When something touches you, it means it touches you deep down.
This organ is central to human well-being, not only in a figurative but also in a concrete medical sense.
World Kidney Day this Thursday is intended to raise awareness of this.
Bad Heilbrunn - Uwe Korst, who himself suffers from kidney disease, is using this date as an opportunity to share his story with the public and call on: “Take care of your kidneys!” Uwe Korst from Bensheim in Hesse is at the m&i specialist clinic in Bad Heilbrunn familiar face.
The 63-year-old is staying here for rehab for the third time.
He not only benefits from the local therapy offerings, but also gives lectures to his fellow patients.
Korst, who is involved in various patient organizations nationally and internationally, has become an expert on his own illness.
Wife donated organ
“When I was 25 years old, I was diagnosed with genetic kidney disease,” he says.
He suffered from cystic kidneys.
“It is the most common 'rare disease'.
One in 1,000 people are affected.” At that time, there was hardly any sign of the disease, but it was clear: the function of his kidneys would worsen over time.
“The doctor gave me an information sheet.
It said: You will die early and should not have children.
That was a shock for me.” At the age of 48, something that had been foreseeable for a long time happened: Uwe Korst’s kidneys failed and he had to undergo dialysis – in this case peritoneal dialysis.
Eight tips to keep your kidneys healthy
O Keep yourself fit and active.
O Check your blood sugar regularly.
O Measure blood pressure regularly.
O Eat a healthy diet and keep your weight within the normal range.
O Drink enough.
O Stop smoking.
O Do not take over-the-counter painkillers for a long time.
O Have your kidney function checked annually by your family doctor/nephrologist if you are a high-risk patient. Source: German Society for Nephrology and German Society for General Medicine and Family Medicine
He received this “blood wash” regularly for two years.
“During this time I was very tired and had depressive phases.” This not only affected him, but also his family, says the father of two daughters.
“My wife put it this way: An efficient person has become a tired husband.” Finally, she offered to donate a kidney to her husband.
“I rejected it at first because it meant a major medical procedure would be carried out on a healthy person.” But getting more information helped him to accept the idea.
As a qualified engineer, he is “a structured person,” says Korst.
“I need to understand what’s happening.”
“It’s a great miracle for me that everything went well in the end.”
However, the conditions were not ideal because Uwe Korst and his wife do not have the same blood group.
For a long time it was unclear whether the transplant would work in this constellation.
“I am a professed Christian and have encouraged many people to pray for me,” says Korst.
“The fact that everything went well in the end is a great miracle for me.”
It has now been twelve years since the transplant.
“As of today, I’m feeling good,” says Uwe Korst.
“I am grateful that I am feeling the way I am.” Dr.
Doris Gerbig, chief physician in the department of internal medicine, nephrology and transplant aftercare at the Heilbrunn specialist clinic, makes it clear: “You don't get healthy through the transplant, it is clearly a kidney replacement procedure.” You gain a higher quality of life and a better long-term prognosis than with dialysis .
The downside: “As long as the transplanted kidney is in the body, you have to take medication to suppress the immune system.
Otherwise the body will reject the foreign organ,” explains Gerbig.
The result, for example, is an increased risk of infection.
The risk of developing cancer also increases.
And some of those affected develop diabetes.
This is also the case with Uwe Korst.
Dr.
Gerbig: “With a new kidney you have to stick to the rules reliably”
It is important to the kidney specialist and the patient to draw attention to the fact that even after a kidney transplant, the person's illness should be taken seriously.
“Many employers say: You’re healthy now, you should be fully operational again,” says Uwe Korst.
Dr.
Doris Gerbig emphasizes: “You can’t tell that those affected have physical limitations.
That's why they often have a hard time in terms of compensating for disadvantages and determining the degree of their disability." Overall, the doctor sums up: A life with a new kidney is quite feasible for those affected - "as you can see from Mr. Korst," says Gerbig.
“But you have to stick to the rules reliably.”
Self-help group founded and board member of the “Federal Kidney Association”
The Bensheimer has been working on a voluntary basis for the needs of kidney patients for many years.
In 2004, Kost first founded a self-help group for people with cystic kidneys.
In 2008 he was surprised by a call from the USA: he was invited by a foundation to an international conference in Orlando.
Today he is a member of the board of the patient association “Bundesverband Kidney” and a patient representative at the European reference network for rare kidney diseases.
For example, he works as a patient representative on medical guidelines and information sheets.
If you have high blood pressure, look at your kidneys
On World Kidney Day, Uwe Korst and Doris Gerbig want to raise awareness so that more people pay attention to their kidney health.
“The kidney suffers and dies quietly,” says the doctor.
This means that if this organ is not working properly, the person affected will not notice it for a long time - until, in the worst case scenario, one day they go to the emergency room with acute kidney failure and have to undergo dialysis.
(Our Bad Tölz newsletter regularly informs you about all important stories from your region. Sign up here.)
“Screening for kidney disease should be carried out, especially in the case of the most common triggers of kidney disease, such as high blood pressure or diabetes mellitus,” advises Doris Gerbig.
“This is done quickly and easily in the first step with a blood sample and a urine test.” With an early diagnosis, there is still a lot that can be done “to protect the kidney, maintain its function and keep the disease in calm waters.”
(branch)
You can find more news in our brand new Merkur.de app, now in an improved design with more personalization functions.
Direct download, more information can be found here.
Are you an enthusiastic user of WhatsApp?
Merkur.de will now keep you up to date via a new Whatsapp channel.
Click here to go directly to the channel.