Son diagnosed with kidney disease days after dad's transplant

May 2011 will forever be etched into the memories of the Flood family from Killucan.

On May 2, dad Eddie’s three-year wait for a kidney transplant came to an end when a successful match was found, much to the delight of his wife Jennifer and his four sons.

Aside from a few anxious days after the transplant waiting for his “sleepy” new kidney to wake up and start working, Eddie’s transplant went so well that he was discharged from hospital within nine days. Three weeks after the operation, he was recuperating well at home when his eldest son David (now 20) slipped while playing a game of pool and hit his side off the corner of the table.

After David passed blood, Eddie decided to take him to hospital, where tests revealed that the young man had high blood pressure, one of the tell-tale signs of kidney disease. Subsequent tests realised the Flood family’s worst fears and at the age of 17 Conor was diagnosed with kidney disease.

While there was a one in two chance that David had inherited Eddie’s kidney problems, it was still a “big shock” for him and his family, his dad says.

“We were going to get the lads scanned anyway but decided that while they weren’t presenting with any problems we left them alone, because why would you want to burden them?”

Almost three years on and the apprentice butcher says that being diagnosed so young was a blessing in disguise.

“The first sign of kidney problems is high blood pressure so you have to keep that down,” said David. “I am now on tablets that I will be on until my kidneys come down. I can monitor now and keep an eye on myself. Now I can mind myself.”

If David continues to take care of himself, doctors estimate that he may not need a transplant until he is in his 60s, by which time he hopes that medical science will have advanced to such a level that another solution could be found.

As for dad Eddie, who is the chairman of the Westmeath branch of the Irish Kidney Association and is also a member of the organisation’s national executive, he says that his quality of life has improved significantly in the three years since his transplant.

“I was on peritoneal dialysis for 28 months, it was a nightmare, every night, eight hours a night. It had to be done though. It was the best option for me. You are supposed to ready for the next morning but you are absolutely wrecked. You don’t get a full night’s sleep, the machine is working all the time. You get used to it, or should I say you tolerate it.

“It did the job for me because I was still working and it does for a lot of people. But it is very invasive and you can’t have a social life. That’s the problem with in.

“Now, I can come and go as I please. I am not restricted at 9pm every night. It’s also great being able to eat things that I wasn’t allowed to eat,” he said.

All Eddie knows about his kidney donor is that it was a 39-year-old male. Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner to raise awareness for Organ Donor Week (March 29 to April 5), Eddie says that while it may not be an easy conversation, if you want to be an organ donor it’s essential that you let your next of kin know.

“I appeal to young people to carry a donor card. If they start to drive, tick that box on the licence form. The most important thing is to have that conversation with your parents so that if you want to become a donor, they know that.
“In the event that something does happen, it is important that they know your wishes and that the decision is made for them.”

For more information on Organ Donor Awareness Week visit www.ika.ie.