Marcin is hard to "catch". From 6 a.m. to the afternoon he is on a film set, then he goes to the theater for the evening performance, he comes home at night, or not at all - if he has to be on set again at night, or is on a trip. - This is the fate of a stuntman: he sometimes sleeps at home and eats sometimes - Marcin first jokes, but then grows serious. - Fortunately, with modern medical technology, peritoneal renal dialysis can be performed almost anywhere.

"Drabicki-tits, Drabicki-tits"- 8-year-old Marcin sang to himself while walking with his mother. -Stop it, because people will pick it up and they will stayfor the rest of their lives - Mama was nervous. And she was right. Only Marcin remembers about the nickname "Drabina", invented with his friends in the first grade of "primary school". On the other hand, "Cycek" is a well-known figure in the world of Polish film, theater and advertising. Because Marcin Drabicki, a 42-year-old resident of Wrocław, and a resident of Warsaw, is one of the most recognizable stuntmen in this industry. However, few people in the industry know that this tall, energetic, athletic man also suffers from extreme kidney failure, that for 2 years, every day he had to undergo peritoneal dialysis, and now (after kidney transplantation) he passes his experience to other patients. He has set up a closed group for dialysis people on Facebook, where they can support each other and exchange knowledge, and soon he will also participate as a speaker in a training meeting for peritoneal dialysis people.

"I'm catching" Marcin at 15.00. He has just finished working on the film set of one of the popular TVN series. Which one? Marcin cannot say. Contractual secret. Now Marcin is taking his car for the "2nd shift" to the BUFFO theater in Warsaw, where he will be working on the performance of "Italian Evening".

Breaking through to the very center of the city at this time is not easy, and today it borders on a miracle. -Why is everyone standing …?- I hear Marcin asking the policeman who is in charge of the traffic -A … The demonstration goes to the Sejm … How long will it take? In an hour… did you hear? We can talk for an hour. Where to start …?

If a hospital, only in Leśna Góra

So we start with the fact that for 37 years with a piece, if Marcin saw the hospital, it was only on TV or ona film set, or in the form of scenery in the film production hall. Because Marcin simply did not have to see the hospital privately. Regular medical examinations showed that he was "as he althy as a horse." And he has been systematically examined since always.

Earlier because he trained in sports acrobatics for many years. -Medals? Well, I have… From 10. Well, yes, from the World Cup too. And the Olympics of non-Olympic sports also …- Marcin modestly talks about his sports achievements.

Then and now, as a stuntman, he must also test himself. -The job of a stuntman is not just about having to replace an actor if an actor can't, doesn't want to, or is afraid to do something. The stuntman is a man who cares about the safety of the production plan, stage, outdoor event, everything that happens there and everyone who is there. He cares about the he alth and life of others, so he has to take care of himself- explains Marcin.

Murderous … 300 meters marathon

Marcin took care of himself extraordinarily, and when he was hit by fatigue - and in 2015 it started to hit him more and more often - he explained it to himself with overwork and stress. For what happened one evening, when he was returning from the theater, he had to seek an explanation from the doctors.

-Imagine: 300 meters. This was the parking lot where I left my car and parked. And I, a strong, energetic peasant, walked this distance in 4 installments. I did not have the strength, I was staggering on my feet, I felt as if I had run a marathon -Marcin recalls.

240 out of 170 - such parameters were indicated by the blood pressure monitor when Marcin, with a superhuman effort, finally reached the apartment and measured his blood pressure. -Immediately go to the Emergency Room!- a friend called by Marcin shouted. -He's serious- said Marcin and went where he was told.

Your results are strange

At the Hospital Emergency Department, Marcin's blood pressure was first "hit", then heart and blood tests were performed.- These results are strange. As if your kidneys are not working. But the ones from a month ago are okay- the doctor decided and let Marcin home. However, he recommended that he report to his GP as soon as possible. But since it was Saturday, Marcin decided to wait with this visit until Monday.

The beginning of the week and the clinic examinations gave the same result.- I don't think your kidneys are working. You have to go to the hospital- said Marcin's doctor, writing him the appropriate referral. Marcin did not rush to the hospital. First, he and his friend had dinner, which they had arranged for a long time, then he took a long and thorough bath, for 3 days (ashe thought) he will probably only take a shower in the hospital and only then show up at the facility.

Do you drink or drug?

Marcin stayed in the hospital for … a month.- End stage renal disease. Your kidneys aren't working. You are waiting for dialysis and a transplant. You won't live without it- explained the doctor with a file of Marcin's new tests in his hand.- But we do not know where this failure came from. Do you not help yourself with some drugs or do not drink alcohol? Such, you know … From illegal origin …- asked the doctor.

Marcin heard questions about alcohol and drugs many times.- I don't have to artificially "drive" myself because I have enough adrenaline in the job, and I drink alcohol from time to time, and it's legal because I can afford it- Marcin was nervous.

The causes of Marcin's kidney failure have never been discovered. Marcin also stopped thinking about it, because he was faced with a new dilemma: what method of dialysis to choose, if he will have dialysis for the rest of his life, if there is no kidney donor for him.

Because there are two dialysis methods

Dialysis is a procedure for removing metabolic products and water from the body that cannot be removed by diseased, malfunctioning kidneys. Dialysis also removes many toxic compounds from the blood and helps maintain metabolic balance. To put it simply, patients with end-stage renal disease could not live without dialysis because of the build-up of toxins in their blood.

Currently, 2 dialysis procedures are used in people with end-stage renal disease - as experts suggest on the website:www.zyciezdializa.pl . The first is hemodialysis, which involves the removal of blood from the body and cleansing it using a special blood system, a dialyzer in a machine known as the artificial kidney. The second procedure is called peritoneal dialysis (DO). This method uses the natural filtering ability of the peritoneal membrane that lines the abdominal cavity to remove toxins and fluids from the body.

Take the "peritoneum"!

Marcin started having dialysis in the hospital. -They put a special catheter in my neck, next to the collarbone, for a month to check if my kidneys would not start working at that time- explains Marcin. -Doctors also considered the use of steroids, but in the end they gave up on it, considering that they could destroy other organs, and they do not guarantee that the kidneys will start working. They explained to me what dialysis is all about and waited for my decision.

Marcin thought about it. Hemodialysis must be performed in a hospital undersupervision of medical personnel; you have to drive to and from the hospital; The procedure itself takes 3-5 hours, and so 3 times a week in turns: Monday - Wednesday - Friday or Tuesday - Thursday - Saturday. If the patient goes somewhere, he must notify the hospital in the new place of stay and go for dialysis there. Hemodialysis and work, life - it's hard to balance here. Although hemodialysis can be performed at home, but always under the care of another person and such procedures are not reimbursed by the National He alth Fund.

The patient performs peritoneal dialysis alone, at home, at selected times - also at night, while resting. PD uses a special dialysis fluid to fill the peritoneal cavity. DO is performed manually (CAPD) or automatically (ADO) - it depends on which equipment the patient decides. The difference is that in the manual one, the liquid is heated by the heater, and in the automatic one, a special cycler.

-And this heated fluid goes to your peritoneal cavity through a catheter that they "mount" on your stomach, there it cleans your blood and all these toxins flow into the vessel outside. Equipment, peritoneal fluid, sanitizing fluids for hygiene you get home for free, but right where you are, even if you are at the "end of the world". And you go to the hospital once every 1.5 months. A great solution for someone who works and travels a lot- explains Marcin.

And he knows from experience what he is talking about. On the advice of a doctor friend: Tit, take "peritoneum"! - he chose this dialysis treatment.

Dialysis poker game

Marcin remembers mainly… anxiety from his first, self-dialysis at home.

-I was trained in this by a nurse who specializes in dialysis, but I was afraid that I would just hurt myself. I unfolded my notes and did everything step by step. But it somehow went faster than in the hospital. Only after some time I realized that it happens quickly- Marcin laughs.

Marcin had dialysis for 2 years. He neither bragged about it, nor hid it. His relatives, bosses in the companies he worked for, and sometimes his associates, knew about it.

-And the guys from the theater's technical team, because more than once I had dialysis during… a game of poker together- admits Marcin.

Dialysis did get people's attention, but only at the beginning. Dislike never. - Even in such an exotic place as Seoul in South Korea, because I had to have dialysis there as well, when I went there on business - recalls Marcin.

Here you will learn how to set up the "razor" and more

It is the end of September 2022. From 1 year and 9 monthsMarcin does not have dialysis. All thanks to a new kidney that has been transplanted into him. However, Marcin remembers his dilemmas related to dialysis.

-You know that at the beginning I was looking for someone from my industry to tell me how to live and as hard as us, stuntmen work with this dialysis. After all, we operate both at heights, under water and with pyrotechnic effects. And we must be fully functional everywhere- says Marcin. -I was afraid that I would not be able to cope. When I did not find such a man among "my people", I was looking for construction workers. But there is also nothing. And when I started dialysis, I found a lot of such technical things myself. For example, how to use equipment in a hotel room to place a "razor" on them, i.e. a cycler- recalls Marcin.

People on peritoneal dialysis receive technical support from the manufacturer of dialysis equipment. -And that's great. But I decided that we, patients, lack the usual, mutual support, sharing our everyday experiences, so a few months ago I set up a group and fanpage for us on Facebook - "Future life with dialysis. We talk, we support" https://www.facebook.com/groups/603753426944350.Join us. To show how you live on dialysis- encourages Marcin.

Category:

Urology and Nephrology