|
Page 1 of 2 Case Study
 Mr. Satinder Kumar Gupta
Mr. Satinder Kumar Gupta is 65 years old. He retired as the MD of Indian Seamless Steels and Alloys in Jejuri, Pune. Five years ago, he learnt of the disorder which would dominate much of his retired life becoming a major cause of concern and worry for his family. Diagnosed with a kidney failure, he now awaits a kidney transplant. However, certain unforeseen developments meant that he would have to postpone this decision. In a heartfelt interview with Aarogya, he offers a first hand account of the trauma of having kidney failure and the pitfalls of the government’s policy on donor transplants.
Excerpts from the Interview:
Aarogya: When were you first diagnosed with the disorder and what was your reaction?
Gupta: About five years ago. I had the recurring feeling of excessive acidity and couldn’t pin point a reason. When I went to my doctor, he advised a complete health check up. They found excessive levels of urea and cretonne in my blood, which was an indication that something was wrong with my kidneys. Of course, I was shocked, but since I managed to follow the many diet and other restrictions faithfully, I was able to lead a relatively normal life. I was also able to prevent getting on dialysis.
Aarogya: But since then your condition has deteriorated. You are now on dialysis thrice a week.
Gupta: Yes. And this has been because of negligence. I had a severe breathing problem with some pain in my chest. When I went to the hospital, the doctor wanted to inject a dye into my arteries, to see whether there was any blockage. Since I had a kidney problem, my kidney could not routinely eject the dye from my body. The doctors said that it would be okay for me to get onto dialysis to remove the dye. They also said that this would not make me dependent on dialysis. I went along with the entire procedure and look what happened. My kidney’s which were functioning with 30 per cent efficacy are packed up completely with the load of the dye, and I’ve been on dialysis ever since.
Aarogya: You’ve had another bitter experience. You were awaiting a transplant, but now you have to wait for another six months. Why?
Gupta: This is something I’m very bitter about. I have also learnt a truth which is not told by most doctors. That the longer you are on a dialysis machine in a hospital, the greater are your chances of contacting infection. About a month before, doctors found that I had Hepatitis C. To cure this, doctors will have to increase my immunity, and to enable my body to accept the new organ, they will have to kill immunity. So a transplant is not feasible now. Had I known that I could contact an infection because of this, I would have undergone a transplant much earlier. And all this has been because of negligence. Hospital hygiene leaves much to be desired and lack of trained nurses is another thing. See, these needle pricks, which have become so blue and bloated, are because I was improperly hooked up to the dialysis machine. A trained professional doesn’t make such mistakes. Also nephrologists seldom tell you about such things.
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>
|
Users' Comments  |
|
Average user rating
 (0 vote)
|
|
Add your comment
|
Support Groups 
