I see God: Angella Nichol shares her battle with kidney disease

Angella Nichol’s diagnosis with kidney disease 20 years ago came as a shock, but after two decades of dialysis treatment which is critical to keeping her alive, she has penned a book hoping to offer hope and encouragement to others.

I See God, a story of faith amid the battle with kidney disease, was published independently in February 2022.

The then 30-year-old student at Northern Caribbean University (NCU), where she was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education, told The Gleaner that she had a friend who was always checking her blood pressure and encouraged her to do likewise.

“One evening while she was checking her pressure, she forced me and when the nurse did, it was high but she didn’t show much concern, so I didn’t either,” she recalled.

Weeks later after eating lunch on campus, she noticed that her eyes felt watery and she just did not feel like herself, so she stopped by the nurse.

“The nurse said, ‘Wow, your pressure is high! As a matter of fact, you can’t leave here.’ I told her I was going to class and she said I need to see the doctor,” Nichol recounted.

Nichol was sent to the emergency room at Mandeville Regional Hospital and after a few hours of observation, her blood pressure was more elevated than when she arrived.

She was medicated but after an hour, the blood pressure reading did not recede.

Nichol was admitted and the morning after, the situation did not improve, so the doctor requested blood tests and a urine test.

“The tests revealed that I had kidney issues, so they started treating me. At that time, I wasn’t at the end stage but the kidney problem was there and that was when I really started feeling sick. I was in the hospital for two weeks and after that I was sent home on a strict diet and there was also a list of things that I shouldn’t do,” she said.

STRICT ORDERS

She followed the doctor’s strict orders but when she began to improve, she reverted to her previous lifestyle.

“When I went for my three-month appointment following my discharge, they did some follow-up tests and the doctor said I needed emergency dialysis. I didn’t even know what dialysis was. When the process was explained to me, my world crumbled,” she said in a low tone.

Prior to enrolling at NCU, Nichol had completed her Teachers Diploma at Mico Teachers’ College and was now on two years’ study leave – one with pay and the other year without.

She had completed the first year and was now in the second year where she would have no income from her teaching job.

“It is extremely expensive to cater for. Ideally, it’s supposed to be three times a week but I went twice because I was on no-pay leave. I had no money at the time but family, friends, school and everyone who could chipped in and helped,” she said.

The educator had to journey from Manchester to Kingston for dialysis treatment and recalled that some days after treatment she went downtown and purchased underwear and hair accessories to sell in hair salons and on the streets of Mandeville.

“I had to do that just to get enough money to go back for my next dialysis treatment. It was extremely hard and after a time I got help from CHASE Fund and the Ministry of Health but that money kept running out because I had to go twice a week. Then came free healthcare and after a while, the Lord helped me to get on to Kingston Public Hospital,” she said, adding that she had to move back to Kingston.

In 2018, the Jamaica arm of the Caribbean Renal Registry reported that some 2,700 chronic kidney disease patients were living across four parishes, with more than 800 receiving dialysis and 1,200 expected to need renal replacement therapy.

ONE OF HARDEST ILLNESSES

Nichol, a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, told The Gleaner that renal disease is one of the hardest illnesses to live with.

“It robs you of a lot. There are very few things on the diet sheet for you to eat but after 20 years, I have learned to manage myself so I eat everything but in moderation. However, I could not tell a regular renal patient to do that, because they will kill themselves. There are certain foods that you are not supposed to eat because they are high in potassium and that can kill you without warning,” she explained.

She added that patients also have to monitor their fluid intake, as they do not have a functioning kidney to flush out toxins and remove excess fluid from the body.

The primary education teacher said without the support of her principal and husband of 27 years, Earldon, her battle would’ve been much harder to fight.

“You will hit rock bottom several times because when you go on the dialysis machine, your blood pressure can go out of whack – very high or very low – there is also pain and discomfort. If you are not strong or have support from family, it is hard to go through the process but it is not a death sentence,” she said.

Dialysis treatment takes at least four hours but that time can be much longer if there are challenges with the water softener, malfunctioning machines or issues on the part of the patient such as elevated blood pressure levels or shortness of breath.

“One of the worst experiences I’ve had was being on the dialysis machine when my blood pressure got so high that my heart felt as if it was coming out of my chest. When I came off the machine, I had to wait over three hours before going home because it would be a big risk to leave before it was stabilised,” she recalled.

Nichol’s desire is for her book to give hope to new and existing dialysis patients as they undergo life-saving treatment.

Nichol is available to speak with fellow dialysis patients and can be reached at 876-418-8731.

Her book is available at Liguanea Drug and Garden Centre and on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RLXVLVK/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_EX798K4TD5KZ...