Pink lemonade is not just a refreshing summer drink for Rob Catellier.

Even in the fall and winter, Catellier doesn't drink anything but pink lemonade and he puts lots of ice in it to make it as cold as possible.

The four or five small glasses Catellier drinks each day must be enough to quench his thirst because that is all he can have without causing himself too much pain.

Catellier lives without kidneys.

An autoimmune disease destroyed Catellier's kidneys and a transplant was unsuccessful in 1989. He is able to survive without kidneys because he receives dialysis, a process that removes waste products from the body, four times a week for four hours each.

Also, he has come to terms with his restricted lifestyle and tries to comply with what his doctor recommends, no matter how difficult the task might seem, to get the best quality of life.

"The hardest thing is changing your drinking habits," Catellier said. "It's a disciplined life, but this is what you have to do."

Registered nurse Julie Cann-Taylor said Catellier's story can be an eye-opener to many in the community who don't know what it is like to live with a chronic disease such kidney failure and know you won't ever get better.

Cann-Taylor, director of critical care at the Wyoming Medical Center, said she is amazed at how a person can have major open heart surgery and be back to normal in a few months while a person with end-stage renal disease will never live a normal life, even with a transplant.

"My husband has no idea what it is like to live with a chronic disease," Cann-Taylor said. "He gets sick for one day and is grumpy."

His discipline and help from an outpatient dialysis center, Wyoming Kidney Center, have allowed Catellier to say he has a pretty good quality of life.

He drove to Minnesota a few weeks ago to visit his daughter and has taken an Alaskan cruise and visited Hawaii three times with his chronic illness. He sets up appointments with dialysis centers at these destinations.

Also, he does paperwork for several local businesses part-time to keep his mind going.

Most importantly, Catellier has had 18 years to spend with his family that he did not believe he would have.

However, to keep a good quality of life, Catellier has had to make sacrifices.

"It's life-changing," Catellier said. "You control what you do; I don't control my life."

Before Catellier eats anything, he must take three pills. His diet must be low in sodium, phosphorous and potassium.

When he was first put on dialysis, Catellier had to give up his own business as a car mechanic because the chemicals he worked with were too harsh for his condition. Also, Catellier cannot exert himself too much or else he will feel sick for several days.

"I still check out cars with my friends," Catellier said. "But I miss working with my hands."

Marsha Johnson, administrative nursing director for the Wyoming Kidney Center, said the biggest sacrifice people on dialysis have to make is with their time.

People on dialysis usually do it three times a week for four hours at a time, which is 12 hours a week spent at the dialysis center hooked up to a machine.

Catellier does dialysis more than 16 hours a week. He is at the center Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 5 a.m. to 9:20 a.m.

During that time he tries to take a little nap and reads the newspaper. He also enjoys watching the Discovery Channel and finding old movies on television.

He said he goes to the center early in the morning instead of the late morning or afternoon shifts, because he likes having the rest of his day available to live his life.

Not everyone chooses to have the attitude Catellier has. Some drink more liquid than they are supposed to, overexert themselves or simply do not take good care of their bodies.

Johnson said Catellier is one of the exceptions and most people do not live this long without kidneys.

For one thing, Catellier does not have diabetes and 60 percent of the patients seen at the center have end-stage renal disease because of diabetes. People with diabetes have a shorter life expectancy on dialysis than those with a different kidney disease.

And she said most patients are not as compliant about their liquid intake and diets as Catellier.

Catellier finds comfort in talking to new patients when they start dialysis and giving advice to patients who are having trouble managing their drinking.

"If you don't overdo it, you can just come in here and relax," Catellier tells them. "Listen to me. I've been there."

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@casperstartribune.net.