Young Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease

I was talking to my youngest son the other day who is on dialysis. I asked him what the hardest part of dealing with chronic kidney disease was for him. He said it was a nightmare getting it at a young age. It makes life more difficult and interferes with your career. Managing a chronic disease at this age pushes young adults to transform their life goals a bit differently from their peers.

Chronic kidney disease is difficult at every stage

We all know that getting a diagnosis of kidney disease is usually hard at any stage. He realizes how precious his life is. And how he shall navigate himself through the course of life by choosing a healthier lifestyle before it gets worse.

He was having irregular pain in the right kidney and his legs kept swelling. Initially, it used to come and go but later on, it increased in intensity, and he went to see the doctor. He was asked a few questions like his pee routine at night. He had to use the washroom multiple times at night than day. It turned out that he was developing a stage of nephropathy. He thought he had time and resources to manage it before it could get worse.

We need emotional support now more than ever

I want to bring it out here that among young people, things are different. You are still considering multiple options, you know living out the best of your lives as possible. All while raising families and trying to enjoy life. Things get different when anyone is hit by a chronic condition. We need moral and emotional support more than anything. He never lost the will to pursue his dreams because this disease is going to be with him for the rest of his life.

At that time his counselor helped him set some priorities straight. We all need to understand that we need emotional support as well as guidance. We need to carve our own personal pathways through our different circumstances. This diagnosis helped him to see life differently. He wanted to make his own standing in this world. Fighting all the odds and being an inspiration to other young ones who are going through their own situations.

Let me tell you, it is not easy, but we have to make the odds work for us in the best possible ways. Our family, his friends, and his counselor are his support system. They helped him reshape his goals. He had to take care of both his mental health and physical health without hampering his future. He has his good days and bad ones too. Stopping at some point does not mean he will never move forward. It just simply means that we need some time to settle before we make our move.

We aren't competing with anyone but ourselves

Having a chronic condition is difficult. What’s more difficult is to understand that this life is not a sprint but rather a marathon. We are not competing with anybody else but ourselves. Running at your own pace, taking care of your mind just like your body. Asking for help from your support system does not make you a weak human being.

My son does dialysis 7 days a week at home. He opted for this so that he could continue to work and take care of his family. He just got promoted to a supervisor position and is not looking back.