Do You Love Your Polycystic Kidneys? At first, I didn’t, because of the
numerous cysts on my kidneys which were a source of pain and some embarrassment
for me.
They got in the way of my male “macho” self-image. They were the points of my
vulnerability. I hated them, and always referred to them as “my damn kidneys.”
This was so for over 40 years.
Now, older (definitely) and wiser (maybe?) I realized that “hating” my
kidneys was not the best relationship I could have had with them. Over those 40
years, I lived! Those “damned” kidneys were keeping me alive, doing their job
under increasingly difficult circumstances! They had no choice in being “built”
with faulty genes! It wasn’t fair for me to “hate” them!
It wasn’t even helpful. There is no advantage in “hating” a part of yourself!
On the contrary. It is helpful to nurture then to the best of your ability.
If there isn’t much that you can do for them physically (and you can maintain
your medical and dietary protocols!), you can at least nurture them mentally.
You can mentally vision your kidneys, cysts and all, and develop a compassionate
relationship with them. Yes, even mentally “talk” to them, letting them know
that you know it’s not their fault they are failing. When you refer to them,
consider saying, “my hurting kidneys,” or “my diseased kidneys.” This takes away
any negativity you used to have toward your kidneys.
Now, you may think the above “mind game” is silly. You have every right to
think that if you are having difficulty on your “PKD Odyssey.”
Yet, when I learned to do this as part of my NLP training, I felt a
noticeable relief of internal stress whenever I thought about my disease, which
was often! The point is that in “loving” your diseased kidneys, you become more
aligned, with less internal conflict which takes a toll on your energy. Being
aligned is a definite aid in accepting your situation and also increases your
courage to move forward along your PKD Odyssey.
And that goes even more for a transplanted kidney! Stay Aligned!
Hope everyone can take good care of your kidneys. What you do for your
kidneys and they will do the same for you.
