Wall Crawford
July of 2017 was a major pivot in my life. I don't remember the exact date, but it was around the middle of the month. I was off work that day and I was sitting watching TV. I had my lab work done the week prior. I got a call from my nephrologist, and he said that I needed to get to the hospital ASAP! I asked what was going on because I felt fine, or at least I thought I did. He told me that my results from lab work came back, and all my levels were all out of wack. My kidneys were functioning at 5%, my phosphorus and creatine were sky high. So, in my state of denial, I told him I would think about it.
I knew my legs were swelling sometimes. I also would get short of breath from time to time. I finally called him back and told him I was on my way. But in the back of my mind, I knew when I walked through the doors of the hospital, I was not coming home anytime soon. My Dr tells me that if I don't start dialysis that day I was going to die. Still in denial I tell him that I will sleep on it and if I wake up the next morning it would be all systems go. My mother was on dialysis for 5 years before she died. So, I equated dialysis with death, and I wasn't going through all that. The next day I had the operation to have my catheter implanted in my heart so I could start receiving my dialysis treatments.
I found that getting as much education as I could about dialysis was helpful to me. My nurses and technicians were willing to answer all my questions about the dialysis machine and the process. The only answer I couldn't get was if anybody knew of a person that had to lose weight while on dialysis to qualify for the transplant list. The answer was no. I talked with different trainers about my condition and why I needed to lose weight. One trainer asked me if I could take a pill for that! None of them understood what I needed. The next pivotal moment in my life was being introduced to Kidney Care Coaches. The owner Tifiro Cook knew exactly what I was talking about and what I needed because he lived it, and more than once...and he was a trainer and a 2-time kidney recipient. I struck gold! Now it wasn't easy but with his nutrition and exercise expertise, I was able to lose the weight to qualify for the transplant list. The first thing he did was an analyst on my diet. Realized I wasn't eating enough, so he introduced whole foods with the right amount of nutrients that I needed. I was eating a lot of beans, vegetables, rice, sweet potatoes and drinking as much water as I was allowed on dialysis. The biggest thing for me was keeping a weekly journal of what I was eating. I had to give him a weekly report and it helped to keep me accountable.
After we got my nutrition on track, we started working out twice a week. I appreciated how he knew not to have me go too hard the days before dialysis. No other trainer would understand that. All the workouts were focused on building endurance and strengthening my heart. He doesn't know this, but I vowed to never push or pull another 1000 lb. sled across another gym floor lol! At least that's what it felt like! I did it playing football and I thought I would never see that thing again. He would always say the stuff that we are doing is not about keeping you on dialysis, it's about building up my strength and energy for after the transplant. I'm thinking we just started, and he is already talking about after the transplant. I couldn't let him out-want it more than I did so I had to grind it out!
I am fortunate to have some amazing people in my life. My support system was awesome! I must recognize them first. But there were so many people who got tested to see if they were a match for a transplant. There were some that told me, and some didn't, and I understood why. But if they would only have known all the ups and downs I experienced, if they were not a match it would have been just another bump in the road, and I could handle it. But it was all out of love, not wanting me to see me face disappointment.
One of the most important things you must remember is you have to be your own health advocate. No matter what situation you find yourself in. The Dr's, nurses, technicians are not responsible for that, you are. One of things I did was create t-shirts for my friends to wear.
Just remember that you are stronger than you think you are. During my time on dialysis, I was still working. I went through a divorce and just like everyone else in the world, dealt Covid 19. You can do it as well.
So, if you landed on this page looking for a place to start because you don't know which way to turn, please request a consultation. You will not be disappointed.
Oh, and by the way, I got the call for my transplant on May 25th, 2022...on my way to dialysis. Guess what? All the workouts and being accountable for my nutrition that I learned from Kidney Care Coaches is helping me sustain post-transplant. During my journey with Kidney Care Coaches, I went from 320 lbs. to a healthier 230 lbs./235 lbs. Still not messing with that sled though!
