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June 19, 2008

Katy Mills: transplant recipient, former PD patient

By ladams posted in Patient Stories, Peritoneal dialysis

Katy Mills is a transplant recipient living in St. Louis, MO. Before receiving her transplant on January 28, 2008, Katy was on peritoneal dialysis. This is her story. 

“Hi, my name is Katy, and I have a suspicion my story may be familiar. I was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in the early 1990s. I immediately assumed I was the one who would beat the odds and never need dialysis or a transplant. 

By 2006, my kidneys were functioning at about ten percent and I had no energy whatsoever. I felt ‘stuck in neutral.’ Of course, I totally disregarded the fact that my doctor kept telling me how ‘puffy’ I looked. Then, the day after President’s Day in 2006, I just stopped urinating. Oops! That won me a trip to the hospital. I got a reprieve when they sent me home urinating, a little. However, they also sent me to DaVita to learn about my dialysis treatment options, and I chose peritoneal dialysis. I still didn’t quite get it. I informed them that I might see them in June.

Wrong again! Two weeks later, in March, I was back in the hospital with end stage renal disease. YIKES! Somehow it was easier to talk about that catheter this time. Good thing this time I didn’t get out of the hospital until I had a catheter. Unfortunately, I chose that this would be the end of my teaching career in a public elementary school. But it was also the start of a period of time when I actually felt better than I have in years. Would I prefer to have functional kidneys? You bet! But, if the alternative is dialysis or dying, this is okay for me. I’m doing things I haven’t had time for in years, and I have the energy to do them.”


2 Comments to “Katy Mills: transplant recipient, former PD patient”

  1. Linzie said,

    June 21, 2008 @ 6:08 am

    Hi Katy

    I take my hat of to you guys! People you decide to live life every day to the max despite the odds against them.

    I recently met a wonderful person who, despite facing a life threatening disease, decided to live life every day. When she found out that she had kidney failure and had to cope with Peritoneal Dialysis for 5 years, she did everything in her power to continue with her life, which included taking part in motorcycle races, re-building cars, building houses, this women is just amazing.
    Keep up the wonderful work Sheila, and thank you for all that you have done to inspire others living with the same condition. She recently wrote about her experiences. This will act as inspiration to many (no, all) of us.
    http://tinyurl.com/6×94vq

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