Soldiering on: A week’s diary in my life as a kidney-failure patient

NAIROBI KENYA: Many admired his astute and shrewd character for the three and a half decades he served as a senior Administration Police (AP) officer.

Fast forward to March 2014 and Mr James Meme Kaluma is battling a condition haunting more than 8,000 other Kenyans today, kidney failure. They are in a medical dilemma, do they seek treatment in India or Kenya?

He relies on dialysis, the removal of waste products and excess fluid from the body by a machine, as he awaits kidney transplant.

KNH head of Renal Unit Anthony Were notes the number of patients requiring bi-weekly dialysis is rising, as the cost remains prohibitive in private hospitals. Most county hospitals lack the crucial machines.

Dialysis at private hospitals costs at least Sh9,000 compared to Kenyatta at Sh5,000, with NHIF offsetting Sh2,500.

“When it gets to Kidney transplants, one requires at least Sh500,000 at a public hospital, which includes Sh200,000 for tests and Sh300,000 for the transplant including 10 days of admission,” says Dr Were.

Meme attends dialysis on Wednesday and Saturday at Kenyatta with each session taking four hours, demanding an early call to beat the queue.

Meme was employed in 1975 and over the years rose in ranks from a corporal to a sergeant, senior sergeant, sergeant major, inspector, chief inspector, superintendent, senior superintendent and assistant commandant before retiring in January 2008.

The first six years after retirement, Meme says has enjoyed a vibrant life and was on a daily tablet medication for diabetes.

But nothing prepared the father of seven for a kidney failure diagnosis in March this year, when he had begun a building project at home and supporting his wife in business. He also looked forward to enjoy his sunset years at the comfort of his wife, children and grandchildren.

The Standard on Saturday documented one week in Meme’s life as he shared his journey as a kidney failure patient awaiting a transplant.

Thursday

Today is a great day to relax from yesterday’s journey to Kenyatta National Hospital for dialysis. I am unusually tired the day after the dialysis, lack appetite and do not like sitting for long hours.

My wife, Catherine, has taken up the role as my primary caregiver on all my health matters since I fell sick in March this year, keeping her away from her shop in Thika town.

Marriage is about friendship, love and sacrifice, I have learnt.

It takes me longer to get ready in the morning compared to last year which is probably due to factors like disease and age.

Today, I woke up early with minor effects of my dialysis session yesterday and despite being 62 years old, I am passionate about life, despite the illness.

I was eager to inspect my shamba where I have planted maize and beans. I’m proud that I today I walked unaided either by my wife or the walking stick.

I had green peas, cabbages and Ugali for lunch and later had a nap.

I look forward to having the kidney transplant and dedicate the remaining of my retirement to serve my community and God, and play with my grandchildren.

I am hopeful for a better life for all patients with kidney failure in Kenya.

I seek your prayers as we walk this journey with my family and I hope to be back to share my health progress very soon.

Friday

I woke up in quite a jovial mood today and my right leg has been aching now for almost a week.

I will make a note to mention it to the doctor tomorrow during the dialysis.

I took a walk around my compound and neighbourhood.

The fresh air was a constant reminder that we should thank God for being alive, even with varied health challenges.

I managed to climb the stairs to my house without the assistance of the walking stick which is an achievement in the last one month.

Saturday

We woke up at 4am today. My sister Jerusha is coming with my wife and I for dialysis at KNH.

Hussein Arero, whom we hire as a driver for Sh1,000 a day, or my son, John, drives us so we can get to hospital in time to beat the queue.

I had cereals for breakfast and my wife and family friends have advised that we need to see a nutritionist because despite loving cereals as the first meal in the morning, it’s not beneficial for me.

Arero, a young man with a great heart, drove us to hospital today and we arrived at 8am. I was connected to the machine immediately and expect to be out by noon then catch a snack as we head back home.

My sister and my wife held me by each shoulder as I scaled the stairs to the renal unit based on the first floor.

My left leg is aching and I hope the doctor will have a look at it. I hope it’s not a complication setting in.

Munyiri, a patient from Nyeri, arrived at 10am and he joked that today I beat him to the machine so he will have to do with the afternoon session that begins from around 12pm then travel back to Nyeri.

He asked on the whereabouts of a newspaper we had shared on Wednesday last week during one of the dialysis sessions. Luckily, his mobile phone earphones are in safe custody by one of the nurses.

I also get to interact with renal unit nurses, most of whom are quite generous with information and share their experiences with dialysis and kidney transplant patients.

Today, I met Sarah Karoki, a senior nursing officer talking of patients’ dilemma between having a transplant in Kenya or India.

Sunday

The fatigue from the dialysis is wearing me down, affecting my appetite and mood. Because I wake up exhausted, I spend most of Sundays indoors as everybody else attends church. I am left in the care of either my wife or one of my children.

I worship at Thika Methodist and I miss the days I spent my Sunday’s serving in the church and the interactions after the service.

I say my prayers at home and on some afternoons, members of my church visit.

Today, my wife opted to stay at home because we need to have a candid conversation about my kidney transplant. The KNH renal unit has taken us through the particulars.

Our daughter Ruth Kendi, 30, has volunteered to be my donor and she has passed the basic tests pending other comprehensive ones to be carried out tomorrow.

Transplant teams, including my doctor Dr John Ngige and have discussed the matter. Mungai has taken us through the fears about kidney transplant and he has expressed optimism that Kenya posts impressive success rates in transplant patients and their donors.

The operation will cost Sh1.2 million and Sh45,000 for the anti-rejection drugs that I will have to take the rest of my life after surgery.

Monday

My wife travelled to Nyeri today in the morning to visit our son in school.

They are long days when she is not around but she is now in charge of most family engagements and she represents me in meetings because I cannot venture beyond the house unaided. I also can’t sit for long hours.

I’m home today with Kendi. I miss going out to meet friends and church meetings because these interactions build people and communities, but friends visit me in their free time.

I have realised true friends are those that stand with you in good and tough times.

My loving wife returned at 2pm and we went through photos to be used for this newspaper diary from the family album.

We laughed at moments when we attended thanksgiving services for AP officers, and at harambees where I mostly served as the Master of Ceremony.

We chuckled as we admired pictures of the days we went visiting our children at Utawala Academy and enjoyed sumptuous meals as we checked their academic performance.

Tuesday

I spent most of my day at home catching up with news and reading newspapers because my wife today went to Kenyatta National Hospital to book for dialysis.

It is a great sacrifice and huge burden bestowed on Catherine to take care of her business, me and our children, with our youngest son aged 14.

We enrolled him in a boarding school in May this year because he needs to concentrate in his academics... he didn’t understand why I am required to go to hospital twice a week.

He feels sorry for me because I look frail and his mother and sisters are taking care of me.

I love basking in the sun in my shamba as I look at the great career life that I have had and a supportive family that has been there even at the current moments of my illness.

I never forget to read my Bible every day because it is my source of inspiration.

Wednesday

We had an early rise today because I am due for my dialysis session at KNH.

My wife woke me up at 4am and as she prepared breakfast, she also helped me dress fast so that we could leave the house at 5.30am to beat the long queue at the renal unit.

We arrive at KNH at 6.10am to find that another patient had beaten us to the machine and thus we have to wait for another four hours.

I took position at an empty bed waiting for my turn on the machine reading a newspaper.

When I eventually made it to the machine as the next patient at noon, it would be another four hours as the machine cleaned my blood. I enjoy the hospital’s lunch.

I get off the machine at 4pm and my wife urges me to rest before embarking on our journey back to Thika.