At my monthly check-up my blood pressure was normal around the 122 over 80 range with a normal heart rate.

   I became more active by going to the park to jog, play basketball, or go to the gym to lift weights. I started introducing fruits and veggies into my diet which kept me balanced with exercising every day. I felt well, but one element still remained: STRESS. Keeping up with struggling at school, the stressful weeks at work, and dealing with drama in my social life started to get out of control.

ADJUSTING TO THE LATE NIGHT

   In the summer of 2006, I left my retail job, and applied for a security job which offered me a graveyard shift position. I thought about how I can manage to work an overnight shift, and then be able to go to school in the morning. I felt I was making progress in the right direction by getting a better job with better pay while planning to finish school. I started to work full-time overnight while going to school during the day. At this point I knew this was a crazy schedule, but I wanted to get my degree while making a decent living.

   I had to adjust from sleeping at night to sleeping in the day which still affects me now. I found working overnight gave me time during the day to not miss any classes due to the school schedule.

I was able to hang out with family, and friends during the day without taking time off on weekends. I started to notice I changed physically throughout the year. I started to gain weight, occasionally smoke cigarettes to stay awake, and ate full course meals at weird times of the night. I didn't think anything of the changes, because I felt like it was my body adjusting to the schedule.

 

I should have listened to my body which clearly showed signs that I needed to relax. I noticed having shortness of breath more than usual during my foot patrols as well as tightness in my chest, fatigue, and slightly blurred vision. I checked my blood pressure at home with a portable blood pressure machine. I had a blood pressure reading as high as 155 over 88 to 160 over 90 which is stage three hypertension.

   In common terms this is a borderline stroke, or heart attack issue. My hypertension became a major problem. I scheduled a doctor's appointment to see what was going on with me. The nurse started taking my vital signs and asked me, "Are you ok? Your blood pressure is high." I responded telling her that it's probably high, because I just got off work. I was thinking to myself, why couldn't I keep this controlled letting the stress build without finding a way to relax. Shortly after, the doctor arrived to take my blood pressure getting readings of 210 over 110, and 190 over 105 with my heart rate being between 85-90 bpm.

   The doctor asked me if I took medication for blood pressure prior to this issue, and if I have any family history of hypertension. I explained that several people in my family have high blood pressure, and diabetes. The doctor gave me a pill to take that will lower my blood pressure, and sent me to the waiting room to see if it decreases before she releases me.

   Several minutes later, my blood pressure was around 145 over 88. The doctor asked for a urine sample to see if there is an infection. The results came in and the look on the doctor's face explained it all. The doctor told me that she noticed protein in my urine which is a sign of leakage of my kidneys. The test also showed that my kidney function was working at 22% meaning I've lost 78% of my function. She told me that I would need a kidney transplant, or dialysis to live.

   I had to schedule an appointment with an optometrist to check on my eye sight. I had several tests done to see if there was any damage to my eyes. I was told by the doctor that I still have good 20/20 vision, but there was damage to the blood vessels of my optical nerve. The strain of the blood vessels due to high blood pressure can cause them to narrow. This would cause the optic nerve to swell which can reduce my vision. If my blood pressure is controlled I might be able to recover from any risk of permanent damage. My right eye is the least dominant, but when I close my left eye to use my right eye I still can see even though it's not 100% clear.

   I couldn't imagine how to take the news for myself, or even how my family would take it. I was in shock not knowing how to react. I began to question, "Why out of all people does this happen to me?" I saw my life flash before my eyes at the thought of, "Is my life over?"