Carolyn Brown

Hi... my name is Carolyn and I was diagnosed with CKD in 1994 by a simple blood test. 

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For the next four years I was monitored via clinic appointments. In 1998 I started CAPD. This was a problem from day one: infections, peritonitis, UTI. The catheter was removed after six or eight weeks, but the small amount of dialysis kick-started my own kidneys and it was a further two years before I had to go back on CAPD. During those two years I travelled abroad and got married, all while working full time.

Thankfully I received a transplant in July 2000. This lasted for 16 years.

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I went back to work full time 13 weeks after my transplant. My kidney had great function and allowed me to continue my travels and I even did indoor skydiving and a zip slide in Las Vegas!

Sadly in 2016 I had SEPSIS and that started the failure of my transplanted kidney. That same year I started CAPD for the second time. This didn’t work out too well and I was moved to haemo dialysis in 2017.

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This is where I teamed back up with our secretary Dawn, who had returned to unit after being on home haemo. During our dialysis sessions at Inverclyde Hospital, we spent many hours setting the renal world to rights!

In December 2018 I had my second transplant. It is still doing well. 

In 2024 I was introduced to SKF and I've been an active member of the committee since. I'm also Chairperson of Inverclyde Kidney Patients Association.

Through these roles I have witnessed the importance of both the Scottish Kidney Federation and the Kidney Patient Associations.

Thanks for reading my journey,

Carolyn x 

Committee Member