Don Luis has already exceeded 80 years of age and is diabetic since he had sixty.For years he obeyed the instructions of his IMSS family doctor, but an imprudent intake of analgesic caused renal damage that was diagnosed as chronic, and was about to be convicted, for the rest of his days, to the outpatient dialysis, procedure that is implemented when the deterioration makes the kidneys unusable.
Don Luis is a strange case among the thousands of diabetics with a diagnosis of renal damage, which are treated by the Mexican public health system.Many others do not run so much luck.The abandonment or relaxation of unavoidable treatment when there is a diagnosis of diabetes, bad eating habits or misinformation are factors that lead many diabetics to physical deterioration.Chronic renal damage is one of the frequent consequences of poorly carried and worse treated diabetes.
It all started with a fall
Until 76, Don Luis had been careful with his diabetic treatment, but a fall injured his knees.A doctor, perhaps not aware of the side effects of anti -inflammatory analgesics, prescribed Diclofenac, with the instruction that "if it hurt, he could take it."He did not have that Don Luis hurt his knees frequently, so that the Diclofenaco became part of his daily medications.
Diclofenac administration is contraindicated in the case of older adults, as it can trigger renal, liver or even cardiac damage.In the case of Don Luis, his kidneys began to resent the prolonged intake of the medication.
He didn't feel bad;He did not express symptoms that indicated that something was wrong.But renal damage became evident in their monthly analysis: the kidneys no longer worked as before;Creatinine indices, from the normal range of 1, shot up to 3. Don Luis's family doctor decided, seeing the numbers, sending him to his General Zone Hospital.
An internist doctor immediately detected the problem: he scored in the file of Don Luis the diagnosis: "Chronic renal damage."He told him about the need to discuss, of the transformations in the daily life that treatment would imply, the need for his family to accompany him in the process.It only involved undergoing a small surgery to implement the catheter through which the dialysis process is performed at domestic level.
But Don Luis was afraid of surgery, although he did not know his scope.He told his family and let a whole year pass.
crisis and recovery
The time comes when the lack of treatment for renal damage became clear: tiredness, extreme weakness, the indicators of the urine analysis fired.The family doctor's instruction was clear: if there was a crisis, it was time to admit it through the emergency door.To control the exacerbation of his diabetic picture, he was imposed a rigorous diet that insisted on breaking.He started eating sweets and drinking hidden soft drinks.
He diminished his autonomy;His children intensified surveillance about their symptomatology.He scheduled, reluctantly, the date to be placed the catheter.A week before admission to the hospital, he made crisis: he entered the emergency department with 340 blood glucose.He was afraid.
They implanted the catheter and began all the modification of its domestic environment: new room and extreme cleaning, to avoid infections.The family was trained to help him live with his street dialysis.But 4 days of intensive dialysis were enough in their General Zone Hospital and three weekly dialysis treatments to return their kidneys to relative stability.Literally, the dialysis "uncovered" the kidneys affected by theDiclofenac.At six months, the specialists who attended him decided to remove the catheter they never used.
With a precise monthly monitoring, the administration of prescribed medications- from the renal crisis administer insulin- and a strict diet that, from time to time allows some candy or craving, Don Luis is an older, diabetic adult, who passes hisAnalysis in acceptable conditions for your age.He turned 81 in August, and was able to celebrate it with a slice of normal cake.
