Man's machine 'Dracula'

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 298, 4 August 1989, Page 16

Man's machine 'Dracula'

BY

DONNA

MCGRATH

Colin Allerby owes his life to two things. The admiration and dedication of his parents, and more literally, to a Kidney machine that keeps him alive until a kidney transplant proves successful.

Colin's life is one of acceptance, frustration and denial. At the age of just fifteen he was forced to accept that he had contracted nephrosis syndrome, a severe

kidney condition that causes the kidney to break down and cease operation. To this day there has been no cure. Colin looks back Turn page 17

Machine-scheduled life

From page 16 bravely on the early days when things began to go wrong. Swollen ankles, loss of appetite and acute fatigue governed much of his existence. Even as hooker for the Ruapehu College Rugby team, he recalls the coach telling him to "get himself into gear." He admits he was ten yards behind everybody else. Colin suffered his first attack while working for a local gardener 011 a harvester. He recalls how his arms and legs locked up similar to suffering massive cramp. Blood tests later revealed a kidney problem that would put him under medical care and hospitalisation for much of his life. Colin's inability to speak out and ask questions led him to the misunderstanding and unacceptance of his problem. He spent five and a half months in Wanganui Hospital taking about 35 different drugs erxh day to reactirvate his kidneys.

During this time Colin visited the rehebilitation unit where he learnt to sew moccasins, sheepskin bags and suede belts for family and friends. He was discharged with stable results, unaware that four years later his kidneys were to collapse again. During his second collapse Colin was working in Taranaki as a scrub cutter when he became extremely anaemic and was flown to Auckland Hospital for a blood transfusion and more tests. Life machine On 1 December 1979 Colin was introduced to his life support system - a 'Dialysis Machine'. The machine carries out the process of waste removal and excess fluid from the blood, the process Colin's body is" unable to do without medical aid. In his left arm he has a fistula tube so that the machine can be connected to himself a

lot easier. The fistula, (which he respects and protects with his life) is now part of Colin's arm. Colin takes almost an hour to connect himself to the kidney machine and still remembers clearly the hours spent suffering from nausea and vomiting as the machine brought his waste level down, cleansing his body. Colin has had tuming points in his life. His first came three months after he was placed on the machine when a suitable transplant kidney became available. A transplant took place in Middlemore Hospital. With his transplant, he had to change his eating and drinking habits - keeping on a low potassium diet and taking in no more than 750mls of fluids per day. Rejected Unfortunately 17 months later Colin's body rejected his new kidney and he was forced to reschedule life around the machine once more. This time Colin was sent home. Both physical and psychological strains forced Colin to hit rock bottom and face life's realities. He was admitted to the Waimarino

Hospital and monitored daily. Colin's chance for another kidney soon came his way but rejection followed not long after. He now visits Waimarino Hospital 3 times a week for 5 hours each time to hook up to a new computerised machine he calls "Count Dracula." There he captures the sincerity of the hospital staff and memories of his friend and nurse Val Drayton. He tells of how her death has shadowed part of the happiness that he cherishes. Through all the hope and disappointment that has focused on Colin's life, he still has the ability to appreciate the qualities of life without the quantity. His dream is not a hard one to figure out. Yet another obstacle stands in his way as kidney disease increases in New Zealand and funding decreases. Colin's hope for a compatible kidney is getting further and further away. With all his fears, and the denial of a normal life Colin has developed an amazing outlook on life. He smiles as he reminds himself that there are people out there worse off than himself.