Kidney transplant patient tells of life changing operation
Oct 10 2009 by Hannah Davies, The Journal
TOM Macdougall, 62, is sitting in his immaculate Whitley Bay home recalling the unpleasant aspects of his years of kidney dialysis.
He points out his arms which are covered in blood-red to blue patches.
"Dialysis caused this," he says, "even the slightest touch can bruise me now. Fortunately it doesn’t hurt."
Tom also points to the areas on his arms where nearly 19 years of inserting his dialysis tubes have caused permanent scarring.
But, he says with a grin, "I can drink coffee again and eat chocolate biscuits." He takes a swig of his coffee and bites his chocolate biscuit with relish.
It is his strict adherence to a dietary regime while on dialysis which Whitley Bay-born Tom credits with surviving so long on the transplant waiting list.
Tom was on the list for a new kidney for almost 19 years, and on dialysis for several more years before that, and it has taken its toll on his body.
"I won’t live as long as I would have done if I had not been on dialysis. Its biggest toll will have been on my heart.
"But my life has been transformed and I’m not sure how much longer I would have lasted."
Tom first realised there could be something wrong with him in 1973 when he was in the RAF training corps, Rutland, doing a language course.
He recalls: "It just lasted one weekend. I was all of a sudden in loads of pain and started peeing blood."
Despite this sudden illness, when he recovered Tom decided to do nothing further.
"It was just like when you get a shock and then you just think its passed now, it’ll be fine," he says.
It wasn’t until a few years later that medical staff became involved.
This time, 1975, Tom was 28, living in Berlin, still working for the RAF, and again the pain came and he again began peeing blood.
He was sent to the military hospital and told he had dozens of kidney stones and a rare condition called Dents Disease.
Tom was given a medical discharge and as he was from Tyneside his army doctor recommended he return as Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary was a centre of excellence for his condition.
He returned home with his wife Pat, 62, and in 1982 aged just 35, Tom’s kidneys failed and he had to begin dialysis and go on the waiting list for a new transplant.
He was on the list for a year-and- a-half before a kidney came in.
Tom says: "It worked fine for seven weeks and then something happened inside and they had to take it out so I went back on dialysis."
This time Tom was on dialysis for over 10 years before another kidney became available.
He rushed to hospital for the operation, but, "that didn’t even start so they took that out," he remembers.
During his time on dialysis Tom kept as busy as he could. He even worked as a clerk in Victor Products, a Wallsend engineering firm, until 1984 when he became unable to continue.
"Dialysis takes it out of you," he explains, "you become exhausted so living a normal life is very difficult, but I’ve never been one for sitting around and feeling sorry for myself."
