That's my kidney

Dialysis in Kalispell serves as lifeline for Hungry Horse woman

Like many people, Vickie Muchow, a Hungry Horse resident, never gave a thought about her kidneys.

She never had known anyone on dialysis and knew nothing about the lifesaving procedure until her kidneys failed.

"I never thought about it," she said. "Now, it's keeping me alive."

Muchow, who was living in Washington state at the time, was a single mother in her early 40s when she became seriously ill. Her array of symptoms included a high fever, joint pain, inflammation and sores on the back of her legs.

"It took a little while to find out what it was," she recalled.

A biopsy put a name - systemic vasculitis - to her disease. She had a form called Wegener's, which destroyed her kidneys.

Of unknown cause, systemic vasculitis comprises a group of rare diseases that involve inflammation of blood vessels. Muchow said it is an autoimmune disorder like lupus. Such disorders occur when a person's immune system attacks the body's own tissues.

By the time the disease was found, Muchow was in the late stages, so she pursued treatment with chemotherapy and high doses of the steroid prednisone.

"Two and a half months into treatment, I got PCP pneumonia," she said.

Muchow finally recovered, but she was told that the disease could come back at any time. She faced a future with no kidney function.

She started dialysis about 10 years ago.

"I was petrified the first time they put the needle in," she said. "I cried for a week."

Now, she considers dialysis her part-time job. Three times a week, Muchow drives 23 miles to the Dialysis Center in Kalispell where she spends from four to five hours hooked up to the dialysis machine.

"That's my kidney," she said, pointing to a filter in a plastic tube attached to a machine 9/14/06 covered with LED readouts and electronic adjustments.

Muchow relaxes in a chair that resembles a recliner. One disposable plastic tube carries the blood out of her body for cleansing, and another tube returns it.

Although dialysis removes fluid buildup and toxins, Muchow said the procedure takes a lot out of her.

"When I leave here, my blood pressure drops," she said. "I'll feel very washed out - it's hard to function."

Now 52, Muchow has moved between Washington and Montana for the past 12 years, and has lived in Montana the past three years.

Between treatments, she must monitor her

fluid intake and keep her diet low in potassium and phosphorus. While others enjoy dairy products and whole wheat, Muchow eats white bread and white rice.

Yet, she flashes smiles often and punctuates her conversation with humor. Muchow said she works at staying positive, particularly when she talks with other dialysis patients.

"My faith [Jehovah's Witness] helps me tremendously," she said. kkellogg 9/14/06 "I'm a Jehovah's Witness, so I have a lot of support that way."

After 10 years of dialysis, Muchow is considering asking to join the list of those waiting for a donor kidney. Because of her belief in the sanctity of blood, she said she would go to Seattle for a "bloodless" transplant procedure if a donor becomes available.

Although a person can continue dialysis for years, Muchow said it begins to take a toll on the body. No mechanical procedure works as well as a human kidney, even though the transplant operation brings risks and lifestyle adjustments.

Muchow serves on the Northwest Renal Network, which advocates for patients and monitors kidney dialyses and transplantation in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. She said she would like to see hemodialysis become more available for home use.

"I'm capable of running the machine," she said, "but financially, you don't get reimbursed."

Muchow remains grateful for the center in Kalispell and the funding that provides her lifesaving treatment. The staff accommodates her long drive by changing her shift so she drives during the day, even in the winter.

"If I didn't have this center, I don't know what I would do," she said. "It's our lifeline."

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.