My angel, my progress...

What a difference a few weeks make. Things have gotten a little interesting for me. Let me first apologize for slacking on my posts. I had an appointment on yesterday with my PD team. It went well for the most part, just need to watch my calcium levels. If anybody has any suggestions on ways to up my protein levels while maintaining the correct level of calcium let me know. Oh yes, then there's always that albumin level. Albumin is basically any protein that is water soluble. It is commonly found in blood plasma. The normal range for albumin in adults is 3.5-5 g/dl. The range for children is 2.9-5.5 g/dl. Of course mine is never in the normal range, always short, but I work on improving it daily. I am proud of myself, in an effort to get myself back in better physical shape I have joined the local YMCA. As of this month I have officially been on the kidney transplant wait list 1 year. I know that my kidney is coming very soon. Since my last post, I am happy to report that God has sent an angel to be by my side. This angel has been sent to me in the form of a very close friend whom I lost contact. This person has been such an inspiration to me and given such uplifting words that I am and will forever be greatful. You see, fighting end stage renal disease and lupus is not by any means an easy battle. But when you have a support system such as I have, it makes it bearable. Always remember to stay positive and optimistic about the future. My goals for the next week include finishing some arts and crafts, taking pictures of the fall colors (I will post them when finished), see a movie, and keep you guys up on any breaking news. Until then.... Keep your head held high, stay motivated and inspired!!! #Albumin #end-stage renal disease #lupus

Hey everyone, I'm back. I had a little setback this week..another hospital admission. But I am okay, just a drop in the blood pressure causing me to pass out. But anywho, back to my story. When I first realized I was at the hospital back in 2011, I was not fully awake. I remember the physicians trying to insert a PIC line into the side of my neck. I could hear their voices, telling me to try and stay still. For some reason I couldn't open my eyes. The next memory I had was of me waking up to my Mom, Dad, a few friends, and a co-worker at the end of my bed. I then realized I was in ICU, but didn't know why. Once I became more coherent, I remember having to have an NG tube placed to help with my nutrition levels. Yuckie...not a fun process. As the days went by it was removed and I was placed on a puree diet. Now for those that don't know exactly what that entails...well imagine eating nothing but baby food or applesauce for every meal. I soon transitioned back to regular foods. One morning in particular that I remember was my Dad at my bedside helping me eat breakfast. He then told me a few details as to what all happened. I was blown away, I thought I had been in the hospital for a few days. But it was longer than that. I don't remember much, but I do want to say "thank you" to everyone who stood by my family's side and never stopped praying for me. Although I don't remember seeing everyone, I know you all came to visit and it is greatly appreciated. I had to stay at the hospital for a few more weeks and then transferred to a rehabilitation hospital for additional occupational, physical, and speech therapies. I was now a patient. This gave me the opportunity to see what my patients go through on a daily basis. It gave me a whole new perspective to the world of speech therapy and the other rehab disciplines. I improved, and I believe I only spent maybe over a week there. Then came the big day...I was finally discharged to go home. I had been away from home for a total of 34 days. Wow...just imagine not being able to recall weeks at a time and then to have to be away from home that long. I was super excited to finally walk through the garage at our house. As soon as I came in the kitchen door, my baby Spanky, the daschaund, was there with his little waggly butt to greet me. Oh what a feeling....

My Story

Let me first start by introducing myself. My name is Nikki, I am 33 years old. I currently reside in Alabama. My story is one of heartaches, struggle, and determination. I have always faced health issues my entire life. I was diagnosed with the harshest version of lupus(SLE)in 1995 when I was 16 years old. I have almost died once from this disease. Lupus has a tendency to affect every organ in the body. As of right now there is no cure. I decided to start this blog in an effort to help others who have this disease or are also affected by end stage renal disease. I had been employed as a speech language pathologist since graduating in 2005, but have been off work since April 2011 due to not being able to return to work following a 34 day hospital and rehabilitation hospital stay back in February-March 2011. I was diagnosed with end stage renal disease (ESRD) in January 2011. My life was changed forever. I was placed on hemodialysis on January 18th, 2011. This process required having a catheter placed in my chest through a main artery which went straight to my heart. I then had to go to a dialysis clinic 3 times a week for 4 hours to have my blood cleaned of the toxins. I by far was the youngest person at my clinic, most people there were elderly patients. Can you imagine how I felt to have to have my whole life changed so drastically? This went on through February until around the 14th. I remember a little about that day. I remember my dad giving me a Valentine's Day card and a rose. Then I remember waking up weeks later at a local hospital in ICU with friends and family at my bedside. On my next entry I will explain exactly what happened.