A senior financial services executive has been left unable to work because of a genetic kidney disease, which has left him on the verge of needing dialysis treatment.
61-year-old, Nick Bladen’s world has been turned upside down over the past decade, receiving diagnoses of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and prostate cancer. Although in remission from cancer, Nick’s kidneys have been severely damaged, pushing him close to kidney failure.
Severe symptoms caused by his condition have forced Nick to be signed off sick from work for the past two years.
Nick says: “I was working 60-70 hour weeks, travelling across the country. Now, I am so fatigued that I need to sleep for 12-13 hours each night, and one to two hours each day. I’ve got an active brain but have found my mental processing power and decision making have been severely affected. That has been one of the hardest parts.
“I also suffer from symptoms including sickness, nausea, anaemia, itchy skin and poor heat control, causing heavy sweats and chills. However, I don’t look visibly unwell, which can make it harder for people to understand. I really miss my team and find it so frustrating being unable to work, having worked non-stop for forty years in the rapidly evolving financial services industry. I’m fortunate my employer is supportive, and I have an income protection insurance policy to sustain my family financially.”
“I needed to go into intensive care and took antibiotics for four months to overcome sepsis. My kidney function bounced back briefly but has steadily declined over the past two years, I am now being prepared to have dialysis treatment, following a recent fistula operation. Thankfully, my cancer is in remission, but the prostate specific antigen (PSA) in my blood needs to remain below a certain level for me to be eligible for the kidney transplant waiting list.
“For the first time in my life, I’ve had to step back to take care of myself over the last few years. I have had to learn to slow down and live with what I’ve got, changing my routine completely, especially with my eGFR score down to 7. I’m limited in what I’m able to do, but I try to join in with aqua fit and yoga each week to try and maintain some fitness ahead of dialysis and, hopefully, a transplant.
“I have had fantastic support from family, friends and work colleagues as well as medical teams. The Hampshire support group of the PKD Charity has been a great source of support and information. Attendees share experiences from early-stage diagnosis, dialysis to post-transplant. I very much wish to thank them and Kidney Research UK for everything they are doing.”
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