A Scots dad who ended up in intensive care after falling ill on a family holiday, only to be diagnosed with kidney disease, is pushing for a brighter future for patients with similar conditions in Scotland.
Jamie McGregor was vacationing in Paris with his wife and two children when he started to develop what he thought was a cold or flu bug.
But things took a turn for the worse when the 49-year-old from Edinburgh was rushed to hospital while abroad, with doctors informing him he was in complete renal failure, reports EdinburghLive.
After spending four years on dialysis, Jamie, who is a rugby referee, received a life-saving kidney transplant in 2017. He is now supporting Kidney Research UK and their ‘Ken Yer Kidneys’ campaign.
The movement aims to show Scotland's policy makers that there is an urgent need to prevent and treat kidney disease.
Jamie said: “I’d been feeling unwell for about two weeks beforehand but as I travelled a lot with my job, taking frequent flights, I just assumed I’d picked up a cold or flu bug.
"Kidney failure certainly wasn’t the diagnosis I was expecting.
"Kidney disease in Scotland and the rest of the UK is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. I don’t think many people really understand what the kidneys do, what can happen when they stop working properly, what dialysis actually involves and how it can affect and restrict your life.
"Working full time whilst having to set aside seven hours for dialysis sessions, four times a week, destroyed any semblance of normal life for me for four years.
“It was only after having my transplant that I realised how unwell I had been. I thought I was ok during my years on dialysis but I was still very sick at that point. Nobody knew I was on dialysis because it was done after work hours."
Jamie still has to take 15 pills a day to stay well, and is actively trying to dispel the myth that long-term health conditions disappear overnight just because a patient has received a transplant.
He said kidney disease is 'hidden in so many ways' and so is pleased Kidney Research UK is pushing for the government to deploy a set of standardised care practices for kidney patients in Scotland, that focus on early diagnosis and prevention.
Jamie continued: “It’s not until you get into the later stages that it starts having an effect on you – and the true extent of kidney disease remains hidden because we’ve stopped routinely testing for it, even though the test is really simple.
“Even when you receive a diagnosis it can be difficult to get information about treatments and the changes you may need to make to your lifestyle, such as dietary changes, because there’s no consistency in terms of information sharing and no standardised approach to treatments.”
Sandra Currie, Chief Executive of Kidney Research UK, said: “Early diagnosis and prevention is the best defence against kidney disease whilst our huge efforts continue to find a cure, but far too many at-risk patients are being missed.
"With insufficient data and room for improvement around monitoring and measuring disease, a timely diagnosis is not available to everyone across Scotland - many are being let down. Patients like Jamie shouldn’t face dialysis as an inevitability.
"A national strategy with an emphasis on early detection is the best action to halt the significant rise in the number of people developing CKD in Scotland."
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