Today, after getting some teeth extracted, my husband needed to fill a prescription. Because I was due for a refill, I figured we'd both go to Rite Aid. We sent in our requests and waited for them to be filled.
While we were there, a man came and sat right next to me, with only a tiny end table between us. He first asked if we went to UVU or BYU. I told him we both went to UVU and that I was studying criminal justice and Stephen was studying history education. "Oh!" He said, smiling.
There was, of course, an awkward pause because I didn't know what to talk about next. Somehow he did.
"Do you know what this is?" He said, raising his arm from the arm rest. There was a white bandage. I noticed his arm was swollen, but I hand't realized what it was.
"It's for dialysis."
It was like I was an alien and I found another of my kind. I blurted out: "Oh! I have PKD, what do you have?" Uh...smooth.
He looked surprised and replied something along the lines of: "Nephritis." He continued to explain that he'd been on dialysis for 10 years. I asked if he'd gotten on the transplant list yet and how far he was. He explained that he wasn't on the list, that he was stage 3, and that he'd had a pig's valve implanted in his heart to replace a valve. He was "part pig". He'd had high blood pressure and congestive heart failure twice.
I was kind of in a trance state. Finally, I met someone with kidney problems. Not that they're rare, but it was just my first time seeing an older person with actual kidney issues. They were typical kidney issue issues, but I think that was useful. He got up to leave, I told him sincerely that it was nice to meet him, and he said "You too."
Just as he left is when it hit me. That's my future. That's what almost certainly will happen to me. Or at least similar things. Maybe worse things. Maybe not as bad things. But that person did me a service. He showed me what I can maybe expect.
I've heard it all before from the internet, but the "support groups" would always blather on about nothing, not really knowing anything about the disease they HAVE, and to just "keep a positive attitude". That's fine, but I want information. No one I know has had PKD before. I still don't quite know what to expect. And everyone is so different, it's not like hours of research can give much of an idea.
So this man did me a favor. It was a little disheartening, but also enlightening. He seems to be okay other than dialysis which is notorious for severely impacting quality of life. But that guy seemed alright. If he can do it, how could I not? Not that, at this point, I'd ever want to be on dialysis, but that's about the worst of it and people get through it.
I really am glad I met him.
