Coping With Miss CKD

Who is Miss CKD? What is CKD? What do you mean coping with miss CKD?

Let's begin with chronic kidney disease, or CKD. A world of potassium, calcium, doctors, medication, feeling alone, feeling pain, confusion, loss, grief, frustration and so many more I would be able to stop writing if I carried on. CKD is a lot of things. Yes, a kidney is an organ, and yes, CKD is when your body loses kidney function, but it is also a disease that interferes with how you go about your life and daily duties.

Holly Wakelin, being me. Little miss Holly Wakelin who has CKD. I am Miss CKD, nice to meet you!

Creating Miss CKD

I created an instagram account at the end of 2022 calling myself Miss CKD (feel free to look me up, I'll also link my page at the bottom of this article). It was created so that I had an outlet to discuss my world of CKD and find others who would be able to understand me.

It went from 0-100 real quick. Initially I knew no one with CKD a couple months later I knew people with kidney issues from all around the globe. I finally found people who related to my confusion, my dieting struggles, my lack of physical symptoms, but ever so present mental anxiety around blood tests!

There were people left, right, and center who could relate to specific scenarios that no other person was ever able to relate to. After so many years of not facing the reality of having CKD and living in denial, I finally found like minded and bodied people that helped me embrace who I was and the life I needed to start living.

I started getting support and advice from CKD warriors in Ghana, India, America, and even people who lived in the same area as me!

Benefits of Miss CKD

Starting the Instagram page Miss CKD was the best thing I could have done for myself. Miss CKD is similar to a journal, I was able to express how I was feeling but I was also able to get a response and see others who were going through the same thing or advice on how the dealt with a certain situation. My aim was to make me and you feel less alone in the process.

I'm not trying to say that you need to start up an Instagram page in order to cope with CKD. But there are so many online resources (just like this website) and people out there that are going through the same thing as you. Sometimes the thought of helping yourself doesn't seem appealing but there is help out there and it is worth it!

Feel free to reach out

I am always open for a chat if you ever need. I'm here to listen or exchange stories to make you and myself feel less on the journey of chronic kidney disease. You can find me on Instagram at miss__ckd.