Slowly being poisoned

In 2003, Dan went in for a regular checkup and came back from the doctor with a Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) diagnosis. He didn’t have any symptoms at that time so that was quite a shock. Since then his kidney function has deteriorated, first slowly and much faster in the last six months.

Because of his reduced kidney function, Dan suffers from chronic fatigue, loss of appetite and back pain caused by pressure from his enlarged kidneys. For some time now, we have been splitting our work at Tierra so that he doesn’t have to work five days straight in the kitchen, which can be grueling and exhausting. When he burps he gets an ammonia aftertaste and his skin color is becoming pallid as a result of the build up of toxins in his blood.

Basically, he is slowly being poisoned. Patients with PKD are highly encouraged to get a living donor before they have to go on dialysis. Unfortunately, this was not to be. Dan will have to start peritoneal dialysis soon.