Edition 175
www.thecourier.es
Friday, June 27, 2014
TEST OF PATIENCE Kidney shock in Spanish procedure end to all the problems, but it isn´t, there could be rejection and all sorts of problems and her quality of life could be greatly less than it is now. That is why we want to leave everything as it is for as long as possible." The couple want the hospital to bend their procedures so that the dye test is undertaken at the very last moment as it is in Britain. Tom added: "It is a shame that different countries have different ways of doing things, and the Spanish way could result in serious problems for her." The alternative would be for her to travel to the UK and for Valerie to meet them there from Ireland. But the Byrne´s have no UK home and the cost would be prohibitive. In addition there was the risk of a deterioration of her health in the British climate. So all the Byrne’s are left with, is to bank on a change of heart in the procedural rules in Spanish hospitals.
By TONY MAYES A BRITISH woman, who now lives in Torrevieja, has been left high and dry over get ting a kidney transplant in a Spanish hospital due to a special test that she will not take. Her husband says that her condition would dra matically worsen if the test was done, which in the UK is normally left until the last minute. Tom and Philomena Byrne, aged 45 and 55, moved from the UK to Spain, with Philomena being a diabetic since the age of 21 and has stage four kidney disease as a result. While living near Birmingham she found the climate and her life there was increasingly damaging the function of her kidneys, so much so that it was becoming ever more apparent that she would need a transplant. Her sister Valerie Fair, who lives in Dublin, was tested and found to be a perfect match. That seemed to be the perfect solu tion, but Philomena was concerned that the new kidney would only last a limited time, especially with her diabetes, and decided the best alternative would be to delay the operation until it was absolutely necessary and when there was no alternative. In a bid to improve Philomena´s overall health, she and Tom last year took the bold step of moving to Spain, buy ing a house in the El Chaparral area of Torrevieja and spending months turning it into a home. It did the trick too, because her kidney function tests showed that living on the Costa Blanca, with the warmth and good food, improved the function by several percentage points. Philomena’s health has been monitored in local hospitals, but before they will move any closer to a kidney transplant here, they are insisting on what is called a dye contrast test, which in Britain is left to the very last moment because of various risks. Tom explained: "We are so worried about this. The test is something that is done to determine the best place to attach a new kidney onto the relevant artery. The problem is that in some cases the dye can seriously damage what is left of the kidney. If that happens, Philomena would have to go on emergency dialysis, and that is the last thing we
want, because that can open you up to infections and dis eases." "She doesn´t need the transplant right now, but, of course, it could be necessary at any time. What we do want is to prolong her quality of life as long as possible,” added Tom. "People think that a kidney transplant is the
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