How Do You Know?

Often, people will ask me how I knew I had Chronic Kidney Disease. I didn’t have any symptoms although I did suffer from high blood pressure, which is the second most common cause of CKD. Well, how did I know then?

When I changed doctors to one closer to my home, she had her own set of thorough tests completed for me as a new patient. One of them was the eGFR [estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate]. She saw that 39% and had me in a nephrologist’s office the next day. The National Kidney Foundation explains why:  

“When your kidneys are working well, they filter out wastes and excess fluid that become part of the urine your body makes each day. When kidneys aren’t working well, you do not remove enough wastes and fluids to keep you healthy. You also cannot make important hormones for your blood and bones. Your GFR number is an estimate of how well your kidneys are working and keeping you healthy. If your GFR number is low, your kidneys are not working as well as they should. Early detection will allow for early treatment. Early treatment may keep kidney disease from getting worse.” 

Remember those old television commercials that announced, “But wait! There’s more.” That applies here, too. In addition to the blood test for eGFR, I needed a urine test. Thank you to The American Kidney Fund for revealing the necessity of this: 

“When your kidneys are damaged, they may let protein leak into your urine. This can be one of the earliest signs of kidney disease. To check for protein in your urine (called proteinuria), your doctor may suggest a urine test. There are two types of urine tests your doctor may use. 

Dipstick urine test 

A dipstick urine test tells your doctor if there is protein in your urine. Your doctor may test your urine in the office or ask you to bring a sample from home. If your first dipstick urine test shows protein in your urine, ask your doctor when you should be tested again. Also ask if a urine albumin-to-creatinine (UACR) test is right for you. 

Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) 

A UACR test tells your doctor how much albumin is in your urine. Your doctor will test your urine to see how much albumin (a type of protein) and creatinine (a kind of waste) are in it. Your doctor will compare these results to figure out your UACR. A normal UACR is less than 30mg/g. If your UACR is more than 30 mg/g, ask your doctor when you should be tested again. Also ask your doctor if you should have an eGFR test.” 

These two tests, the former gold standard for assessing CKD, seem to be falling out of favor. You see, the blood test relies on race as one of its elements. I was taught that was because Afro-Americans have a denser muscle mass. Okay, that seemed acceptable. It also seems that this is no longer acceptable. I understand that racism must be combatted, but what about the science of denser muscle mass? If I’m correct, that’s one of the reasons Cystatin-C is slowly becoming the norm in CKD testing, but certainly not the only one.  

What is Cystatin-C? Let’s find out together. The most easily understood explanation I found was. The Medical Center of the University of Rochester’s. 

“Your body makes cystatin C constantly, and the protein is found in different fluids, including blood, spinal fluid, and breast milk. When your kidneys are healthy, they filter cystatin C out of the blood so it can be excreted in your urine. 

This is a fairly sensitive blood test to look at your kidney health. Cystatin C can be used to calculate your glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Your healthcare provider can use this to see how well your kidneys are working and if there is a problem. It can also be used to check the progress of your disease, if you have kidney problems.” 

I wasn’t sure enough about this being the best test for CKD, so I turned to Lab Tests Online to see what they had to say. 

“Because cystatin C levels fluctuate with changes in GFR, there has been interest in the cystatin C test as one method of evaluating kidney function. Tests currently used include creatinine, a byproduct of muscle metabolism that is measured in the blood and urine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and eGFR (an estimate of the GFR usually calculated from the blood creatinine level). Unlike creatinine, cystatin C is not significantly affected by muscle mass (hence, sex or age), race, or diet, which has led to the idea that it could be a more reliable marker of kidney function and potentially used to generate a more precise estimate of GFR. 

While there are growing data and literature supporting the use of cystatin C, there is still a degree of uncertainty about when and how it should be used. However, testing is becoming increasingly more available and steps are being taken toward standardizing the calibration of cystatin C results.” 

Ah, I see, race need not be taken into account. Hmmm, neither does sex, age, or diet. This almost sounds too good to be true. 

Whoops! I haven’t reminded you what the BUN [blood urea nitrogen] test mentioned above is. My longtime standby, The Mayo Clinic clarifies: 

“A common blood test, the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test reveals important information about how well your kidneys and liver are working. A BUN test measures the amount of urea nitrogen that’s in your blood. 

Here’s how your body typically forms and gets rid of urea nitrogen: 

Your liver produces ammonia — which contains nitrogen — after it breaks down proteins used by your body’s cells. 

The nitrogen combines with other elements, such as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, to form urea, which is a chemical waste product. 

The urea travels from your liver to your kidneys through your bloodstream. 

Healthy kidneys filter urea and remove other waste products from your blood. 

The filtered waste products leave your body through urine. 

A BUN test can reveal whether your urea nitrogen levels are higher than normal, suggesting that your kidneys or liver may not be working properly.” 

Considering the information uncovered in today’s blog, I don’t think I’d mind at all if my nephrologist started to use the Cystatin-C method to test my eGFR. How about you? 

Until next week, 

Keep living your life! 

A New Year, New Kidney Disease Information

Happy New Year! Or, at least, that’s what I’m hoping for. I fervently believe the more you know, the better you can handle whatever’s happening in your world. That’s why, today, I’m exploring yet another term pertaining to kidney disease that I hadn’t been aware of. Oh my, how many, many types of kidney disease am I (and possibly you) unaware of?  

This one is membranous glomerulonephritis. I sort of-maybe-suspected what it might be, but I wanted to know for sure so I turned to Healthline – who bestowed a couple of awards on this blog a few years ago – at https://www.healthline.com/health/membranous-nephropathy for something more in the way of a definition. 

“Your kidneys are made up of a number of different structures that aid in the removal of wastes from your blood and the formation of urine. Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a condition in which changes in the structures of your kidney can cause swelling and inflammation. 

Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) is a specific type of GN. MGN develops when inflammation of your kidney structures causes problems with the functioning of your kidney. MGN is known by other names, including extramembranous glomerulonephritis, membranous nephropathy, and nephritis.” 

It’s hard to know where to start in exploring this disease. Let’s take the easy way and start with a definition of nephritis from… ta da, you guessed it – my all-time favorite dictionary, the Merriam Webster at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nephritis.  

“acute or chronic inflammation of the kidney caused by infection, degenerative process, or vascular disease” 

I’m going back to the beginning of my blog journey to What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease for the following definitions. 

“Acute: Extremely painful, severe or serious, quick onset, of short duration; the opposite of chronic. 

 Chronic: Long term; the opposite of acute.” 

By the way, you can click on the title of the book if you’re interested in purchasing it from Amazon. 

So, basically, nephritis means a kidney problem. But membranous glomerulonephritis is something more specific in that it is a kind of GN or glomerulonephritis. Back to the dictionary for the definition of glomerulonephritis: 

“acute or chronic nephritis that involves inflammation of the capillaries of the renal glomeruli, has various causes (such as streptococcal infection, lupus, or vasculitis) or may be of unknown cause, and is marked especially by blood or protein in the urine and by edema, and if untreated may lead to kidney failure” 

Ah, so now we know what part of the kidneys are involved. Do you remember what the glomeruli are? Just in case you don’t, here’s how ‘s Lexicon at https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/glomerulus  defines this plural noun: 

“a cluster of nerve endings, spores, or small blood vessels, in particular a cluster of capillaries around the end of a kidney tubule, where waste products are filtered from the blood.” 

Now we’re getting somewhere. Let’s keep digging. Membranous glomerulonephritis is a specific GN. I went directly to MedlinePlus, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, which in turn is part of The U.S. National Library of Medicine at https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000472.htm. 

“Membranous nephropathy is caused by the thickening of a part of the glomerular basement membrane. The glomerular basement membrane is a part of the kidneys that helps filter waste and extra fluid from the blood. The exact reason for this thickening is not known. 

The thickened glomerular membrane does not work normally. As a result, large amounts of protein are lost in the urine. 

This condition is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome. This is a group of symptoms that include protein in the urine, low blood protein level, high cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, and swelling. Membranous nephropathy may be a primary kidney disease, or it may be associated with other conditions. 

The following increase your risk for this condition: 

Cancers, especially lung and colon cancer 

Exposure to toxins, including gold and mercury 

Infections, including hepatitis B, malaria, syphilis, and endocarditis 

Medicines, including penicillamine, trimethadione, and skin-lightening creams 

Systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Graves disease, and other autoimmune disorders 

The disorder occurs at any age, but is more common after age 40.” 

Being only a bit more than a year out from cancer, I was getting nervous so I went to the National Kidney Foundation at https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/membranous-nephropathy-mn for a list of symptoms. 

“Swelling in body parts like your legs, ankles and around your eyes (called edema) 

Weight gain 

Fatigue 

Foaming of the urine caused by high protein levels in the urine (called proteinuria) 

High fat levels in the blood (high cholesterol) 

Low levels of protein in the blood” 

These symptoms struck me as so common that I wanted to know just how usual membranous glomerulonephritis was. After checking numerous sites, the consensus I found was that this is not a common disease. Thank goodness! 

Even though it’s not common, we still might want to know what to do if we were diagnosed with membranous glomerulonephritis, especially since I discovered that this may be considered an autoimmune disease. This is how the Mayo Clinic suggested the disease be treated: 

“Treatment of membranous nephropathy [Gail here: That’s a synonym for membranous glomerulonephritis.] focuses on addressing the cause of your disease and relieving your symptoms. There is no certain cure. 

However, up to three out of 10 people with membranous nephropathy have their symptoms completely disappear (remission) after five years without any treatment. About 25 to 40 percent have a partial remission. 

In cases where membranous nephropathy is caused by a medication or another disease — such as cancer — stopping the medication or controlling the other disease usually improves the condition.” 

There is much more detailed treatment information on their website at mayoclinic.in/354QFPU.    

That is a bit more reassuring. Thank you to all the readers who use terms I hadn’t heard of before and/or ask questions about topics that are new to me. May this year be kinder to us than the last one. 

Until next week, 

Keep living your life! 

Learning Every Day

 Chronic Kidney Disease is all over my world. You know when you have your ears open for a certain term, you seem to hear it all the time? That’s what my life has been like for the last dozen years. When I noticed a comment in a Facebook kidney disease support group about Action myoclonus–renal failure (AMRF) syndrome, I was stunned. Here was yet another possible kidney disease I’d never heard of. 

As defined by MedlinePlus, a division of the National Health Institutes (which is a division of the U.S. National Library of Medicine) at http://bit.ly/2KY6EI8,  

“Action myoclonus–renal failure (AMRF) syndrome causes episodes of involuntary muscle jerking or twitching (myoclonus) and, often, kidney (renal) disease. Although the condition name refers to kidney disease, not everyone with the condition has problems with kidney function.” 

I was intrigued and wanted to know more. So, I did what I usually do when that happens. I poked around everywhere I could think of on the internet. My first hit was on The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which is part of The U.S. National Library of Medicine at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK333437/. 

“Action myoclonus – renal failure (AMRF) syndrome typically comprises a continuum of two major (and ultimately fatal) manifestations: progressive myoclonic epilepsy (PME) and renal failure; however, in some instances, the kidneys are not involved. Neurologic manifestations can appear before, simultaneously, or after the renal manifestations. Disease manifestations are usually evident in the late teens or early twenties. In the rare instances in which renal manifestations precede neurologic findings, onset is usually in late childhood / early adolescence but can range to the fifth or sixth decade.” 

Uh-oh, epilepsy. One of my children has that. Luckily for her, she doesn’t have CKD. But we still need more information… or, at least, I do. For instance, how does the illness progress? 

Rare Disease InfoHub at http://bit.ly/37Qgo0h answered this particular question. 

“The movement problems associated with AMRF syndrome typically begin with involuntary rhythmic shaking (tremor) in the fingers and hands that occurs at rest and is most noticeable when trying to make small movements, such as writing. Over time, tremors can affect other parts of the body, such as the head, torso, legs, and tongue. Eventually, the tremors worsen to become myoclonic jerks, which can be triggered by voluntary movements or the intention to move (action myoclonus). These myoclonic jerks typically occur in the torso; upper and lower limbs; and face, particularly the muscles around the mouth and the eyelids. Anxiety, excitement, stress, or extreme tiredness (fatigue) can worsen the myoclonus. Some affected individuals develop seizures, a loss of sensation and weakness in the limbs (peripheral neuropathy), or hearing loss caused by abnormalities in the inner ear (sensorineural hearing loss). Severe seizures or myoclonus can be life-threatening.” 

But we haven’t looked at the kidneys yet. How are they involved in those who develop kidney problems from this rare disease? Let’s go back to MedlinePlus to see what we can find. Don’t be surprised that the answer is fairly general: 

“When kidney problems occur, an early sign is excess protein in the urine (proteinuria). Kidney function worsens over time, until the kidneys are no longer able to filter fluids and waste products from the body effectively (end-stage renal disease).” 

Do you remember what proteinuria is? Here’s a reminder from my first CKD book – What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease – in case you’ve forgotten: 

“Protein in the urine, not a normal state of being” 

Hmmm, proteinuria is exactly what it sounds like. That got me to thinking: How does the protein get into the urine in the first place? 

“Protein gets into the urine if the kidneys aren’t working properly. Normally, glomeruli, which are tiny loops of capillaries (blood vessels) in the kidneys, filter waste products and excess water from the blood. 

Glomeruli pass these substances, but not larger proteins and blood cells, into the urine. If smaller proteins sneak through the glomeruli, tubules (long, thin, hollow tubes in the kidneys) recapture those proteins and keep them in the body. 

However, if the glomeruli or tubules are damaged, if there is a problem with the reabsorption process of the proteins, or if there is an excessive protein load, the proteins will flow into the urine.” 

Thank you to a trusted site, The Cleveland Clinic at http://cle.clinic/3nTjLZI for helping us out here.

The important point here is that proteinuria, or albumin as it is often called, prevents the substances that belong in your blood stream from fully remaining there to help you: 

“Blood contains two main kinds of proteins: albumin and globulins. Blood proteins help your body produce substances it needs to function. These substances include hormones, enzymes and antibodies. 

Usually, the amount of total protein in your blood is relatively stable.” 

I’d gone back to the reliable Cleveland Clinic for this information. 

I don’t know about you as you read today’s blog, but I found writing it exhausting. Of course, that may be due to the fact that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have just passed. I’m not quite as vigilant as I usually am about the renal diet during certain celebrations. Considering that Bear’s Lutheran and I’m Jewish, that was a lot of celebrating. I see my exhaustion as an endorsement to get right back on the kidney diet. 

Here’s hoping your Chanukah, Christmas, Boxing Day, and Kwanza were as happy as you’d hoped under the restrictions of small group gatherings, six foot distancing, and mask wearing. We stayed home alone using the phone and Facetime to be with family.  

It was… different. But more importantly, it was safe. Keep in mind that you’re already immuno-compromised simply by having CKD. If you no longer have a spleen like me (Thanks, pancreatic cancer.), you’re even more immunocompromised. Hugs are the best, but they could be deadly for us. Stay safe. 

Until next week, 

Keep living your life! 

Baby, It’s Cold Outside. I Mean Inside.

As a diabetic, I have my feet checked and my toenails cut every nine weeks. When I was at my podiatrist’s recently, we both made mention of my slightly blue skin at the same time. I thought it was just thin skin showing the veins underneath. That’s when she mentioned a syndrome I’d heard of many times, but had never explored: Raynaud’s Syndrome, named after the Frenchman who discovered it. 

Hmmm, I wondered. Could this be related to Chronic Kidney Disease? So, of course, I looked for answers to my questions. Let’s get the basics down first… like what is it? 

Circulation Foundation at http://bit.ly/37yxSy4 answers that question.  

“Raynaud’s is a common condition where the blood supply to the extremities is interrupted or reduced. This usually affects the fingers and toes, but occasionally the nose or ears. 

Attacks are usually provoked by cold or a sudden change in temperature. During an attack the affected body part first becomes white, then turns blue as the tissues use up the oxygen and finally bright red as the arteries relax and fresh blood rushes in. 

Raynaud’s can vary in form, from very mild to severe cases – which can require treatment. 

Anyone of any age can suffer from Raynaud’s, but younger women are affected more commonly. It seems to be a change in temperature, rather than just exposure to cold that precipitates an attack, so although worse in winter, it can occur in summer too. 

Stress or anxiety can also provoke a Raynaud’s attack. Some cases of Raynaud’s are associated with some other diseases (called secondary Raynaud’s).” 

Uh, secondary Raynaud’s? What’s that? Back to the drawing board or, in this case, the researching mode. Let’s try WebMD. Bingo! 

“Secondary Raynaud’s (Raynaud’s syndrome, Raynaud’s phenomenon) happens as a result of another illness. It’s often a condition that attacks your body’s connective tissues, like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. It’s less common, but it’s more likely to cause serious health problems. This can include things like skin sores and gangrene. These happen when cells and tissue in your extremities die from lack of blood.” 

Then, according to WebMD at http://wb.md/3h3fznI, IF I have Raynaud’s, it’s probably secondary Raynaud’s. But what about the terms Raynaud’s syndrome and Raynaud’s phenomenon in the quote above? Are they interchangeable? 

Hello, my favorite dictionary. The Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary at http://wb.md/3h3fznI tells us that Raynaud’s phenomenon is the same as Raynaud’s syndrome: 

“the symptoms associated with Raynaud’s disease 

— called also Raynaud’s syndrome” 

Of course, that brings up another question. Symptoms are mentioned in the definition. What are the symptoms of Secondary Raynaud’s? I’ll bet the Mayo Clinic at http://mayocl.in/3pn9fur can help us out here. 

“Cold fingers or toes 

Color changes in your skin in response to cold or stress 

Numb, prickly feeling or stinging pain upon warming or stress relief 

During an attack of Raynaud’s, affected areas of your skin usually first turn white. Then, they often turn blue and feel cold and numb. As you warm and your circulation improves, the affected areas may turn red, throb, tingle or swell. 

Although Raynaud’s most commonly affects your fingers and toes, it can also affect other areas of your body, such as your nose, lips, ears and even nipples. After you warm up, the return of normal blood flow to the area can take 15 minutes.” 

I should mention here that severe cases of Secondary Raynaud’s are rare. Also, I can honestly say that I have each of these symptoms at times. As far as the cold, I figured it was just anemia. Wrong. 

We know what Secondary Raynaud’s is, what the symptoms are, and that it need not be serious, but how do you treat it? 

Wait, wait, wait. I just found this from the Merck Manual, Consumer Edition at http://bit.ly/38oZwwr: 

“Raynaud syndrome, a functional peripheral arterial disease, is a condition in which small arteries (arterioles), usually in the fingers or toes, narrow (constrict) more tightly than normal in response to exposure to cold.” 

It’s a PAD? Oh, excuse me, that means “peripheral arterial disease,” as mentioned above. Let’s get a definition. Back to the Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary. This time at http://bit.ly/37CdR9P:  

“damage to or dysfunction of the arteries outside the heart resulting in reduced blood flow” 

Hmmm, the podiatrist did mention spasms in the arteries at the extreme ends of my body, meaning my fingers and toes. This is all starting to make sense now. 

But we were going to see what we could find out about treatment before I made the PAD discovery. Let’s go back to that.  MedicalNewsToday at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/176713 had quite a bit of information: 

“There is no cure for Raynaud’s disease, but there are ways to manage symptoms. 

For mild forms of Raynaud’s disease, covering exposed skin before leaving the house can help. If an attack occurs, soaking the affected parts in warm, not hot, water can alleviate symptoms and prevent them from worsening. 

If stress is a factor, learning to manage stress can help. 

For moderate to severe cases, medication may be necessary. 

Alpha-1 blockers can counter the effect of norepinephrine, which constricts blood vessels. Examples include doxazosin and prazosin. 

Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers relax the smaller blood vessels of the hands and feet. Examples include amlodipine, nifedipine, and felodipine. 

Topical nitroglycerin ointment applied to the affected area appears to relieve the symptoms by improving blood flow and cardiac output and decreasing blood pressure. 

Other vasodilators dilate the veins, easing symptoms. Examples include losartan, sildenafil (Viagra), fluoxetine (Prozac), and prostaglandin.” 

They also talk about surgery and/or chemical injections for severe cases. 

The funny thing is I live in Arizona. We have winter… sort of, but nothing drastic like snow and ice. I also take losartan for high blood pressure and to protect my kidneys. As for stress, that is present now with me just recovered from the double hernia surgery, my bother in a health care facility for Parkinson’s dementia, my husband’s Alzheimer’s and someone extremely close to my children in ICU with Covid-19 and other illnesses. (Reading this, I wonder why I’m not depressed!) 

Until next week, 

Keep living your life! 

Feeling Nostalgic

It’s getting closer to the end of the year. Halloween and Thanksgiving have passed. Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas will be upon us sooner than we think. And then, the new year. But my nostalgia deals with the history of acknowledging and treating kidney disease. I was lucky enough to stumble across the following early history at https://hekint.org/2017/01/30/history-of-nephrology-beginnings/. It’s from Hektoen International, A Journal of Medical Humanities. I must warn you it’s a long article, but well worth the read. Enjoy: 

“History of nephrology: beginnings 

George Dunea 
Chicago, Illinois, United States 

 ….Mesopotamia 

Some of the earliest knowledge about kidney and urinary diseases comes from the cradle of Western civilization, Mesopotamia, from the cuneiform clay tablets of Akkadia, Assyria, and Babylon that contain references to urinary obstruction, stone, cysts, urethritis, stricture, and urethral discharge…. In ancient Babylon physicians made diagnoses depending on whether the urine looked like paint, wine dregs, beer, or beet juice. They treated symptoms with remedies derived from plants or minerals. They administered drugs by blowing them through a tube into the urethra, most likely also to relieve urinary obstruction, and using alcohol as an anesthetic. Much of the medical information generated in Mesopotamia was later transmitted to the Mediterranean, especially to Greece….  

Egypt 

In ancient Egypt priest-physicians have recorded many details of their patients’ symptoms on papyrus scrolls. Curiously, they cooked some of their old papyri books in oil and smeared them on their patients to relieve symptoms of dropsy or fluid retention…. They embalmed their dead, removing most of the viscera but leaving behind the kidneys and the heart. In the Ebers papyrus of 1550 BCE they refer to retention of urine, dysuria, and frequency. Hematuria, mentioned over 50 times, was probably due to schistosomiasis, then as now endemic in the valley of the Nile. Examination of mummies has led to discovery of kidney abscesses and stones, parasite ova, and congenital renal deformities. Treatments are listed in the Ebers papyrus in some 24 paragraphs under the heading: ‘Starting remedies to make disappear the retention of urine when the lower abdomen is full.’…  

Greece 

Records of urinary disorders are found in the Hippocratic Corpus, a collection of some 60 treatises that may represent the work of several medical writers. How much was written by Hippocrates himself remains uncertain. Nevertheless, Hippocrates of Cos (460–377 BCE) is regarded as the father of medicine, and many of the aphorisms attributed to him refer to diseases of the kidney: 

‘Bubbles appearing on the surface of the urine indicate disease of the kidneys and a prolonged illness.’ 
‘Colorless urine is bad.’ 
‘The sudden appearance of blood in the urine indicates that a small renal vessel has burst.’ 
‘Diseases of the kidney and of the bladder are difficult to cure in old age.’ 

Other comments concern cases where the urine was turbid or contained pus or blood, bran-like particles, or sandy sediment…. 

Aristotle, whose opinions dominated Western thought for over 2,000 years, also wrote about the kidney. From his observations on fish and birds he concluded that the kidneys were not essential to life, and from the rhesus monkey he incorrectly deduced that the right kidney was situated higher than the left. He thought the kidneys were there to anchor the blood vessels in the body, and also to secrete fluid not eliminated otherwise. He considered renal fat as the cause of cancer and of gangrene, and in De Partibus Animalium noted that ‘very often the kidneys are found to be full of stones, growths, and small abscesses.’… 

In the 3rd and 2nd century BCE other Greek physicians also made contributions, describing the prostate gland, declaring that urine was formed in the kidney, reporting on recto-vesical fistula, and performing operations. They applied pressure over the lower abdomen to relieve urinary retention, and recommended the use of poultices with soothing and diuretic properties over the kidneys…. 

Rome and Byzantium 

Physicians in Rome were often Greeks from Asia Minor who had studied in Alexandria…. Celsus (63 BCE–14 CE), though not a physician, wrote on many medical subjects, including lithotomy and the use of a bronze catheter…. In his writings, Pliny the Elder also refers to the kidney…. Areteus of Capadocia (81–138 CE), now remembered mainly for describing diabetes mellitus as the melting of the flesh into the urine, wrote about hydronephrosis, gout, renal colic, strangury, postobstructive diuresis, edema, and the anemia of renal insufficiency…. Dioscorides, also from Asia Minor and perhaps physician to emperor Nero, practiced in Rome during the first century and wrote an extensive pharmacopoeia, noting that certain poisons caused renal inflammation, and recommending enemas with ptisan or mallow for renal failure…. Galen of Pergamon (130–200 CE), physician to emperor Marcus Aurelius, referred in his extensive writings to renal cysts, breakage of the capillaries into the kidney, thrombosis, and inflammation. Called the father of experimental medicine, he ligated the ureters to prove that urine flowed from the kidneys to the bladder…. 

Among Byzantine physicians, Rufus of Ephesus in the first century CE described renal failure, abscesses, and calculi, recommending poultices of grilled cicadas as a diuretic, advising flushing the kidneys with large amounts of water, and prescribing urinating in a hot bath to relieve retention of urine. Somewhat later Oribasius (326–403), physician to emperor Julian the Apostate, wrote profusely on medical matters, summarizing the works of Galen and others in 70 books…. First to use the term ‘ureter,’ he treated dysuria and ureteral stone, did anatomical dissections, described the systemic and pulmonary circulation, discerned the existence of capillaries, and suggested that the kidneys absorbed urine from the blood stream…. 

In the 9th century Theophanes Nonus noted hematuria resulting from poisonous remedies and from the venom of serpents…. Other Byzantine physicians wrote right up to the 14th century about kidney inflammation and failure, emphasizing the changes in the appearance of the urine, developing the practice of uroscopy,… and often achieving fame as physicians to the Byzantine emperors. 

 Arabs 

The 9th and 10th centuries were a golden age for Arab medicine, in which several physicians achieved fame for their clinical acumen and perspicacious observations. Rhazes (865–925), a musician who later became a physician and was called the Galen of Islam,…described in his many clinical writings renal abscess or severe infections with pus in the urine, kidney stones, and renal failure from systemic diseases. Even more prolific was Avicenna (980–1037), poet, politician, and writer, whose works greatly influenced Western Renaissance medicine and who wrote extensively on the color, density, odor, and sediments of urine, foreshadowing the later uroscopists. Recommended treatments included inserting a bug or louse into the urethral meatus to stimulate micturition. He wrote several excellent descriptions of clinical cases, as did several other Arab authors until the 13th century…. 

There were also eminent Jewish physicians living in the Arab possessions around the Mediterranean, notably Moses Maimonides (1138–1204), born in Cordova but eventually settling down in Cairo and attending on the sultan Saladin. A renowned medieval rabbi, philosopher, astronomer, and physician, he wrote 10 treatises on medicine, including an entire chapter of aphorisms dealing with urinalysis. He discussed lower urinary tract obstruction, hesitancy, narrow stream, retention, pyuria, and hematuria. He agreed with Hippocrates that diseases of the kidney in the elderly were difficult to cure, and noted red urine in patients who probably had glomerulonephritis. In patients with blackwater fever he noted that ‘black urine and black sediment are extremely malignant and indicate serious illness. They occur in association with what resembles the death of natural resources . . . I have never seen anyone who urinated black urine who survived.’…  

Uroscopy 

Uroscopy, the naked eye examination of the urine for diagnosis, is as old as medicine itself, based on the assumption that diseases could be identified and treated following such visual inspection…. It was advocated by Hippocrates, though without much enthusiasm…. Several of the Greek physicians practiced uroscopy and helped develop a complex diagnostic model based on the theories of the four humors…. Many treatises on uroscopy were published in antiquity and later by Byzantine, Arab, and Latin physicians…. Uroscopic theory and practice reached an apogee between the 9th and 14th century in southern Italy at the medical school of Salerno, then a melting pot of different cultures…. There several masters of medicine or magistri wrote (or translated from Arabic) books on diagnostic uroscopy. One of its major exponents, Isaac Ebreus Isaac (880–940), assembled in his Guida Medicorum many of the principles of uroscopy. He was followed by Magister Maurus, according to whom fluids were separated in the body by the stomach and liver, with the generation of humors (1250 CE). Gilles de Corbeil, a Frenchman, went to Salerno, then returned to Paris and wrote Songs on Urinary Judgements, a composition in verse that remained popular until the 16th century.17 A 13th century anonymous manuscript titled De Urinis contains aphorisms such as: 

Clear urine, pale or almost green indicates pain in the stomach in males, but in women means inflammation or phlegm from the umbilicus to the throat, and thirst. 
Small volume urine which is sulphurous indicates diarrhea. 
Urine which is red with fluid beams indicates disease of the spleen. 
A red circulus means pain in the head due to blood. 
Urine of a vicious woman is quite colored, cloudy by night, and dense in the morning. 
Urine of a virgin is clear, white, light, and transparent, with very small bubbles on the surface….  

Sclerosis of the kidneys 

Hardening or sclerosis of the kidneys had been recognized as the hallmark of chronic renal failure since antiquity…. Thus Rufus of Ephesus compiled a treatise in which he noted that sclerosis of the kidneys was not painful, but might cause dropsy. He recommended rest, enemas, cupping of the loins, baths, refrigerant and sedative medicines given internally…. Aetius of Amida (502–575), court physician to emperor Justinian in Constantinople, based his Tetrabiblion largely on the works of Rufus, Hippocrates, and Galen, and also mentioned hardening of the kidneys…. Paul of Aegina (625–690), practicing in Alexandria even after the Arab conquest, also noted renal hardening and wrote in his seven books that ‘when hardness occurs in the kidneys it does not cause pain . . . but the limbs lose their strength, little urine is passed, and the whole habit resembles that of dropsical persons.’ He recommended emollients to soften the kidneys, frictions and fomentations, clysters to clear out the bowels, and diuretics such as nard, cassia, St. John’s wort pepper, sweet hay, boiled squill in wine and honey, moist alum, flakes of copper, and should all fail, ox dung dried and drunk (one spoonful every day)…. 

Also aware of sclerosis of the kidneys as a cause of illness were the Arab physicians Rhazes and Avicenna…. William of Saliceto (1210–1277) observed that hard kidneys (duritie in renibus) were difficult or even impossible to treat. He moved to Bologna in 1269 to become an outstanding teacher of medicine, and during his time taught more than 10,000 students…. He emphasized bedside instruction and wrote an extensive medical textbook, mentioning that hardness of the kidney could be the result of an abscess, an episode of high fever, or arise spontaneously. The hardness, he wrote, looks chalk-like. Its clinical signs were a reduction in urinary output, a dull pain or heaviness in the back and sides, and after a time enlargement of the belly and generalized edema…. 

Later, the Flemish physician Jan Baptiste Van Helmont (1579–1644) devoted much of his time to research, carrying out autopsies on patients who had died with gross ascites, noting that their kidneys were shrunken and hard, and concluding that the kidney was the cause of the edema …. 

Morgagni 

Giovanni Battista Morgagni (1682–1771), often regarded as the founder of pathological anatomy, made similar observations. After studying in Bologna with Valsalva, he moved to Padua, where he remained professor of theoretical medicine and anatomy for 50 years. He carried out many autopsies, correlating anatomical findings with the clinical symptoms. 

Towards the end of his career he published observations on cases he had studied over 50 years, including necropsy descriptions of diseased kidneys: solitary, asymmetrical, irregular, hardened, softened, suppuration, hydronephrosis, calculi, tumors, cysts…. Of particular interest, he described a patient who had suffered from nausea, vomiting, headache, and episodes of loss of consciousness, and who at autopsy had greatly shrunken, hard, irregularly shaped greyish kidneys. He concluded that these renal changes were the cause of the symptoms….  

Paracelsus 

Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim (1493–1541), better known as Paracelsus, is perhaps the most colorful medical figure of the Renaissance. Born in Switzerland, he studied medicine in several European cities, practiced in Strasbourg and Basel, and eventually wandered through various German, Swiss, and Austrian towns. His death has often been subject of speculation, being variously attributed to murder, accident, congenital syphilis, liver failure, and also to kidney disease, as suggested by the finding of rickets in his exhumed skull in 1880…. 

Paracelsus wrote on urinalysis, proteinuria, hematuria, and gout. Particularly interested in dropsy, he described its symptoms and signs, commented on its prognosis, noted that in its advanced stages ‘the urine decreases and thickens,’ and was first to use mercury for treatment. He attempted chemical analysis of the urine, adding wine or vinegar or rennet to it and noting that it curdled and produced a precipitate. He also assessed urine by its weight, a precursor of measuring the specific gravity. He combined medicine with alchemy and astrology, and claimed to affect many cures with his Tincture of Philosophers. …  

Andreas Vesalius 

Born in Brussels, Andreas Vesalius (1514–64) studied in Paris and Padua, and on the day after graduation was appointed professor of anatomy at the University of Padua. There he carried out many dissections and became famous for his lectures and anatomical drawings. Between the ages of 24 and 27 he prepared a book of over 700 pages of anatomical illustrations, and eventually became physician to Emperor Charles V. In his famous plates he described the anatomy of the kidney, also attempting to understand its function, and concluding that urine extracted from the blood entered a cavity before being excreted into the urinary passages. His brilliantly illustrated textbook of anatomical illustrations has been reproduced for centuries….  

Marcello Malpighi 

Founder of microscopical anatomy, and professor of anatomy at Messina and later at Bologna, Marcello Malpighi (1628–94) was first to describe the renal glomerulus (Malpighian corpuscle). Using the microscope as avant-garde technology, he also studied the brain, liver, tongue, lung, and skeletal muscle, describing their architecture and postulating what their function might be. In the course of his studies of the frog’s mesentery, he discovered the presence of capillaries. In the kidney he described the pyramids of the renal medulla and the collecting ducts, and noted the opening of these ducts at the papilla. In the omentum of the porcupine he first noticed the red cells, which he interpreted as being fat globules or constituents of coagulated blood. Using a microscope with x30 magnification and sometimes with prior dye injection, he described the glomeruli, which when injected ‘turned black . . . hanging like apples from the blood vessels, which, swollen with the black fluid, look like a beautiful tree.’…” 

Many, many thanks to Dr. Dunea for what I consider fascinating history. And thank you for indulging my nostalgia. 

Until next week, 

Keep living your life! 

Baby, It’s Hot Outside.

As a person with arthritis among other maladies, I regularly see my rheumatologist. “A rheumatologist is a board certified internist or pediatrician who is qualified by additional training and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and other diseases of the joints, muscles, and bones,” according to HSS at https://www.hss.edu/rheumatology-rheumatologist.asp. During my appointment, she mentioned that my GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate) was 46.

Panic! It’s almost always in the low 50s. She calmed me down by telling me that GFR is usually lower during the Arizona heat (I know, I know: but it’s a dry heat.) of the summer. I don’t know why I was surprised. It made sense.

Think about it. Let me re-enforce this with a statement taken from study on PubMed at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21617334/.

“However, the percent change in eGFR from spring to summer was greater in hypertensive patients with CKD… than in those without CKD …. “

PubMed is part of the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine’s National Center for Biotechnology Information.

I know hypertension (high blood pressure) is included in this statement, but the fact that GFR is lowered t than it’s lowered in those without hypertension leads us to the realization that those without hypertension DO have lower GFRs during the summer heat.

Another study from EuropePMC at https://europepmc.org/article/med/28946962 tells us:

“Recurrent dehydration in people regularly exposed to high temperatures seems to be resulting in an unrecognised cause of proteinuric chronic kidney disease, the underlying pathophysiological mechanism of which is becoming better understood. However, beyond heat waves and extreme temperatures, there is a seasonal variation in glomerular filtration rate that may contribute to the onset of renal failure and electrolyte disorders during extremely hot periods.”

Here are a couple of definitions you may need to understand the above statement. The first is from The Mayo Clinic at https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/protein-in-urine/basics/definition/sym-20050656.

“Protein in urine — known as proteinuria (pro-tee-NU-ree-uh) — is excess protein found in a urine sample. Protein is one of the substances identified during a test to analyze the content of your urine (urinalysis).

Low levels of protein in urine are normal. Temporarily high levels of protein in urine aren’t unusual either, particularly in younger people after exercise or during an illness.

Persistently high levels of protein in urine may be a sign of kidney disease.”

The following definition is from MedicineNet at https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10691.

“Pathophysiology: Deranged function in an individual or an organ due to a disease.”

So, it looks like dehydration is a key factor in lowering the GFR during the summer heat. We know that dialysis patients need to limit their liquid intake, but what about those of us who are not on dialysis but do have CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease)?

I went to MedicalNewsToday at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153363#symptoms for some facts about dehydration:

“Around three-quarters of the human body is water.

The causes of dehydration include diarrhea, vomiting, and sweating.

Individuals more at risk of dehydration include athletes, people at higher altitudes, and older adults.

Early symptoms of dehydration include dry mouth, lethargy, and dizziness.”

Did you notice “sweating” and for those of a certain age like me “older adults”?

So, I gather I’m sweating out more liquids than I’m taking in. But how does that work exactly? I thought I was drinking sufficient amounts of fluid.

Biology Online at https://www.biologyonline.com/dictionary/sweating was a bit of an eye opener.

“Sweating is a way of our body to regulate body temperature. It is commonly used as a synonym for perspiration but in stricter sense perspiration pertains to the water loss as a cooling mechanism of the body and therefore It (sic) includes both the release of watery, salty fluid through the pores of the skin from the sweat glands and the evaporation of water from the skin (trans-epithelial) and respiratory tract. Thus, there exist two forms of perspiration, the sensible and the insensible water loss. In sweating, the process always entails the loss of both water and solutes…. The salty fluid is secreted as droplets or moist on the skin and is called as sweat. Environmental cues that could stimulate the body to produce sweat are high temperature and humidity of the surroundings.”

Oh, solutes. Those include the electrolytes that are so important to us as CKD patients. Orthology at https://orthology.com/myth-debunked-need-electrolytes-work/ offers us a simple explanation:

“The warmer the weather and the more you sweat, the more likely you’ll need electrolyte replacement. Again, this is just a general guideline and will differ by individual, activity and other factors. Pay attention to signs that your electrolyte levels are too low, such as muscle cramps, fatigue, dizziness, nausea or mental confusion.”

Aha, it’s excessively hot out. We drink more, but more sweat is being produced the higher the temperature is. When we sweat or perspire (since the two words are often used interchangeably), we are also exuding electrolytes. Now it all makes sense. An imbalance of electrolytes could lower your GFR. I turned to Tampa Cardio at https://tampacardio.com/causes-electrolyte-imbalance-body/ for confirmation.

“Electrolyte imbalances can cause a wide range of symptoms, some mild and some potentially life threatening. Electrolyte imbalances are commonly caused by loss of fluids through prolonged diarrhea, vomiting, sweating or high fever.”

But we’re already having problems with our electrolytes. No wonder excessive heat affects our GFR. As the University of Michigan’s Michigan Medical at https://www.uofmhealth.org/conditions-treatments/kidney/fluid-and-electrolyte-disorders states:

“Changes in the body’s levels of minerals including potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium—and the corresponding impact these have on the body’s function, muscle strength and heart rhythm can be associated with disorders of kidney or endocrine glands.

Got it. Let’s all just stay in the air conditioning so we don’t lower our GFRs even more than the excessive heat does. In Arizonia, that probably means until November this year. That was a joke (I hope).

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Balloon sans Cake or Ice Cream

I am at Stage 3A, which is still pretty far from dialysis or End Stage Kidney Disease (ESRD) which is usually Stage 5. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is staged by your Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR). This graphic will make it clear.

I don’t know very much about dialysis. However, I have heard of a fistula. I went to MedlinePlus, which is subdivision of the U.S. National Library of Medicine which, in turn, is a subdivision of the National Institutes of Health at https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002365.htm for a formal definition of fistula.

“A fistula is an abnormal connection between two body parts, such as an organ or blood vessel and another structure. Fistulas are usually the result of an injury or surgery. Infection or inflammation can also cause a fistula to form.

Information

Fistulas may occur in many parts of the body. They can form between:

• An artery and vein
• Bile ducts and the surface of the skin (from gallbladder surgery)
• The cervix and vagina
• The neck and throat
• The space inside the skull and nasal sinus
• The bowel and vagina
• The colon and surface of the body, causing feces to exit through an opening other than the anus
• The stomach and surface of the skin
• The uterus and peritoneal cavity (the space between the walls of the abdomen and internal organs)
• An artery and vein in the lungs (results in blood not picking up enough oxygen in the lungs)
• The navel and gut”

Now, look again at the first words in the list above: “an artery and vein.” That’s the way fistulas for dialysis are formed. But how?

“A vascular access is a hemodialysis patient’s lifeline, because it makes life-saving hemodialysis treatments possible. Hemodialysis is a treatment for kidney failure that uses a machine to send the patient’s blood through a filter, called a dialyzer, outside the body. The access is a surgically created vein used to remove and return blood during hemodialysis. The blood goes through a needle, a few ounces at a time. The blood then travels through a tube that takes it to the dialyzer. Inside the dialyzer, the blood flows through thin fibers that filter out wastes and extra fluid. The machine returns the filtered blood to the body through a different tube. A vascular access lets large amounts of blood flow continuously during hemodialysis treatments to filter as much blood as possible per treatment. About a pint of blood flows through the machine every minute. A vascular access should be in place weeks or months before the first hemodialysis treatment.”

Thank you to the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Surgery at https://surgery.ucsf.edu/conditions–procedures/vascular-access-for-hemodialysis.aspx for even more useful information than I’d sought.

But now we need to know what hemodialysis is. The National Kidney Foundation at https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/hemodialysis was a fount of knowledge for us (as it always is):

“When is dialysis needed?

You need dialysis if your kidneys no longer remove enough wastes and fluid from your blood to keep you healthy. This usually happens when you have only 10 to 15 percent of your kidney function left. [Gail here: that’s stage 5 or ESRD.] You may have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, swelling and fatigue. However, even if you don’t have these symptoms yet, you can still have a high level of wastes in your blood that may be toxic to your body. Your doctor is the best person to tell you when you should start dialysis.

How does hemodialysis work?

Hemodialysis is a procedure where a dialysis machine and a special filter called an artificial kidney, or a dialyzer, are used to clean your blood. To get your blood into the dialyzer, the doctor needs to make an access, or entrance, into your blood vessels. This is done with minor surgery, usually to your arm. ….

How does the dialyzer clean my blood?

The dialyzer, or filter, has two parts, one for your blood and one for a washing fluid called dialysate. A thin membrane separates these two parts. Blood cells, protein and other important things remain in your blood because they are too big to pass through the membrane. Smaller waste products in the blood, such as urea, creatinine, potassium and extra fluid pass through the membrane and are washed away.”

By the way, hemodialysis is not the only kind of dialysis.

Got it? So what’s this about balloon? By this point, you’ve realized it’s not the kind you see at birthday parties as you see cake and ice cream. Someone I know is having this procedure. While talking it over, we realized neither of us knew how it was done or, on some levels, why it was even done. I decided we could both learn about it if I wrote about ballooning.

Well, will you look at that? Ballooning is really angioplasty. The Encarta Dictionary defines angioplasty as,

“a surgical operation to clear a narrowed or blocked artery”

That makes sense since a fistula connects an artery and a vein.

Let’s find out why how it’s done. I found a good explanation from Azura Vascular Care at https://www.azuravascularcare.com/infodialysisaccess/angioplasty-can-help-with-dialysis-access-complications/.

“An angioplasty is a way to fix a blood vessel that has become narrow.

• If you need an angioplasty, an inflatable balloon will be inserted through the catheter.
• The balloon is inflated where the narrowing is.
• You may feel some discomfort when the balloon is inflated.
• The angioplasty usually takes about 1 hour.
• One stitch may be placed at the insertion site.
• The stitch can be taken out the following morning or at your next dialysis treatment.”

Apparently, your artery can be too narrow before you start dialysis. Notice, the person I was speaking with has a fistula, not a catheter. The procedure is the same, except that the balloon is inserted via the fistula.

Well, what about after the angioplasty? This is from the Texas Heart Institute at https://www.texasheart.org/heart-health/heart-information-center/topics/vascular-access-for-hemodialysis/:

“Patients should avoid heavy lifting. Any injury to your arm can cause bleeding. When you go to the doctor, do not let anyone take your blood pressure, start an IV, or take blood from the arm with the A-V fistula or graft.”

Now I know, and so does the person I was speaking with… and so do you.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Echo… Echo… Echo…

Remember that golden time I’ve mentioned before? The time when I problem solve and write in my head just as I’m waking up? Well, today the word was echo at that time. Echo? As in echo chamber? Echo Canyon? No, doesn’t feel right. Got it! Echocardiogram.

The English teacher in me is already delighted. Why? I know what most of the word means through my college study of Greek and Latin roots. Card means heart, io is simply a connective, and gram means write. What about echo you ask? I think we all know what that means in common usage, but in conjunction with cardiogram? Yep, time for some help.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, still my favorite, at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ echocardiography tells us an echocardiogram is,

“the use of ultrasound to examine the structure and functioning of the heart for abnormalities and disease”

Let’s put in a little reminder of what an ultrasound is here. This is from MedicineNet at https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5897:

“A test in which high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) are bounced off tissues and the echoes are converted into a picture (sonogram).”

Oh, like the picture of my grandson growing in his mom’s womb. Great, now what does this have to do with Chronic Kidney Disease? I just had an echocardiogram because my oncologist was concerned about the great distance between my diastolic (lower) and systolic (upper) numbers on my blood pressure readings. It was fine, but it did get me to thinking about what CKD and the heart have in common.

Here’s a reminder from Healthline at https://www.healthline.com/health/diastole-vs-systole#:~:text=Your%20systolic%20blood%20pressure%20is,bottom%20number%20on%20your%20reading of what the two numbers mean:

“Your systolic blood pressure is the top number on your reading. It measures the force of blood against your artery walls while your ventricles — the lower two chambers of your heart — squeeze, pushing blood out to the rest of your body.

Your diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number on your reading. It measures the force of blood against your artery walls as your heart relaxes and the ventricles are allowed to refill with blood. Diastole — this period of time when your heart relaxes between beats — is also the time that your coronary artery is able to supply blood to your heart.”

Got it. This next quote is a little medicalese, but basically it’s saying there are specific difficulties if you have both CKD and high blood pressure. It’s from Kidney International at https://www.kidney-international.org/article/S0085-2538(19)30276-5/fulltext :

“In CKD and ESKD, risk factors for HF include long-standing hypertension with often worsened blood pressure (BP) control as CKD worsens, salt and water retention causing excessive preload, and cardiomyopathic factors including left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and fibrosis. In addition, there are CKD- and ESKD-specific factors that affect afterload (increased arterial stiffness and high output shunting through arteriovenous fistulae or grafts) as well as load-independent factors (neurohormonal activation, impaired iron utilization, anemia, demand ischemia, profibrotic factors [e.g., fibroblast growth factor 23 {FGF-23}], inflammation, etc.)…. Arteriovenous fistulae or grafts have been reported to worsen right ventricular hypertrophy, increase pulmonary pressures, associate with significant right ventricular dilatation, and reduce right ventricular function, which are closely linked to survival….”

An echocardiogram can show in real time if all the ventricles of your heart are working correctly as far as pumping blood and and/or leaking when your heart should be at rest.

Well, why get an echocardiogram if you already know you have CKD and high blood pressure? Here’s WebMD at https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/diagnosing-echocardiogram#4’s response.  You can find much more information there, too, as is true of all the sites mentioned.

“An echocardiogram can help your doctor diagnose several kinds of heart problems, including:

• An enlarged heart or thick ventricles (the lower chambers)
• Weakened heart muscles
• Problems with your heart valves
• Heart defects that you’ve had since birth
• Blood clots or tumors”

Mayo Clinic at https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/echocardiogram/about/pac-20393856 offers an easily understandable explanation of the actual process. There are many types of echocardiograms, but this is the most usual.

“Transthoracic echocardiogram

In this standard type of echocardiogram:

• A technician (sonographer) spreads gel on a device (transducer).
• The sonographer presses the transducer firmly against your skin, aiming an ultrasound beam through your chest to your heart.
• The transducer records the sound wave echoes from your heart.
• A computer converts the echoes into moving images on a monitor.”

This is yet another reminder of why we need to have both the heart and kidneys functioning well. This one is from Heart.org at https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/health-threats-from-high-blood-pressure/how-high-blood-pressure-can-lead-to-kidney-damage-or-failure#:~:text=The%20:

• “Damaged kidney arteries do not filter blood well. Kidneys have small, finger-like nephrons that filter your blood. Each nephron receives its blood supply through tiny hair-like capillaries, the smallest of all blood vessels. When the arteries become damaged, the nephrons do not receive the essential oxygen and nutrients — and the kidneys lose their ability to filter blood and regulate the fluid, hormones, acids and salts in the body.
• Damaged kidneys fail to regulate blood pressure. Healthy kidneys produce a hormone called aldosterone to help the body regulate blood pressure. Kidney damage and uncontrolled high blood pressure each contribute to a negative spiral. As more arteries become blocked and stop functioning, the kidneys eventually fail.”

The American Journal of Kidney Disease at https://www.ajkd.org/article/S0272-6386(18)30598-5/fulltext gives us these final words on why an echocardiogram could be necessary for certain CKD patients:

“Abnormal cardiac structure and function are common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and linked with mortality and heart failure.”

Topic change: We tried Flavis’s high protein spaghetti and found it just as light and delightful as their penne. This, I can endorse.

Oh, before I forget. I like to read… a lot. One of the books I read recently was Ray Flynt’s Transplanted Death. I don’t want to tell you too much about it, except that it is a well-written murder mystery with a good story that revolves around transplant recipients, two of them kidney recipients. I am recommending this book.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Is it Blood Sugar or the Pancreas?

We all know diabetes raises your risk of developing Chronic Kidney Disease. But why? What’s the mechanism behind the fact? As far as I’m concerned, it’s time to find out.

Let’s start with diabetes. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which in turn is part of The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes offers this explanation.

“Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. Sometimes your body doesn’t make enough—or any—insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells.

Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems. Although diabetes has no cure, you can take steps to manage your diabetes and stay healthy.

Sometimes people call diabetes ‘a touch of sugar’ or ‘borderline diabetes.’”

Having just had a tumor removed from my pancreas, I’m well aware that it produces insulin as well as digestive enzymes. Without a pancreas to produce insulin, you would need insulin injections several times a day.

I got what diabetes is, but how it causes CKD was still not clear.

Well, not until I read the following from The American Diabetes Association at https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes/complications/kidney-disease-nephropathy.

“When our bodies digest the protein we eat, the process creates waste products. In the kidneys, millions of tiny blood vessels (capillaries) with even tinier holes in them act as filters. As blood flows through the blood vessels, small molecules such as waste products squeeze through the holes. These waste products become part of the urine. Useful substances, such as protein and red blood cells, are too big to pass through the holes in the filter and stay in the blood.

Diabetes can damage this system. High levels of blood sugar make the kidneys filter too much blood. All this extra work is hard on the filters. After many years, they start to leak and useful protein is lost in the urine. Having small amounts of protein in the urine is called microalbuminuria.

When kidney disease is diagnosed early, during microalbuminuria, several treatments may keep kidney disease from getting worse. Having larger amounts of protein in the urine is called macroalbuminuria. When kidney disease is caught later during macroalbuminuria, end-stage renal disease, or ESRD, usually follows.

In time, the stress of overwork causes the kidneys to lose their filtering ability. Waste products then start to build up in the blood. Finally, the kidneys fail. This failure, ESRD, is very serious. A person with ESRD needs to have a kidney transplant or to have the blood filtered by machine (dialysis).”

Hmmm, now that we know what diabetes is and how it can cause CKD, maybe we need to look at ways to attempt to avoid diabetes.

• “Losing weight and keeping it off. Weight control is an important part of diabetes prevention. You may be able to prevent or delay diabetes by losing 5 to 10 percent of your current weight. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, your goal would be to lose between 10 to 20 pounds. And once you lose the weight, it is important that you don’t gain it back.
• Following a healthy eating plan. It is important to reduce the amount of calories you eat and drink each day, so you can lose weight and keep it off. To do that, your diet should include smaller portions and less fat and sugar. You should also eat a variety of foods from each food group, including plenty of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. It’s also a good idea to limit red meat, and avoid processed meats.
• Get regular exercise. Exercise has many health benefits, including helping you to lose weight and lower your blood sugar levels. These both lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. Try to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week. If you have not been active, talk with your health care professional to figure out which types of exercise are best for you. You can start slowly and work up to your goal.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking can contribute to insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. If you already smoke, try to quit.
• Talk to your health care provider to see whether there is anything else you can do to delay or to prevent type 2 diabetes. If you are at high risk, your provider may suggest that you take one of a few types of diabetes medicines.”

This is a list from NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases posted on MedLinePlus at https://medlineplus.gov/howtopreventdiabetes.html. Notice it’s mentioned that this is for type 2 diabetes.

There are 11 different kinds of diabetes. Types 1 and 2 are the most common. WebMD at https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/types-of-diabetes-mellitus#1 explains what type 1 and 2 are.

“Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition. It’s caused by the body attacking its own pancreas with antibodies. In people with type 1 diabetes, the damaged pancreas doesn’t make insulin…. With Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas usually produces some insulin. But either the amount produced is not enough for the body’s needs, or the body’s cells are resistant to it. Insulin resistance, or lack of sensitivity to insulin, happens primarily in fat, liver, and muscle cells.”

This is all starting to make sense.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Dapagliflozin/SGLT2 inhibitors

I’ve been reading a lot about dapagliflozin lately. That’s a word I didn’t know. And this is the perfect opportunity to learn about it. Ready? Let’s start.

The obvious first stop to my way of thinking was Medline Plus, part of the U.S. Library of Medicine, which in turn, is part of the Institutes of National Health at https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a614015.html.

“Dapagliflozin is used along with diet and exercise, and sometimes with other medications, to lower blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes (condition in which blood sugar is too high because the body does not produce or use insulin normally). Dapagliflozin is in a class of medications called sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. It lowers blood sugar by causing the kidneys to get rid of more glucose in the urine. Dapagliflozin is not used to treat type 1 diabetes (condition in which the body does not produce insulin and, therefore, cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood) or diabetic ketoacidosis (a serious condition that may develop if high blood sugar is not treated).

Over time, people who have diabetes and high blood sugar can develop serious or life-threatening complications, including heart disease, stroke, kidney problems, nerve damage, and eye problems. Taking dapagliflozin, making lifestyle changes (e.g., diet, exercise, quitting smoking), and regularly checking your blood sugar may help to manage your diabetes and improve your health. This therapy may also decrease your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other diabetes-related complications such as kidney failure, nerve damage (numb, cold legs or feet; decreased sexual ability in men and women), eye problems, including changes or loss of vision, or gum disease. Your doctor and other healthcare providers will talk to you about the best way to manage your diabetes.”

SGLT2 inhibitors? Hey, that was going to be next week’s blog… or so ignorant me thought. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/sodium-glucose-cotransporter-2-sglt2-inhibitors explains what a SGLT2 inhibitor is.

“SGLT2 inhibitors are a class of prescription medicines that are FDA-approved for use with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. Medicines in the SGLT2 inhibitor class include canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and empagliflozin. They are available as single-ingredient products and also in combination with other diabetes medicines such as metformin. SGLT2 inhibitors lower blood sugar by causing the kidneys to remove sugar from the body through the urine. The safety and efficacy of SGLT2 inhibitors have not been established in patients with type 1 diabetes, and FDA has not approved them for use in these patients.”

There are also quite a few warnings about amputations and urinary tract infections caused by SGLT2 inhibitors on this site, although they are dated 8/20/18.

 

So it seems that dapagliflozin is one of several medications classified as SGLT2 inhibitor. So let’s concentrate on SGLT2s inhibitors then. Hmmm, is this some medication requiring injections or do you just pop a pill? Pharmacy Times at https://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/health-system-edition/2014/september2014/sglt2-inhibitors-a-new-treatment-option-for-type-2-diabetes more than answered my question. It’s their chart you see above this paragraph.

Wait a minute. According to their chart, dapagliflozin is not recommended if your GFR is below 60, or stage 3 CKD. Canagliflozin is not recommended if your GFR is below 45. Your kidney function is a big factor in whether or not this drug can be prescribed for you.

But why? Exactly how do the kidneys process this drug? The following diagram from The National Center for Biotechnology Information, part of the U.S. National Library, which in turn (again) is part of the National Institutes of Health at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/core/lw/2.0/html/tileshop_pmc/tileshop_pmc_inline.html?title=Click%20on%20image%20to%20zoom&p=PMC3&id=3889318_13300_2013_42_Fig1_HTML.jpg will give you the visual. Basically, the SLGT2 inhibitor prevents the glucose in your blood from re-entering your blood stream after your blood has been filtered. The glucose has nowhere to go, so it exits your body via your urine along with the other wastes.

What about the side effects, since we already know the limitations of prescribing SLTG2 inhibitors? I thought  WebMd at  https://www.medicinenet.com/sglt2_inhibitors_type_2_diabetes_drug_class/article.htm#how_do_sglt2_inhibitors_work might enlighten us and they certainly did.

”On Aug. 29, 2018, the FDA issued a warning that cases of a rare but serious infection of the genitals and area around the genitals have been reported with the class of type 2 diabetes medicines called SGLT2 inhibitors. This serious rare infection, called necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum, is also referred to as Fournier’s gangrene.

SGLT2 inhibitors are FDA-approved for use with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. SGLT2 inhibitors lower blood sugar by causing the kidneys to remove sugar from the body through the urine. First approved in 2013, medicines in the SGLT2 inhibitor class include canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, and ertugliflozin. In addition, empagliflozin is approved to lower the risk of death from heart attack and stroke in adults with type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Untreated, type 2 diabetes can lead to serious problems, including blindness, nerve and kidney damage, and heart disease.

Seek medical attention immediately if you experience any symptoms of tenderness, redness, or swelling of the genitals or the area from the genitals back to the rectum, and have a fever above 100.4 F or a general feeling of being unwell. These symptoms can worsen quickly, so it is important to seek treatment right away.

On May 15, 2015, the FDA informed the public that SGLT2 inhibitors have been associated with increased risk of ketoacidosis in people with diabetes.

Common side effects

The most common side effect of SGLT2 inhibitors include:

• Genital yeast infections in men and women
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Increased urination

• Kidney problems
• Flu like symptoms
• Constipation
• Nasal congestion
• Urinary discomfort
• Back pain

Serious side effects of SGLT2 inhibitors include:

• Kidney failure
• Hyperkalemia (high levels of potassium in the blood)
• Hypotension (low blood pressure)
• Ketoacidosis
• Increased cholesterol levels

• Serious urinary tract infections
• Increased bladder cancer risk
• Serious allergic reactions
• Low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) when combined with insulin or drugs that increase insulin production
• Dehydration”

Whoa. It looks like there will have to be some serious discussions with your nephrologist before you agree to taking a SLGT2 inhibitor should he or she suggest it. Make sure you have your list of questions ready and someone to listen carefully and take notes.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Stay in the Blood, PLEASE

Let’s finish out this lazy, hazy summer month of August with another reader question. This one was quite straight forward:

“Any advice to slow down protein leaking into urine. Hard to build muscle when you keep excreting protein”

The condition of leaking protein into your urine is called proteinuria. That’s almost self-explanatory. The root of the word actually says protein while the suffix (group of related letters added to the end of a word which changes its meaning) is defined as,

“-uria.

1. suffix meaning the “presence of a substance in the urine”: ammoniuria, calciuria, enzymuria.
2. combining form meaning “(condition of) possessing urine”: paruria, polyuria, pyuria.

Thank you to the Medical Dictionary at https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/-uria for the definition of uria.

Okay, so we know that protein is leaking into the urine. Not good. Why? We need it in our blood, not excreted in our urine. The following is from a previous blog on proteinuria. I used the dropdown menu in “Topics” on the right side of the blog page to find it or any other topic listed there. You can, too.

“According to WebMD at https://www.webmd.com/men/features/benefits-protein#1:

‘Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. Hair and nails are mostly made of protein. Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues. You also use protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.’”

Got it. Our reader is correct; it is hard to build muscle if you’re “excreting protein.” Now what? I usually stick to medical sites but this comment from Healthfully at https://healthfully.com/170108-how-to-reduce-excess-protein-in-the-kidney.html caught my eye.

“Continue monitoring how much protein your kidneys are spilling for several months. Since colds and infections can cause transient increases in protein, you will want at least several months of data.”

As Chronic Kidney Disease patients, we usually have quarterly urine tests… or, at least, I do. My urine protein level is included. I did not know that colds and infections are a factor here. Here’s an old urine analysis of mine. You can see Protein, Urine fourth from the bottom.

Component	Your Value	Standard Range
Color, Urine	Yellow	Colorless, Light Yellow, Yellow, Dark Yellow, Straw
Clarity, Urine	Clear	Clear
Glucose, Urine	Negative mg/dL	Negative mg/dL
Bilirubin, Urine	Negative	Negative
Ketones, Urine	Negative mg/dL	Negative mg/dL
Specific Gravity, Urine	1.013	1.007 – 1.026
Blood, Urine	Negative	Negative
pH, Urine	7.0	5.0 – 8.0
Protein, Urine	Negative mg/dL	Negative mg/dL
Urobilinogen, Urine	<2.0 mg/dL	<2.0 mg/dL
Nitrite, Urine	Negative	Negative
Leukocyte Esterase, Urine	Negative	Negative

Let’s say our reader did not have a cold or infection. What else could she do to slow down this loss of protein via her urine?

The American Kidney Fund at http://www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/kidney-problems/protein-in-urine.html suggests the following:

“If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, the first and second most common causes of kidney disease, it is important to make sure these conditions are under control.

If you have diabetes, controlling it will mean checking your blood sugar often, taking medicines as your doctor tells you to, and following a healthy eating and exercise plan. If you have high blood pressure, your doctor may tell you to take a medicine to help lower your blood pressure and protect your kidneys from further damage. The types of medicine that can help with blood pressure and proteinuria are called angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).

If you have protein in your urine, but you do not have diabetes or high blood pressure, an ACE inhibitor or an ARB may still help to protect your kidneys from further damage. If you have protein in your urine, talk to your doctor about choosing the best treatment option for you.”

So far, we’ve discovered that frequent urine testing, determining if you have a cold or infection, keeping your diabetes and blood pressure under control, and/or ACE inhibitors may be helpful. But here’s my eternal question: What else can slow down the spilling of protein into our urine?

The Kidney & Urology Foundation of America, Inc. at http://www.kidneyurology.org/Library/Kidney_Health/Proteinuria.php has some more ideas about that:

“In addition to blood glucose and blood pressure control, restricting dietary salt and protein intake is recommended. Your doctor may refer you to a dietitian to help you develop and follow a healthy eating plan.”

As CKD patients, we know we need to cut down on salt intake. I actually eliminate added salt and have banned the salt shakers from the kitchen. No wonder no one but me likes my cooking. You do lose your taste for salt eventually. After all these years, I taste salt in restaurant food that makes that particular food unpalatable to me.

Hmmm, it seems to me that a list of high protein foods might be helpful here.

POULTRY…

• Skinless chicken breast – 4oz – 183 Calories – 30g Protein – 0 Carbs – 7g Fat
• Skinless chicken (Dark) – 4 oz – 230 Calories – 32g Protein – 0 Carbs – 5g Fat
• Skinless Turkey (White) – 4 oz – 176 Calories – 34g Protein – 0 Carbs – 3.5g Fat
• Skinless Turkey (Dark) – 4 oz – 211 Calories – 31g Protein – 0 Carbs – 8.1 g Fat

FISH…

• Salmon – 3 oz – 119 Calories – 17g Protein – 0 Carbs – 5.5g Fat
• Halibut – 3 oz – 91 Calories – 18g Protein – 0 Carbs – 3g Fat
• Tuna – 1/4 cup – 70 Calories – 18g Protein – 0 Carbs – 0g Fat
• Mackerel – 3 oz – 178 Calories – 16.1g Protein – 0 Carbs – 12g Fat
• Anchovies (packed in water) – 1 oz – 42 Calories – 6g Protein – 1.3g Fat
• Flounder – 1 127g fillet – 149 Calories – 30.7g Protein – 0 Carbs – 0.5g Fat (High Cholesterol)
• Swordfish – 1 piece 106g – 164 Calories – 26.9g Protein – 0 Carbs – 1.5g Fat (High Cholesterol)
• Cod – 1 fillet 180g – 189 Calories – 41.4g protein – 0 Carbs – 0.3g Fat (High Cholesterol)
• Herring – 1 fillet 143g – 290 Calories – 32.9g Protein – 0 Carbs – 3.7g Fat (High Cholesterol)
• Haddock – 1 fillet 150g – 168 Calories – 36.4g Protein – 0 Carbs – 0.3g Fat (High Cholesterol)
• Grouper – fillet 202g – 238 Calories – 50.2g Protein – 0 Carbs – 0.6g Fat (High Cholesterol)
• Snapper – 1 fillet 170g – 218 Calories – 44.7g Protein – 0 Carbs – 0.6g Fat (High Cholesterol)

BEEF…

• Eye of round steak – 3 oz – 276 Calories – 49g Protein – 2.4g Fat
• Sirloin tip side steak – 3 oz -206 Calories – 39g Protein – 2g Fat
• Top sirloin – 3 oz – 319 Calories – 50.9g Protein – 4g Fat
• Bottom round steak – 3 oz – 300 Calories – 47g Protein – 3.5g Fat
• Top round steak – 3 oz – 240 Calories – 37g Protein – 3.1g Fat

PORK…

• Pork loin – 3 oz – 180 Calories – 25g Protein – 0 Carbs – 2.9g Fat (High in cholesterol)
• Tenderloin– 3 oz – 103 Calories – 18g Protein – 0.3g Carbs – 1.2g Fat (High in cholesterol)

GAME MEATS…

• Bison – 3 0z – 152 Calories – 21.6g Protein – 0 Carbs – 3g Fat
• Rabbit – 3 oz – 167 Calories – 24.7g Protein – 0 Carbs – 2.0g Fat
• Venison (Deer loin broiled) – 3 oz – 128 Calories – 25.7g Protein – 0 Carbs – 0.7g Fat

GRAINS…

• Cooked Quinoa – 1/2 cup – 115 Calories – 4.1g Protein – 22 Carbs – 2g Fat
• Cooked Brown Rice – 1/2 cup – 106 Calories – 2.7g Protein – 23 Carbs – 0.7g Fat
• Regular Popcorn (Air Popped no oil) – 1 cup – 60 Calories – 2g Protein – 11 Carbs – 0.6g Fat
• Steel cut Oatmeal – 1 cup – 145 Calories – 7g Protein – 25g Carbs – 2.5g Fat
• Multi grain bread – 1 slice – 68.9 Calories – 3.5g Protein – 11.3g Carbs – 0.2g Fat

BEANS (All nutrition values calculated for cooked beans)…

• Tofu – 1/2 cup – 98 Calories – 11g Protein – 2g Carbs – 6g Fat
• Lentils – 1/2 cup – 119 Calories – 9g Protein – 20g Carbs – 0.3g Fat
• Black beans – 1/2 cup – 115 Calories – 7.8g Protein – 20 Carbs – 0.4g Fat
• Kidney beans – 1/2 cup – 111 Calories – 7.2g Protein – 20.2 Carbs – 0.4g Fat
• Lima beans – 1/2 cup – 110 Calories – 7.4g Protein – 19.7 Carbs – 0.3g Fat
• Soy beans – 1/2 cup – 133 Calories – 11g Protein – 10 Carbs – 5.9g Fat

DAIRY…

• Skim milk – 1 cup – 90 Calories – 9g Protein – 12g Carbs – 4.8g Fat
• Low fat Yogurt – 1 cup – 148 Calories – 12g Protein – 17Carbs – 3.2g Fat
• Non fat Yogurt – 1 cup – 130 Calories – 13g Protein – 16.9 Carbs – 0.4 Fat
• Cheddar cheese – 1 oz – 116 Calories – 7g Protein – 0.4 Carbs – 9.2g Fat
• Low fat Cottage Cheese – 1/2 cup – 82 Calories – 14g Protein – 3.1g Carbs – 0.7g Fat
• One large egg – 73 Calories – 6.6g Protein – 0 Carbs – 6g Fat
• Low fat Milk – 1 cup – 119 Calories – 8g Protein – 12 Carbs – 4.6g Fat

NUTS & SEEDS…

• Raw Almonds – 1 oz about 22 whole – 169 Calories – 22g Carbs – 6.2g Protein – 1.1g Fat
• Raw Pistachios – 1 oz about 49 Kernels – 157 Calories – 7.9g Carbs – 5.8g Protein – 1.5g Fat
• Pumpkin seeds – 1 oz – 28g about 100 hulled seeds – 151 Calories – 5g Carbs – 6.0g Protein – 2.4g Fat
• Raw Macadamia nuts – 1 oz about 10- 12 kernels – 203 Calories – 4g Carbs – 2.2g Protein – 3.4g Fat
• Chia seeds – 1 oz – 137 Calories – 12.3g Carbs – 4.4g Protein – 0.9g Fat
• Walnuts – 1 cup in shell about 7 total – 183 Calories – 3.8g Carbs – 4.3g Protein – 1.7g Fat
• Raw Cashews1oz – 28g – 155 Calories – 9.2g Carbs – 5.1g Protein – 2.2g Fat

MORE HIGH PROTEIN FOODS…

• Natural peanut butter – 1 oz – 146 Calories – 7.3g Protein – 10g Carbs – 1.6g Fat
• Natural almond butter – 1 tbsp – 101 Calories – 2.4g Protein – 3.4 Carbs – 0.9g Fat
• Natural cashew butter – 1 tbsp – 93.9 Calories – 2.8g Protein – 4.4 Carbs – 1.6g Fat
• Hummus – 1 oz – 46.5 Calories – 2.2g Protein – 4.0g Carbs – 0.4g Fat
• Tempeh Cooked – 1 oz – 54 Calories – 5.1g Protein – 2.6g Carbs – 1.0g Fat

There’s a vegan list on the same site. Be leery of protein sources that are not on your kidney diet.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

 

That Looks Swollen

Remember I mentioned that several readers have asked questions that would become blogs? For example, one reader’s question became last week’s blog concerning creatinine and PTH. Another reader’s question became this week’s blog about lymphedema. She was diagnosed with it and wondered if it had anything to do with her protein buildup.

She’s a long time reader and online friend, so she already knows I remind those that ask questions that I am not a doctor and, no matter what I discover, she must speak with her nephrologist before taking any action based on what I wrote. That is always true. I’m a CKD patient just like you. The only difference is that I know how to research (Teaching college level Research Writing taught me a lot.) and happen to have been a writer for decades before I was diagnosed. Just take a look at my Amazon Author Page at amazon.com/author/gailraegarwood . But enough about me.

Anyone know what lymphedema is? I didn’t when I first heard the word, although my Hunter College of C.U.N.Y education as an English teacher gave me some clues. Edema had something to do with swelling under the skin. Actually, we can get more specific with The Free Medical Dictionary at https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/-edema :

“suffix meaning swelling resulting from an excessive accumulation of serous fluid in the tissues of the body in (specified) locations”

I took a guess that lymph had to do with the lymph nodes. Using the same dictionary, but this time at https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/lymph, I found this:

“The almost colourless fluid that bathes body tissues and is found in the lymphatic vessels that drain the tissues of the fluid that filters across the blood vessel walls from blood. Lymph carries antibodies and lymphocytes (white blood cells that help fight infection) that have entered the lymph nodes from the blood.”

Time to attach the suffix (group of letters added at the end of a word that changes its meaning) to the root (most basic meaning of the word) to come up with a definition of lymphedema. No, not my definition, the same dictionary’s.

“Swelling, especially in subcutaneous tissues, as a result of obstruction of lymphatic vessels or lymph nodes, with accumulation of lymph in the affected region.”

I found this definition at https://www.thefreedictionary.com/lymphedema, but if you switch the search options at the top of the page from dictionary to medical dictionary, you’ll find quite a bit of information about lymphedema.

Okay, we know what lymphedema is now but what – if anything – does that have to do with protein buildup? This is the closest I could come to an answer that

1. Wasn’t too medical for me to understand and
2. Had anything to do with the kidneys.

“A thorough medical history and physical examination are done to rule out other causes of limb swelling, such as edema due to congestive heart failure, kidney failure, blood clots, or other conditions.”

It’s from MedicineNet at https://www.medicinenet.com/lymphedema/article.htm#how_is_lymphedema_diagnosed

My friend, while a Chronic Kidney Disease patient, is not in renal failure. Was there something I missed?

Johns Hopkins Medicine at https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/treating-lymphedema gives us our first clue. It seems that lymphedema is a buildup of a specific fluid: protein-rich:

“Lymphedema is an abnormal buildup of protein-rich fluid in any part of the body as a result of malfunction in the lymphatic system.”

Malfunction in the lymphatic system? What could cause that? According to Lymphatic Education & Research at https://lymphaticnetwork.org/living-with-lymphedema/lymphatic-disease:

“Secondary Lymphedema (acquired regional lymphatic insufficiency) is a disease that is common among adults and children in the United States. It can occur following any trauma, infection or surgery that disrupts the lymphatic channels or results in the loss of lymph nodes. Among the more than 3 million breast cancer survivors alone, acquired or secondary lymphedema is believed to be present in approximately 30% of these individuals, predisposing them to the same long-term problems as described above. Lymphedema also results from prostate, uterine, cervical, abdominal, orthopedic cosmetic (liposuction) and other surgeries, malignant melanoma, and treatments used for both Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Radiation, sports injuries, tattooing, and any physical insult to the lymphatic pathways can also cause lymphedema. Even though lymphatic insufficiency may not immediately present at the time any of the events occur, these individuals are at life-long risk for the onset of lymphedema.”

I know the reader who has asked the question has a complex medical history that may include one or more of the conditions listed above. As for the protein buildup, we already know that kidneys which are

not working well don’t filter the protein from your blood as well as they could. So, is there a connection between this reader’s protein buildup and her lymphedema? Sure looks like it.

While the following is from BreastCancer.org at https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/lymphedema/how/start, it is a simple explanation that may apply to other causes of lymphedema, too:

“… lymph nodes and vessels can’t keep up with the tissues’ need to get rid of extra fluid, proteins (Gail here: my bolding), and waste.… the proteins and wastes do not get filtered out of the lymph as efficiently as they once did. Very gradually, waste and fluid build up…. “

Ready for a topic change? The World Health Organization offers this pictograph for our information. Notice diabetes, one of the main causes of Chronic Kidney Disease.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Which Comes First?

Periodically, a blog will actually be the response to a reader’s question. I’ve received several questions lately. The first thing I do when I receive a question is to be sure the reader understands that I am not a doctor and that no matter what I research for them, they must clear the information with their nephrologist before taking any action. Today’s question was asked by a long time reader who already understands my terms for researching for her.

That’s a pretty big build up for a common sense question. But, at least now you understand how I handle reader questions and may want to ask one (or more) of your own.

Back to the question at hand: What is the connection between PTH and creatinine and which causes a problem with the other?

What’s PTH, you ask. Let’s find out. You and your Hormones: an educational source from the Society of Endocrinology at https://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/parathyroid-hormone/ was a great deal of help here:

“Alternative names for parathyroid hormone

PTH; parathormone; parathyrin

What is parathyroid hormone?

The parathyroid glands are located in the neck, just behind the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland.

Parathyroid hormone is secreted from four parathyroid glands, which are small glands in the neck, located behind the thyroid gland. Parathyroid hormone regulates calcium levels in the blood, largely by increasing the levels when they are too low. It does this through its actions on the kidneys, bones and intestine:

1. Bones – parathyroid hormone stimulates the release of calcium from large calcium stores in the bones into the bloodstream. This increases bone destruction and decreases the formation of new bone.
2. Kidneys – parathyroid hormone reduces loss of calcium in urine. Parathyroid hormone also stimulates the production of active vitamin D in the kidneys.
3. Intestine – parathyroid hormone indirectly increases calcium absorption from food in the intestine, via its effects on vitamin D metabolism”

Got it? Okay then let’s remind ourselves what creatinine is. I wrote the following in last December 24^th’s blog:

“A good place to start is always at the beginning. By this, I wonder if I mean the beginning of my Chronic Kidney Disease awareness advocacy as the author of What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease and the blog or if I mean the basics about creatinine. Let’s combine them all. The following definition is from the book which became the earliest blogs:

‘Creatinine clearance: Compares the creatinine level in your urine with that in your blood to provide information about your kidney function’

Hmmm, that didn’t exactly work. Let’s try again. Bingo! It was in SlowItDownCKD 2014,

‘Creatinine: chemical waste product that’s produced by our muscle metabolism and to a smaller extent by eating meat. {MayoClinic.org}”

That was nine years ago, but the information remains the same today.

So now, we know what both PTH and creatinine are, but what’s the connection? According to VIVO Pathophysiology, Colorado State University at http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/thyroid/pth.html :

“Suppression of calcium loss in urine: In addition to stimulating fluxes of calcium into blood from bone and intestine, parathyroid hormone puts a brake on excretion of calcium in urine, thus conserving calcium in blood. This effect is mediated by stimulating tubular reabsorption of calcium. Another effect of parathyroid hormone on the kidney is to stimulate loss of phosphate ions in urine.”

To recap so far, we know what both PTH and creatinine are and what the connection between the two is. Now we need to know if one causes the other and, if so, which.

“Chronic kidney failure. Your kidneys convert vitamin D into a form that your body can use. If your kidneys function poorly, usable vitamin D may decline and calcium levels drop. Chronic kidney failure is the most common cause of secondary hyperparathyroidism.”

Thank you to the Mayo Clinic at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyperparathyroidism/symptoms-causes/syc-20356194 for this information.

 

Whoops! You may need a few reminders to understand the Mayo Clinic’s information, so here they are. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium properly. Calcium is necessary for strong bones and teeth. Many people don’t know it’s also necessary for blood clotting, nerves and heart. “Hyper” means over or, in this case, high as in above the necessary. Remember that when calcium or vitamin D is low, PTH rises. In my mind’s eye, I see a scale balancing the two out.

I did not find any information about PTH causing high creatinine. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any. It just means there isn’t any I could access. I found a journal site that looked promising, but it turned out to be for endocrinologists only. Too bad for us.

I do hope I’ve answered my reader’s question to her satisfaction. I know I enjoyed learning all this new information. You’re right: that’s my signal for a topic change.

“The Kidney Project is a national research initiative with a goal to create a small, surgically implanted, and free-standing bioartificial kidney to treat renal failure. RSN Founder and President Lori Hartwell catches up with Dr. Shuvo Roy who is a bioengineer professor at the University of California San Francisco to learn what is next for the Kidney Project and when clinical trials might begin. Dr. Shuvo Roy is passionate about this device that will mimic the kidneys and take the place of dialysis. Listen in to this exciting and hopeful show.

Listen in to the first conversation about the Kidney Project with Dr. Shuvo Roy.

 Learn more about the Kidney Project and Dr. Shuvo Roy”

It’s an exciting time in the world of Chronic Kidney Disease Awareness right now. Even the government has acknowledged it’s time to deal with CKD patients. Keep on the lookout for more and more updates.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

No Longer a Transfusion Virgin

I’ve been thinking about the similarities between Chronic Kidney Disease treatment and Pancreatic Cancer treatment… or, at least, my Pancreatic Cancer treatment. Some are superficial, like going to the Research Institute several days a week for chemotherapy and those on dialysis going to the dialysis center several days a week for dialysis.

Some are not. A current topic of similarity was an eye opener for me. I am 72 years old and have never had a transfusion before last Monday. I’d gone to the Research Institute where I’m part of a clinical trial for a simple non-chemotherapy day checkup. This supposedly two hour appointment turned into almost eight hours. Why?

If you can understand these labs, you’ll know. If not, no problem. You know I’ll explain.

Component	Your Value	Standard Range
RBC	2.23 10ˆ6/uL	3.50 – 5.40 10ˆ6/uL
Hemoglobin	6.8 g/dL	12.0 – 16.0 g/dL
Hematocrit	19.7 %	36.0 – 48.0 %
RDW	16.0 %	11.5 – 14.5 %
Platelets	15 K/uL	130 – 450 K/uL

Let’s start at the top of the list. RBC stands for red blood cells. MedicineNet at https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5260 tells us:

“Red blood cells: The blood cells that carry oxygen. Red cells contain hemoglobin and it is the hemoglobin which permits them to transport oxygen (and carbon dioxide). Hemoglobin, aside from being a transport molecule, is a pigment. It gives the cells their red color (and their name).

The abbreviation for red blood cells is RBCs. Red blood cells are sometime simply called red cells. They are also called erythrocytes or, rarely today, red blood corpuscles.”

So it makes sense that if RBC is below the standard range (column on the right), the hemoglobin will also be. And where are RBCs produced? Let’s trot on over to the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Disease (NIKKD) at https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/anemia for the answer to that one:

“Healthy kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin (EPO). A hormone is a chemical produced by the body and released into the blood to help trigger or regulate particular body functions. EPO prompts the bone marrow to make red blood cells, which then carry oxygen throughout the body.

What causes anemia in chronic kidney disease?

When kidneys are diseased or damaged, they do not make enough EPO. As a result, the bone marrow makes fewer red blood cells, causing anemia. When blood has fewer red blood cells, it deprives the body of the oxygen it needs.”

Now, this is not saying all CKD patients will have anemia, although it is common is the later stages of the disease. Chemotherapy had a lot to do with this, too.

What about this hematocrit? What is that? I went to the University of Rochester’s Health Encyclopedia at https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=167&contentid=hematocrit for help here:

“This test measures how much of your blood is made up of red blood cells.

Normal blood contains white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, and the fluid portion called plasma. The word hematocrit means to separate. In this test, your red blood cells are separated from the rest of your blood so they can be measured.

Your hematocrit (HCT) shows whether you have a normal amount of red blood cells, too many, or too few. To measure your HCT, your blood sample is spun at a high speed to separate the red blood cells.”

MedicalNewsToday at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321568.php helps us understand the RDW or red cell distribution width:

“If the results of a CBC [Gail here: that’s the complete blood count.] show low levels of red blood cells or hemoglobin, this usually suggests anemia. Doctors will then try to determine the cause of the condition using the RDW and other tests.”

So, we’re back to anemia. By the way, cancer is one of the diseases that can cause high numbers on your RDW. CKD is not, but diabetes – one of the primary causes of CKD – is.

I added platelets to the list since they are such an integral part of your blood. MedLinePlus at https://medlineplus.gov/plateletdisorders.html explains succinctly just what they are and what they do:

“Platelets, also known as thrombocytes, are small pieces of blood cells. They form in your bone marrow, a sponge-like tissue in your bones. Platelets play a major role in blood clotting. Normally, when one of your blood vessels is injured, you start to bleed. Your platelets will clot (clump together) to plug the hole in the blood vessel and stop the bleeding. You can have different problems with your platelets:

If your blood has a low number of platelets, it is called thrombocytopenia. This can put you at risk for mild to serious bleeding. The bleeding could be external or internal. There can be various causes. If the problem is mild, you may not need treatment. For more serious cases, you may need medicines or blood or platelet transfusions….”

I had my second infusion of platelets along with my first transfusion last week.

I’ve offered a multitude of definitions today. The point here is that both CKD patients and chemotherapy patients (and others suffering from a host of maladies) may need transfusions.

Right. I haven’t discussed what a transfusion is yet. Dictionary.com at https://www.dictionary.com/browse/transfusion defines it a little simplistically for us:

“the direct transferring of blood, plasma, or the like into a blood vessel.”

The MayoClinic at https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/blood-transfusion/about/pac-20385168 adds:

“Your blood will be tested before a transfusion to determine whether your blood type is A, B, AB or O and whether your blood is Rh positive or Rh negative. The donated blood used for your transfusion must be compatible with your blood type.”

That’s when we discovered my son-in-law and I have the same blood type. Nice to know… just in case, you understand.

Before I leave you today, I want to remind my USA readers that this is Memorial Day. Having married a veteran, I now understand that we are honoring those who gave their saves to preserve ours no matter how long ago or how recent. Please give them a moment of your thoughts.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

World Kidney Day, 2019

Will you look at that? The world keeps moving on no matter what’s going on in our personal lives. And so, I recognize that Thursday of this week is World Kidney Day. In honor of this occasion, I’ve chosen to update last year’s World Kidney Day blog… so sit back and enjoy the read.

…World Kidney Day? What’s that? I discovered this is a fairly new designation. It was only thirteen years ago that it was initiated.

 

According to http://worldkidneyday.org,

“World Kidney Day is a global awareness campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of our kidneys.”

Sound familiar?  That’s where I’m heading with What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease; SlowItDownCKD 2011; SlowItDownCKD 2012; SlowItDownCKD 2013; SlowItDownCKD 2014; SlowItDownCKD 2015; SlowItDownCKD 2016; SlowItDownCKD 2017; Facebook; Instagram; LinkedIn; Pinterest; Twitter; and this blog. We may be running along different tracks, but we’re headed in the same direction.

The 59 year old International Society of Nephrology (ISN) – a non-profit group spreading over 155 countries – is one part of the equation for their success.  Another is the International Federation of Kidney Foundations with membership in over 40 countries. Add a steering committee and The World Kidney Day Team and you have the makings of this particular concept….

According to their website at https://www.theisn.org/advocacy/world-kidney-day :

“The mission of World Kidney Day is to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.

Objectives:

• Raise awareness about our ‘amazing kidneys’
• Highlight that diabetes and high blood pressure are key risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
• Encourage systematic screening of all patients with diabetes and hypertension for CKD
• Encourage preventive behaviors
• Educate all medical professionals about their key role in detecting and reducing the risk of CKD, particularly in high risk populations
• Stress the important role of local and national health authorities in controlling the CKD epidemic.”

While there are numerous objectives for this year’s World Kidney Day, the one that lays closest to my heart is this one: ‘Encourage systematic screening of all patients with diabetes and hypertension for CKD.’

Back to World Kidney Day’s website at https://www.worldkidneyday.org  now, if you please.

This year’s theme is Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere.

Their site offers materials and ideas for events as well as a map of global events. Prepare to be awed at how wide spread World Kidney Day events are.

Before you leave their page, take a detour to Kidney FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on the toolbar at the top of the page.  You can learn everything you need to know from what the kidneys do to what the symptoms (or lack thereof) of CKD are, from how to treat CKD to a toolbox full of helpful education about your kidneys to preventative measures.

If only my nurse practitioner had been aware of National Kidney Month or World Kidney Day, she could have warned me immediately that I needed to make lifestyle changes so the decline of my kidney function could have been slowed down earlier. How much more of my kidney function would I still have if I’d known earlier? That was a dozen years ago. This shouldn’t still be happening… but it is.

I received a phone call a few years ago that just about broke my heart.  Someone very dear to me sobbed, “He’s dying.” When I calmed her down, she explained a parent was sent to a nephrologist who told him he has end stage renal disease and needed dialysis or transplantation immediately.

I pried a little trying to get her to admit he’d been diagnosed before end stage, but she simply didn’t know what I was talking about. There had been no diagnose of Chronic Kidney Disease up to this point. There was diabetes, apparently out of control diabetes, but no one impressed upon this man that diabetes is the foremost cause of CKD.

What a waste of the precious time he could have had to do more than stop smoking, which he did (to his credit), the moment he was told it would help with the diabetes.  Would he be where he was then if his medical practitioners had been aware of National Kidney Month or World Kidney Day, especially since this man was high risk due to his age and diabetes?  I fervently believe so.

I have a close friend who was involved in the local senior center where she lives.  She said she didn’t know anyone else but me who had this disease.  Since 1 out of every 7 people does nationally (That’s 15% of the adult population) and being over 60 places you in a high risk group, I wonder how many of her friends were included in the 96% of those in the early stage of CKD who don’t know they have CKD or don’t even know they need to be tested.  I’d have rather been mistaken here, but I’m afraid I wasn’t. National Kidney Month or World Kidney Day could have helped them become aware.

For those of you who have forgotten (Easily read explanations of what results of the different items on your tests mean are in What Is It And How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease.), all it takes is a blood test and a urine test to detect CKD.  I have routine blood tests every three months to monitor a medication I’m taking.  It was in this test, a test I took anyway, that my family physician uncovered Chronic Kidney Disease as a problem.

There is so much free education about CKD online. Maybe you can start with the blogroll on the right side of the blog or hit “Apps” on the Topics Dropdown. None of us needs to hear another sorrowful, “If only I had known!”

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Pancreas + Kidneys = ?

31 years ago, my father died of pancreatic cancer. For some reason, I remember him asking me what electrolytes were as soon as he was diagnosed. I didn’t know. I do now, but I don’t know if there’s a connection between the pancreas and the kidneys. Of course, I mean other than the fact that they are all organs in your body.

Oh, sorry, I didn’t give you the definition. This is from Healthline at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/electrolytes  :

“’Electrolyte’ is the umbrella term for particles that carry a positive or negative electric charge ….

In nutrition, the term refers to essential minerals found in your blood, sweat and urine.

When these minerals dissolve in a fluid, they form electrolytes — positive or negative ions used in metabolic processes.

Electrolytes found in your body include:

• Sodium
• Potassium
• Chloride
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Phosphate
• Bicarbonate

These electrolytes are required for various bodily processes, including proper nerve and muscle function, maintaining acid-base balance and keeping you hydrated.”

Ummm, you have Chronic Kidney Disease. These are the electrolytes you need to keep an eye on, especially sodium, potassium, and phosphate. But why did Dad ask me about them?

I plunged right in to find the answer and immediately found a journal article… on a pay site. Not being one to pay for what can be found for free (and is 30 years old, by the way), I decided to look for as much information on the pancreas as I could find and see what we could figure out together.

Let’s start at the beginning. According to the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center of Johns Hopkins Medicine – Pathology at http://pathology.jhu.edu/pc/basicoverview1.php?area=ba:

“What is the pancreas?

The pancreas is a long flattened gland located deep in the belly (abdomen). Because the pancreas isn’t seen or felt in our day to day lives, most people don’t know as much about the pancreas as they do about other parts of their bodies. The pancreas is, however, a vital part of the digestive system and a critical controller of blood sugar levels.

Where is the pancreas?

The pancreas is located deep in the abdomen. Part of the pancreas is sandwiched between the stomach and the spine. The other part is nestled in the curve of the duodenum (first part of the small intestine). To visualize the position of the pancreas, try this: touch your right thumb and right ‘pinkie’ fingers together, keeping the other three fingers together and straight. Then, place your hand in the center of your belly just below your lower ribs with your fingers pointing to your left. Your hand will be the approximate shape and at the approximate level of your pancreas.”

I tried that. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

So now we sort of know what and where it is, but what does it do? No problem, Columbia University Irving Medical Center has just the info we need at http://columbiasurgery.org/pancreas/pancreas-and-its-functions:

“Exocrine Function:

The pancreas contains exocrine glands that produce enzymes important to digestion. These enzymes include trypsin and chymotrypsin to digest proteins; amylase for the digestion of carbohydrates; and lipase to break down fats. When food enters the stomach, these pancreatic juices are released into a system of ducts that culminate in the main pancreatic duct. The pancreatic duct joins the common bile duct to form the ampulla of Vater which is located at the first portion of the small intestine, called the duodenum. The common bile duct originates in the liver and the gallbladder and produces another important digestive juice called bile. The pancreatic juices and bile that are released into the duodenum, help the body to digest fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Endocrine Function:

The endocrine component of the pancreas consists of islet cells (islets of Langerhans) that create and release important hormones directly into the bloodstream. Two of the main pancreatic hormones are insulin, which acts to lower blood sugar, and glucagon, which acts to raise blood sugar. Maintaining proper blood sugar levels is crucial to the functioning of key organs including the brain, liver, and kidneys.”

The kidneys? Now it’s starting to make sense. We need whatever specific electrolyte balance our lab work tells us we need to keep our kidneys working in good stead and we need a well-functioning pancreas to regulate our blood sugars. Hmmm, diabetes is one of the two leading causes of CKD. It seems the pancreas controls diabetes since it creates insulin.

What could happen if the pancreas wasn’t doing its job, I wondered.  This is from the Mayo Clinic at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pancreatitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20360227,

“Pancreatitis [Me here: that’s an inflammation of the pancreas] can cause serious complications, including:

• Pseudocyst. Acute pancreatitis can cause fluid and debris to collect in cystlike pockets in your pancreas. A large pseudocyst that ruptures can cause complications such as internal bleeding and infection.
• Infection. Acute pancreatitis can make your pancreas vulnerable to bacteria and infection. Pancreatic infections are serious and require intensive treatment, such as surgery to remove the infected tissue.
• Kidney failure. Acute pancreatitis may cause kidney failure, which can be treated with dialysis if the kidney failure is severe and persistent.
• Breathing problems. Acute pancreatitis can cause chemical changes in your body that affect your lung function, causing the level of oxygen in your blood to fall to dangerously low levels.
• Diabetes. Damage to insulin-producing cells in your pancreas from chronic pancreatitis can lead to diabetes, a disease that affects the way your body uses blood sugar.
• Malnutrition. Both acute and chronic pancreatitis can cause your pancreas to produce fewer of the enzymes that are needed to break down and process nutrients from the food you eat. This can lead to malnutrition, diarrhea and weight loss, even though you may be eating the same foods or the same amount of food.
• Pancreatic cancer. Long-standing inflammation in your pancreas caused by chronic pancreatitis is a risk factor for developing pancreatic cancer.

Did you catch kidney failure and diabetes? I believe we now know how the kidneys and pancreas are related to each other. Ah, if only I’d known how to research 31 years ago….

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

A Creatinine Christmas Present

Tomorrow is Christmas and a Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate. The day after Christmas Kwanzaa begins, so a Happy Kwanzaa to those of you who celebrate. But back to Christmas right now: today’s blog is a present to a reader who joined me way back when I first started blogging and has since become a close online friend.

You see, her creatinine is rising but she’s barely eating and – since she has multiple physical conditions – can’t exercise. She’s flummoxed and so was I because food and muscle waste are the two usual causes of rising creatinine levels in the blood. I decided to try to help her sort this out now even though she’ll be seeing her nephrologist right after the New Year.

A good place to start is always at the beginning. By this, I wonder if I mean the beginning of my Chronic Kidney Disease awareness advocacy as the author of What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease and the blog or if I mean the basics about creatinine. Let’s combine them all. The following definition is from the book which became the earliest blogs:

“Creatinine clearance: Compares the creatinine level in your urine with that in your blood to provide information about your kidney function”

Hmmm, that didn’t exactly work. Let’s try again. Bingo! It was in SlowItDownCKD 2014,

“Creatinine: chemical waste product that’s produced by our muscle metabolism and to a smaller extent by eating meat. {MayoClinic.org}”

Red meat? No, that’s not it. My friend doesn’t eat meat at all, as far as I know. Beaumont Hospital Kidney Centre at http://www.beaumont.ie/kidneycentre-forpatients-aguidetokidneydisease-die offers the following information concerning food and creatinine:

“Protein intake from the diet is important during the progression of chronic kidney disease and also when you commence dialysis. The protein we eat is used for tissue repair and growth. Any unused protein is broken down into waste products, including urea and creatinine. As your kidneys are unable to excrete urea and creatinine properly, they build up in your blood and cause symptoms such as nausea and loss of appetite.

By eating large amounts of protein foods e.g. meat, fish, chicken, eggs, cheese, milk and yoghurt before commencing dialysis [Me here, that means those of us who are pre-dialysis like me], you will affect the buildup of urea and creatinine in your blood. An appropriate daily intake of protein should be advised by your dietician.

However, once dialysis treatment has commenced it is important to make sure that your body is getting enough protein to prevent malnutrition. Some of your stores of protein are lost during the haemodialysis and CAPD sessions. How much protein you need depends on your body size and is specific to each individual.”

And the ‘muscle metabolism’ in our definition? This deals with the way muscles use energy. The waste product of this process is creatinine.

Medical News Today at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320113.php had something to say about exercise and creatinine:

“Strenuous exercise, such as weight training or resistance exercise, may cause high creatinine levels.

Muscle activity produces creatinine; the more the muscles work, the more creatinine is in the blood. While regular exercise is essential for good health, overexertion can cause the creatinine levels in the blood to spike.

A 2012 study noted that intense exercise increased creatinine levels in the bloodstream temporarily. It may be best for people to avoid strenuous activity until they have completed any treatment for the cause of the high creatinine levels.

However, people should not avoid exercise altogether, except in some extreme circumstances.

To maintain their exercise regimen, people who like weight training or resistance exercises could switch to yoga and body weight exercises during treatment. People who prefer cardio exercises, such as running or cycling, could consider changing to walking or swimming.”

My friend does not exercise. So what else could it be that is raising her creatinine? I went to New Health Advisor at https://www.newhealthadvisor.com/causes-of-elevated-creatinine.html which was quite comprehensive in answering the question.

“Kidney diseases or disorders can lead to high creatinine levels. Since the kidneys are the filters of wastes from the bloodstream, kidney damage means that there will be a buildup of creatinine beside other waste products in the body. Kidney conditions such as glomerulonephritis, acute tubular necrosis, kidney infection (pyelonephritis) and kidney failure can cause high creatinine levels. Reduced blood flow to the kidneys can also have a similar effect.

Other causes of elevated creatinine levels in blood include shock, dehydration, and congestive heart failure. These conditions lead to a reduction in blood flow to the kidneys, which interferes with their normal functions. High blood pressure, diabetic neuropathy, muscular dystrophy, rhabdomyolysis, eclampsia, and preeclampsia can also cause elevated serum creatinine.

In case a patient with renal dysfunction gets an infection like pneumonia, urinary tract infection, intestinal infection, or a cold, the creatinine level may rise within a short time.

Urine abnormalities such as long-term hematuria and proteinuria can also lead to high creatinine levels.

Taking drugs that have renal toxicity properties can also raise the levels of creatinine in the bloodstream. Such medications include chemotherapy drugs, ACE inhibitors, and NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofen among others.”

They also included excessive exercise, too much protein in the diet, fatigue, and inadequate rest.

I noticed each site I looked at mentioned that creatinine increase could be temporary. Perhaps a re-test is in order for my friend.

I know you’re already asking why she was surprised to find this on her lab report. She already has CKD which could be a cause of high creatinine levels. What worried her is that they are rising. Is her CKD getting worse? Or did she neglect to get adequate rest (as one possibility) before this particular blood test?

I can’t answer that since I’m not a doctor, although I hope I’ve been able to alleviate her worry until she gets to go to her nephrologist next week. Here’s hoping this was a welcome Christmas present, my friend.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

The Dynamic Duo

Sorry Batman, not yours. I’m writing about Chronic Kidney Disease and diabetes. For a decade, I’ve been told diabetes is the number one cause of CKD. Got it… and (as you know) CKD. Then I learned that CKD can cause diabetes. Ummm, okay, I guess that sort of makes sense. And then, oh my, I developed diabetes. But how? I’d never questioned how that worked before, but I certainly did now.

Let’s go back to the beginning here. First of all, what is diabetes? I included this information in SlowItDownCKD 2013:

“According to MedicalNewsToday at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/diabetes:

‘Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically experience polyuria (frequent urination), they will become increasingly thirsty (polydipsia) and hungry (polyphagia).’”

Guilty on all three counts as far as symptoms. It gets worse. I uncovered this fact in SlowItDownCKD 2014:

“According to Diabetes.co.uk at https://www.diabetes.co.uk/how-does-diabetes-affect-the-body.html,

‘The kidneys are another organ that is at particular risk of damage as a result of diabetes and the risk is again increased by poorly controlled diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.’”

This is getting more and more complicated. But again, how is diabetes damaging my kidneys?

It seemed to me that I had just posted a fact about this on SlowItDownCKD’s Facebook page, so I checked. Yep, I did on September 7^th.

“Did you know that high glucose levels can make your red blood cells stiffen? This hinders your blood circulation.”

And this affects the kidneys how? Let’s think about this a minute. Way back when I wrote What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, I included this information:

“A renal artery carries the blood, waste and water to the kidneys while a renal vein carries the filtered and sieved waste from the kidneys.”

The American Society of Hematology at http://www.hematology.org/Patients/Basics/ tells us there are four parts of the blood:

1. Red blood cells
2. White blood cells
3. Plasma
4. Platelets

Hmmm, so red blood cells compose one quarter of your blood and high glucose can make them stiffen. To me, that means a quarter of your blood will be working against you.  Not what we need… especially when we’re already dealing with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Back to my original question (again): How do high glucose levels affect the kidneys?

Thank you to the National Kidney Foundation at https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/Diabetes-and-Kidney-Disease-Stages1-4 for exactly the answer I was looking for:

• Blood vessels inside your kidneys. The filtering units of the kidney are filled with tiny blood vessels. Over time, high sugar levels in the blood can cause these vessels to become narrow and clogged. Without enough blood, the kidneys become damaged and albumin (a type of protein) passes through these filters and ends up in the urine where it should not be.
• Nerves in your body. Diabetes can also cause damage to the nerves in your body. Nerves carry messages between your brain and all other parts of your body, including your bladder. They let your brain know when your bladder is full. But if the nerves of the bladder are damaged, you may not be able to feel when your bladder is full. The pressure from a full bladder can damage your kidneys.
• Urinary tract. If urine stays in your bladder for a long time, you may get a urinary tract infection. This is because of bacteria. Bacteria are tiny organisms like germs that can cause disease. They grow rapidly in urine with a high sugar level. Most often these infections affect the bladder, but they can sometimes spread to the kidneys.

I would say I’m heart… uh, kidney…broken about this development, but the truth is I’m not. I don’t like it; I don’t want it, but I can do something about it. I’d already cut out complex carbs and sugar laden foods in an abortive attempt to lose weight for my health. Well, maybe my daughter’s wedding on October 6^th had something to do with that decision, too.

The point is, I’ve started. I’m aware of the carbohydrates in food and I’m learning how to control my intake of them… just as I’m aware that I have to break in the shoes for the wedding. Something new has to be gotten used to. I’ve had a head start.

Why the emphasis on carbs, you ask. I turned to my old favorite The National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases at https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/diet-eating-physical-activity/carbohydrate-counting  for help:

“When you eat foods containing carbohydrates, your digestive system breaks down the sugars and starches into glucose. Glucose is one of the simplest forms of sugar. Glucose then enters your bloodstream from your digestive tract and raises your blood glucose levels. The hormone insulin, which comes from the pancreas or from insulin shots, helps cells throughout your body absorb glucose and use it for energy. Once glucose moves out of the blood into cells, your blood glucose levels go back down.”

If you’ve got diabetes, your body either is not producing enough insulin or not interacting well with the insulin it is producing. Measuring my blood sugar levels when I awaken in the morning has shown me that when I’m sleeping – when I cannot help my blood sugar levels come down by eating protein or exercising, even in my dreams – is when I have the highest blood sugar. During the day I can keep it under control.

And that’s where my medication comes in. The usual – Metformin – can cause nausea, which I deal with more often than not, so that was out. However, a new medication on the market just might do the trick. It’s only been a few days, but I do notice my blood sugar upon waking is getting lower each day. This medication is not a panacea. I still have to be careful with my food, exercise daily, and sometimes counteract a high carb food with a protein. I’m not there yet, but I’m learning.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Last Week, The Country… This Week, The World

Last week, I wrote about a U.S. clinical trial program, AllofUs Research Program. This week we’re going global. Huh? What’s that, you ask. It’s KidneyX.

I can just feel you rolling your eyes. (Ask my children if you don’t think I can do that.)  Hold on a minute and I’ll let KidneyX explain what they are from their website at http://www.kidneyx.org.

“The Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX) is a public-private partnership to accelerate innovation in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney diseases. KidneyX seeks to improve the lives of the 850 million people worldwide currently affected by kidney diseases by accelerating the development of drugs, devices, biologics and other therapies across the spectrum of kidney care including:

Prevention

Diagnostics

Treatment”

I know, I know. Now you want to know why you should be getting excited about this program you don’t know much about. Let’s put it this way. There hasn’t been all that much change in the treatment of kidney disease since it was recognized. When was that? This question was answered in SlowItDownCKD 2015:

“…nephrologist Veeraish Chauhan from his ‘A Brief History of the Field of Nephrology’ in which he emphasizes how young the field of modern nephrology is.

‘Dr. Smith was an American physician and physiologist who was almost singlehandedly responsible for our current understanding of how the kidneys work. He dominated the field of twentieth century Nephrology so much that it is called the “Smithian Era of Renal Physiology“ .He wrote the veritable modern Bible of Nephrology titled, The Kidney: Structure and Function in Health and Disease. This was only in 1951.”

1951?????? It looks like I’m older than the history of kidney disease treatment is. Of course, there were earlier attempts by other people (Let’s not forget Dr. Bright who discovered kidney disease in the early 1800s.) But treatment?

Hmmm, how did Dr. Smith treat kidney disease I wondered as I started writing about KidneyX.

Clinics in Mother and Child Health was helpful here. I turned to their “A Short History of Nephrology Up to the 20^th Century” at https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/a-short-historic-view-of-nephrology-upto-the-20th-century-2090-7214-1000195.php? and found this information:

“His NYU time has been called the Smithian Era of renal physiology for his monumental research clarifying glomerular filtration, tubular absorption, and secretion of solutes in renal physiology …. His work established the concept that the kidney worked according to principles of physiology both as a filter and also as a secretory organ. Twenty-first century clinical nephrology stems from his work and teaching on the awareness of normal and abnormal functioning of the kidney.”

I see, so first the physiology and function of the kidney had to be understood before the disease could be treated.

 

I thought I remembered sodium intake as part of the plan to treat CKD way before the Smithian Era. I was wrong. This is also from SlowItDownCKD 2015:

“With all our outcry about following a low sodium diet, it was a bit shocking to realize that when this was first suggested as a way to avoid edema in 1949, it was practically dismissed. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the importance of a low sodium diet in Chronic Kidney Disease was acknowledged.”

Aha! So one of our dietary restrictions wasn’t accepted until the 1970s. I was already teaching high school English by then. Things did seem to be moving slowly when it came to Chronic Kidney Disease treatment.

Let’s see if I can find something more recent. This, from the National Kidney Fund at https://www.kidney.org/professionals/guidelines/guidelines_commentaries sounds promising, but notice that this has only been around since 1997. That’s only 21 years ago. It has been updated several times, but there doesn’t seem to be that much difference… or maybe I just didn’t understand the differences.

“The National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF KDOQI)™ has provided evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for all stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and related complications since 1997…. KDOQI also convenes a small work group of U.S. based experts to review relevant international guidelines and write commentary to help the U.S. audience better understand applicability in their local clinical environment.

Clinical Practice Guidelines are documents that present evidence-based recommendations to aid clinicians in the treatment of particular diseases or groups of patients. They are not intended to be mandates but tools to help physicians, patients, and caregivers make treatment decisions that are right for the individual. With all guidelines, clinicians should be aware that circumstances may appear that require straying from the published recommendations.”

Time to get back to KidneyX before I run out of room in today’s blog. Here’s more that will explain their purpose:

“Principles

• Patient-Centered Ensure all product development is patient-centered
• Urgent Create a sense of urgency to meet the needs of people with kidney diseases
• Achievable Ground in scientifically-driven technology development
• Catalytic Reduce regulatory and financial risks to catalyze investment in kidney space
• Collaborative Foster multidisciplinary collaboration including innovators throughout science and technology, the business community, patients, care partners, and other stakeholders
• Additive Address barriers to innovation public/private sectors do not otherwise
• Sustainable Invest in a diverse portfolio to balance risk and sustain KidneyX”

This may explain why think tanks for kidney patients, all types of kidney patients, are beginning to become more prevalent.

Let’s go back to the website for more information. This is how they plan to succeed:

“Building off the success of similar public-private accelerators, KidneyX will engage a community of researchers, innovators, and investors to bring breakthrough therapies to patients by:

Development

Driving patient access to disruptive technologies via competitive, non-dilutive funding to innovators.

Coordination

Providing a clearer and less expensive path to bringing products to patients and their families.

Urgency

Creating a sense of urgency by spotlighting the immediate needs of patients and their families.”

One word jumped out at me: urgency. I am being treated for my CKD the same way CKD patients have been treated for decades…and decades. It’s time for a change.

One thing that doesn’t change is that we celebrate Memorial Day in the U.S. every year. And every year, I honor those who have died to protect my freedom and thank my lucky stars that Bear is not one of them. There is no way to describe the gratitude those of us who haven’t served in the military – like me – owe to those who have and lost their lives in doing so.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

All of Me, uh, Us

When I was a little girl, I liked to listen to my father whistle ‘All of Me,’ written by Marks and Simon in 1931 when Charlie, my father, was just 16. Only a few years later, it became a sort of love language for my mother and him. Enter a former husband of my own and my children. When my folks visited from Florida and my then husband’s side of the family journeyed over to Staten Island from Brooklyn to visit them, they all sang the song with great emotion. (By then, Bell’s palsy had robbed my father of the ability to whistle.)

To this day, I start welling up when I hear that song. But then I started thinking about the lyrics:

“All of me
Why not take all of me?”

Suddenly, it popped. For us, those with chronic kidney disease, it should be:

“All of us

Why not take all of us?”

For research purposes. To “speed up health research breakthroughs.” For help in our lifetime. To spare future generations whatever it is we’re suffering… and not just for us, but for our children… and their children, too.

The National Institutes of Health has instituted a new research program for just that purpose, although it’s open to anyone in the U.S. over the age of 18 whether ill with any disease or perfectly healthy. While only English and Spanish are the languages they can accommodate at this time, they are adding other languages.

I’m going to devote most of the rest of this blog to them. By the way, I’m even more inclined to be in favor of this program because they launched on my first born’s birthdate: May 6. All of Us has its own inspiring welcome for you at https://launch.joinallofus.org/

This is how they explain who they are and what they intend to do:

“The goal is to advance precision medicine. Precision medicine is health care that is based on you as an individual. It takes into account factors like where you live, what you do, and your family health history. Precision medicine’s goal is to be able to tell people the best ways to stay healthy. If someone does get sick, precision medicine may help health care teams find the treatment that will work best.

To get there, we need one million or more people. Those who join will share information about their health over time. Researchers will study this data. What they learn could improve health for generations to come. Participants are our partners. We’ll share information back with them over time.”

You’ll be reading more about precision medicine, which I’ve written about before, in upcoming blogs. This is from All of Us’s website at https://www.joinallofus.org/en, as is most of the other information in today’s blog, and makes it easy to understand just what they are doing.

How It Works

Participants Share Data

Participants share health data online. This data includes health surveys and electronic health records. Participants also may be asked to share physical measurements and blood and urine samples.

Data Is Protected

Personal information, like your name, address, and other things that easily identify participants will be removed from all data. Samples—also without any names on them—are stored in a secure biobank.

Researchers Study Data

In the future, approved researchers will use this data to conduct studies. By finding patterns in the data, they may make the next big medical breakthroughs.

Participants Get Information

Participants will get information back about the data they provide, which may help them learn more about their health.

Researchers Share Discoveries

Research may help in many ways. It may help find the best ways for people to stay healthy. It may also help create better tests and find the treatments that will work best for different people.

I’m busy, too busy to take on even one more thing. Or so I thought. When I read the benefits of the program (above) and how easy it is to join (below), I realized I’m not too busy for this and it is another way to advocate for Chronic Kidney Disease awareness. So I joined and hope you will, too.

Benefits of Taking Part

Joining the All of Us Research Program has its benefits.

Our goal is for you to have a direct impact on cutting-edge research. By joining the program, you are helping researchers to learn more about different diseases and treatments.

Here are some of the benefits of participating in All of Us.

Better Information

We’re all human, but we’re not all the same. Often our differences—like age, ethnicity, lifestyle habits, or where we live—can reveal important insights about our health.

By participating in All of Us, you may learn more about your health than ever before. If you like, you can share this information with your health care provider.

Better Tools

The goal of the program is better health for all of us. We want to inspire researchers to create better tools to identify, prevent, and treat disease.

You may also learn how to use tools like mobile devices, cell phones and tablets, to encourage healthier habits.

Better Research

We expect the All of Us Research Program to be here for the long-term. As the program grows, the more features will be added. There’s no telling what we can discover. All thanks to participants like you.

Better Ideas

You’re our partner. And as such, you are invited to help guide All of Us. Share your ideas and let us know what works, and what doesn’t.

Oh, about joining:

Get Started – Sign Up

Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need to do to join.

1

Create an Account

You will need to give an email address and password.

2

Fill in the Enrollment and Consent Forms

The process usually takes 18-30 minutes. If you leave the portal during the consent process, you will have to start again from the beginning.

3

Complete Surveys and More

Once you have given your consent, you will be asked to complete online health surveys. You may be asked to visit a partner center. There, you’ll be asked to provide blood and urine samples and have your physical measurements taken. We may also ask you to share data from wearables or other personal devices.

Before I leave you today, I have – what else? – a book give away. The reason? Just to share the joy that’s walked into my life lately. It’s easy to share the troubles; why not the joys? If you haven’t received one of my books in a giveaway before, all you have to do is be the first person to let me know you want this copy of SlowItDownCKD 2017.

 

I need to get back to that online health survey for All of Us now.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

 

Dare You Have Your First Mother’s Day?

Mother’s Day is this Sunday… and it’s my step-daughter’s first. That led me to remember my first with Ms. Nima Beckie Rosensfit and  I realized I’d never even heard of Chronic Kidney Disease then. But what if I had and I wanted to have a baby. What would I have to know?

That got me going. I know I blogged about this topic in February of this year, but I wanted to see if there was enough information for a part 2 to that blog. But, first, let’s take a look at how pregnancy affects the kidneys in a non-ckd woman.

The US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4089195/  helpful here:

“GFR rises early to a peak of 40% to 50% that of prepregnancy levels, resulting in lower levels of serum creatinine, urea, and uric acid. There is a net gain of sodium and potassium, but a greater retention of water, with gains of up to 1.6 L. Through effects of progesterone and alterations in RAAS, the systemic vascular resistance falls, leading to lower blood pressure and an increased RPF.”

You may need a reminder of some of these terms. Let’s see if What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease has their definitions. Aha! There are potassium and creatinine.

““Creatinine is … a compound released by voluntary muscle contraction. It tells the body to repair itself and grow stronger.

“Potassium: One of the electrolytes, important because it counteracts sodium’s effect on blood pressure.”

Why is this counteraction important you ask.  This tidbit from SlowItDownCKD 2011 explains:

“Then I found this in BrightHub.com’s February 13th article The Importance of the Potassium and Sodium Balance.

‘When there is potassium and sodium balance, cells, nerves and muscles can  all  function  smoothly.  With  an  imbalance,  which  is almost  always due to both an excess of sodium, and a deficiency of potassium, a set of reactions occurs leading to high blood pressure and unnecessary strain on blood vessels, the heart and the kidneys. Research has shown that there is a direct link between chronic levels of low potassium and kidney disease, lung disorders, hypertension and stroke’.”

And urea? The newly published SlowItDownCKD 2017 contains this information:

“http://www.patient.co.uk/health/routine-kidney-function-blood-test has the simplest explanation.

‘Urea is a waste product formed from the breakdown of proteins. Urea is usually passed out in the urine. A high blood level of urea (‘uraemia’) indicates that the kidneys may not be working properly or that you are dehydrated (have low body water content).’”

It’s probably common knowledge that serum means in the blood rather than urine and that uric acid is the waste that remains when your body’s cells die. What baffled me was RAAS and RPP. It turns out that RAAS is renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system which, while interesting, would simply take too long to explain for this blog’s purpose. RPF is renal plasma flow. I love words, but this was getting to be a bit much for even me. I wanted to get to CKD in pregnancy. So let’s do that.

Let’s say I needed more reassurance that I could have a baby even though I had CKD. I felt like I found just that when I discovered RareRenal  at http://rarerenal.org/patient-information/pregnancy-and-chronic-kidney-disease-patient-information/and what they had to say about pregnancy and CKD.

“Good antenatal care from the earliest stages of pregnancy improves outcomes generally. This is particularly true for women with CKD. Planning for pregnancy allows women with CKD to get pregnant at the right time, while on the right medications and in the best possible health. To achieve this all women with significant CKD should receive pre-pregnancy advice so that they can assess the potential risk and to ensure that everything is in place to minimise it.

These are the key things to think about before getting pregnant:

When should a woman with CKD get pregnant?  This depends on the nature of the kidney disease. In general if a woman’s kidney function is likely to get worse over time it is better to plan the pregnancy sooner rather than later while function is still good. On the other hand, for a kidney disease that flares up and then settles down, such as Lupus nephritis, it is better to wait until the flare has settled for at least six months. Other factors to take into account are a woman’s age and fertility. They may have had drugs in the past to treat a kidney condition that can impair fertility (e.g. cyclophosphamide). If so they may need to take advice on whether this is an additional problem. Should she get pregnant at all? There are very few women these days who are advised not to get pregnant. Even then it is always up to the woman (and her partner) whether to take the risk. It is much better to be forewarned of the possible problems and to discuss these in advance.

Will she need extra medicines when she’s pregnant?  Women trying to get pregnant should start taking the vitamin folic acid to reduce the chance of their baby having spina bifida, an abnormality of the spinal cord. The normal dose of folic acid is 400ug per day and can be bought over the counter. However, if the folate level is low or a patient is on the drug azathioprine which affects the way folic acid works, the dose of 5mg daily may be prescribed. No other over the counter vitamins are required unless specifically advised by a doctor or midwife. All pregnant patients should avoid additional supplements of vitamin A. If vitamin D levels are low GPs will advise correction with high dose prescribed vitamin D (also known as cholecalciferol). Women with kidney diseases are at higher risk of pre-eclampsia. Aspirin lowers the risk of pre eclampsia, and women with CKD are usually offered a low dose aspirin (75mg once daily) throughout pregnancy unless there are specific reasons not to take it e.g. they are allergic to aspirin. Pregnant women with a high level of protein in their urine have an increased risk of developing blood clots (thrombosis). This can be reduced by small daily injections of low molecular weight heparin. Heparin reduces the way the blood clots. Both pregnancy and CKD can cause a low blood count (anaemia). When combined, anaemia can be more of a problem. Iron tablets or injections may be used and some women need to take the hormone erythropoietin (EPO) as  a weekly or monthly injection to overcome the anaemia. Blood transfusions are usually avoided in pregnancy. Pregnancy alters the control of sugar (glucose) in the body. This may be worse for patients on steroids (e.g. prednisolone), those from an Asian or African background, or who are overweight. Patients may develop a condition called gestational diabetes (diabetes caused by pregnancy) and require treatment with insulin.” How very reassuring. I’m ready… I mean are you ready to have your baby?

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Something Else I Didn’t Know

One of the members of a Facebook Chronic Kidney Disease support group and I got into a bit of give and take about last week’s blog. It started with one topic and, as conversations are wont to do, ended up being about something entirely different: mgus. This is what I ended up responding:

“I don’t know mgus, either. I think the only way I can be of any help to you is to suggest you speak with your renal nutritionist and make sure she knows you also have mgus. Sorry! Hmmm, maybe I should learn about mgus and blog about it.”

As the week went on, I realized there was no “maybe” about it. So let’s learn about mgus together.

According to my old time favorite The Mayo Clinic at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mgus/symptoms-causes/syc-20352362, mgus is:

“Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a condition in which an abnormal protein — known as monoclonal protein or M protein — is in your blood. The protein is produced in a type of white blood cell (plasma cells) in your bone marrow.

MGUS usually causes no problems. But sometimes it can progress over years to other disorders, including some forms of blood cancer.

It’s important to have regular checkups to closely monitor monoclonal gammopathy so that if it does progress, you get earlier treatment. If there’s no disease progression, MGUS doesn’t require treatment.”

Whoa! Looks like we need a lot of backtracking here. Let’s start with monoclonal. We know ‘mono’ means one and the ‘al’ at the end of the word means of or about. Now let’s deal with the unknown: ‘clon’. Dictionary.com at http://www.dictionary.com/browse/clone tells us it’s really clone (which you’ve probably already guessed) and means:

1. a cell, cell product, or organism that is genetically identical to the unit or individual from which it was derived.
2. a population of identical units, cells, or individuals that derive from the same ancestral line.

Oh, clone… as in Dolly, the sheep back in Scotland in 1995. Got it.

And gammopathy? That ‘o’ in the middle is just a connective so we’re really dealing with ‘gamm’ and ‘pathy’. You probably already know ‘pathy’. The Free Dictionary at https://www.thefreedictionary.com/-pathy offers a few definitions.

1. indicating feeling, sensitivity, or perception: telepathy.
2. (Pathology) indicating disease or a morbid condition: psychopathy.
3. (Pathology) indicating a method of treating disease: osteopathy.

Number two is what we need for our purposes.

That leaves us with ‘gamm’, which I thought was part of gamma considering the definition of the disease. The first medical definition in The Merriam-Webster Dictionary at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamma was helpful here.

“of or relating to one of three or more closely related chemical substances

• the gamma chain of hemoglobin

• γ-yohimbine

—used somewhat arbitrarily to specify ordinal relationship or a particular physical form and especially one that is allotropic, isomeric, or stereoisomeric (as in gamma benzene hexachloride)”

I’d have to agree if you’re thinking this is getting a bit too technical to continue down this particular road. Let’s go back to the disease itself and see what it may have to do with CKD. Hmmm, protein is mentioned in the definition and proteinuria can be a problem in CKD. Is that the connection?

We Are Macmillan, a cancer support group from England at https://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/diagnosing/causes-and-risk-factors/pre-cancerous-conditions/mgus.html, tells us:

“People with MGUS make an abnormal protein, called a paraprotein or M-protein, which is found in the urine or blood.”

I see. This M-protein does show up in the urine.

That did it. I jumped right back to the Mayo Clinic and learned that Chronic Kidney Disease may be a complication of MSUG. But, then again, so may blood clots and bone fractures.

Feeling a bit frustrated, I thought maybe symptoms would be helpful. The University of Rochester Medical Center at https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=134&ContentID=121 offers this list.

Symptoms of monoclonal gammopathies vary among these conditions, but can include:

• Anemia or low red blood cells counts
• Lack of energy (fatigue) or tiredness
• Weakness
• Pain in the bones or soft tissues
• Tingling or numbness in the feet or hands
• Infection that keeps coming back
• Increased bruising
• Bleeding
• Weight loss
• Headache
• Vision problems
• Swelling
• Mental changes

Anemia and fatigue may also be symptoms of CKD. Yet, both MSUG and CKD are often symptomless.

To complicate matters, there’s also a disease called monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance. That’s when the monoclonal gammopathy causes the CKD. It sounds like this was not the case with the reader. She just happens to have both monoclonal gammopathy and CKD.

I’m going to switch gears here. I received an email from the American Kidney Fund (AKF) asking me if I would write about their upcoming webinar on Depression. Who could say no to that request?

“Each month, AKF hosts an educational webinar for kidney patients and their loved ones about living well with kidney disease…. Experts cover important topics and there is always a live Q&A session afterwards where viewers can send in their questions. You can find more information about the upcoming webinar here: http://www.kidneyfund.org/training/webinars/

Our next webinar for May 23rd is Depression: the overlooked complication of kidney disease.”

I’ve watched some of the webinars and found them helpful. I think you will, too.

You know that promise I made about separating my unwieldy The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2 into two separate books – SlowItDownCKD 2013 & SlowItDownCKD 2104 – with larger print and a more comprehensive index? You know, just as I did when I separated The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1 (now ‘retired’ as a book no longer in print is called) into SlowItDownCKD 2011 & SlowItDownCKD 2102. I am proud to announce that I’ve actually started that process.

For a retired person, my calendar sure is full and busy seems to be my middle name. I vow to have the SlowItDownCKD series completed (until it’s time to publish SlowItDownCKD 2018, that is) by the end of the summer.

Happy Mother’s Day this coming weekend. I’m going to enjoy the fact that it’s my step-daughter’s first…. and hope we get to meet The Little Prince sooner rather than later. Living in two different states was never this hard before his birth.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Joy to the World

As Three Dog Night sang in Hoyt Axton’s song:

“Joy to the world
All the boys and girls now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me”

Turn up your speakers and give a listen. See if you don’t feel more joy just from listening. Thanks to Three Dog Night for placing that grin back on my face when it’s gotten lost… and to YouTube, too.

I’ve written about what stress, grief, and shock do to your body, but with recent events I have reason to wonder what happiness does to your body. The birth of our first grandchild has revealed levels of joy I never knew existed. Add to that our youngest’s engagement and you’ll find me floating at least three feet above the ground most of the time.

I did my usual poking around and found some answers.

Calgary Psychology at http://www.calgarypsychology.com/happiness/correlation-health-happiness has some information for us, although it’s not as recent as I’d like it to be since it was published in 2010:

“A study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examined the link between happiness and a number of health factors in 200 Caucasian adults, age 45-59 years, all of whom worked for the government in London, England. The study assessed each participant on a work day and weekend day, measuring them at work and play for a number of criteria including blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormone (cortisol) levels. Participants were measured under normal conditions and after a mental stress test. Under each condition participants ranked their happiness on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). There were no differences in happiness between people who were married or single, male or female or of varying socioeconomic status; however the happiest participants had the best results across the board for the health markers. I.e. happier people had lower heart rates, and an average of 32% lower levels of cortisol which can have a direct effect on other elements such as blood sugar.”

Cortisol? Anyone remember what that is? Let’s have a reminder, please. I found this in SlowItDownCKD 2016. It’s from Reference.com at https://www.reference.com/science/function-adrenal-gland-72cba864e66d8278.

“Cortisol is a hormone that controls metabolism and helps the body react to stress, according to Endocrineweb. It affects the immune system and lowers inflammatory responses in the body. …”

Want a little reminder about metabolism? I do. According to Dr. Ananya Mandal from News Medical Life Sciences at https://www.news-medical.net/life-sciences/What-is-Metabolism.aspx:

“Metabolism is a term that is used to describe all chemical reactions involved in maintaining the living state of the cells and the organism. Metabolism can be conveniently divided into two categories:

• Catabolism – the breakdown of molecules to obtain energy
• Anabolism – the synthesis of all compounds needed by the cells”

Aha! So joy or being happy helps the body produce the hormone that obtains energy and synthesizes what we need to live. Now I get it why I actually feel better physically when I’m happy. I was in the throes of bronchitis when my grandson was born and started getting better right away. Magic? Nope, just plain joy at work in my body.

Notice joy may have an affect via cortisol on your blood sugar, too. Blood sugar ? Why is that important? The following is from a study published in The American Journal of Kidney Disease that was included in SlowItDownCKD 2011

“Good control of blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body weight can delay the loss of kidney

function.”

And lower heart rates? How does that help us? I’ve don’t think I’ve written about that so I hopped right over to my longtime favorite the Mayo Clinic at https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/heart-rate/faq-20057979.

“A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats a minute. Generally, a lower heart rate at rest implies more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness.”

Good news. Being happy – joyous in my case – is good for the heart, which automatically means it’s good for the kidneys since your heart health has a lot to do with your kidney health and vice-versa.

Let’s not forget that the lower levels of cortisol joy causes “lowers inflammatory responses in the body.” Chronic Kidney Disease is an inflammatory disease. I love it! Just by being happy, I’m helping myself with my CKD.

As the late night television commercials cautioned us once up on a time: But wait, there’s more. I turned to the Greater Good Science Center based at UC Berkeley. According to the website, they, “provide a bridge between the research community and the general public.”

That’s where I found this quote from a 2015 article at: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/six_ways_happiness_is_good_for_your_health.

“Love and happiness may not actually originate in the heart, but they are good for it. For example, a 2005 paper found that happiness predicts lower heart rate and blood pressure. In the study, participants rated their happiness over 30 times in one day and then again three years later. The initially happiest participants had a lower heart rate on follow-up (about six beats slower per minute), and the happiest participants during the follow-up had better blood pressure.”

Oh, blood pressure. This is also called hypertension and is defined in What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease this way:

“A possible cause of CKD, 140/90mm Hg is currently considered hypertension, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, too.”

That book was written in 2010. The guidelines changed in November of last year. Take a look at the infogram from the American Heart Association. I’ve also learned that hypertension is the second leading cause of CKD.

What’s the first? You guessed it: diabetes or blood sugar that is not controlled. I am overjoyed at the results of my poking around about joy. By being fully present to the joy in my life, by simply feeling that joy, while I personally can no longer prevent my CKD, I can further slow down the progression of the decline in my kidney function. Being happy is also helping to prevent diabetes from entering my life and working on keeping my blood pressure closer to where it belongs.

This joy just goes on and on for me. This year alone, it’s been celebration after celebration: birthdays, anniversaries, the birth, the engagement, triumphs for those I love. My list grows and grows. Why not consider a little joy for your body’s sake, if not for your mental state?

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Part Two of the Two Parter for National Kidney Month

Are you ready for the most important sentence in the mytherapyapp.com guest blog which was published on World Kidney Day on March 8th? This was the day that celebrated Chronic Kidney Disease and Women’s Health – during March’s National Kidney Month and National Women’s Month. Well then, here it is, along with the rest of the mytherapyapp.com guest blog.

Let me be clear: you must have functioning kidneys or dialysis or a transplant to live.

When there’s nothing doing the jobs of the kidneys, there’s no life. Your kidneys filter about 200 quarts of your blood each day. They are the organs that prevent toxic build up in your body by turning these toxins – along with other waste products – into urine. They are responsible for regulating your electrolytes and your blood pressure. These are only three of the many necessary jobs they do.

That would explain why hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is the second leading cause of CKD. Sometimes what is commonly considered medication for hypertension is prescribed for CKD whether or not you have high blood pressure.

The Simple Tests That Could Save Your Life

I’m originally from New York. Do you remember the old lottery advertising slogan from NY, You’ve got to be in it to win it? The same is true here. If you don’t know you have CKD, you won’t be treating it.

You’ll probably feel the needle for the blood test, but that’s a very, very small price to pay for discovering CKD. I have no idea how long I had it before my diagnosis. I could have gone not knowing until I reached end stage which would mean dialysis to perform the jobs my kidneys couldn’t, or a transplant, or… my demise.

The treatment is nothing horrendous. It depends upon your body chemistry (your Comprehensive Metabolic Panel – a blood test – will give you a good picture of that) and your nephrologist’s suggestions. Usually, it’s the hypertension medication mentioned above, a special diet, treating diabetes if you have it, exercise, adequate sleep, and avoiding stress where you can. You can live with that, can’t you? Especially if it means your life.

When I was teaching Essay Writing on the college level, it was a rule never to end your essay with the words, “In conclusion.” But I also taught that you needed to learn the rules, so you could break them.

So… in conclusion, please, please go for the blood and urine tests.

You really don’t need the fatigue, brain fog, or bone problems undiagnosed CKD can cause, much less dialysis or a transplant. Catch the disease early, treat it, and keep living your life!

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We would like to thank Gail for contributing this post.
If you would like your story featured on the MyTherapy blog, contact Dan here.

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Since being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, Gail has channeled her expertise in research writing to share information and support those in a similar situation to the one she was in over a decade ago. She is a serial author on CKD, and writes a blog, SlowItDownCKD.

What’s that? But National Kidney Month runs all of March. You’re right, which is why eCareDiary.com interviewed me on March 6th.

Coping with Chronic Kidney Disease

eCareDiary spoke to Gail Rae-Garwood, author of three time award winning blog, SlowItDownCKD about how she discovered she had chronic kidney disease and steps she’s taken to maintain the level of kidney function.  

This is the link: https://www.ecarediary.com/CommentRadioShow.aspx?id=1238. You’ll also find the show embedded on my website: www.gail-raegarwood.com.  Did the interview prompt any questions about CKD for you? Ask them at https://www.ecarediary.com/ExpertQA.aspx. I’ll be the expert answering them. I have to admit, it’s still hard for me to own being an expert, a lay expert, that is. I was simply a CKD patient with lots of questions, the wherewithal to answer them, and a great desire to share what I’d learned so that no one else was as terrified at their CKD diagnose as I was.

 

The National Kidney Foundation has a  free testing program. This is the information from their website. The Find a KEEP Healthy Event in your area link if live.

DO YOU NEED A KIDNEY HEALTH CHECK?

 

Come to the National Kidney Foundation’s new KEEP Healthy program and find out. One in three Americans is at risk for developing kidney disease. KEEP Healthy will help you learn if you’re the one.

Find a KEEP Healthy Event in your area 

What is KEEP Healthy?

The National Kidney Foundation’s community-based initiative to educate about the kidneys, risk factors for kidney disease, and steps to take to keep kidneys healthy and reduce risk.

What does the KEEP Healthy Check-up Include?

• Risk Survey
• Body Mass Index (BMI): Height and Weight Measurements
• Blood pressure check
• ACR urine test for albumin (a type of protein) – For individuals at risk only!
• Free educational materials
• Opportunity to speak with a health care professional

Who’s at Increased Risk for Kidney Disease?

• Anyone with high blood pressure, diabetes
• Anyone with a family history of kidney failure
• African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders and American Indians
• Anyone age 60 and older
• Individuals who are obese (body mass index of 30 or above)

What should you do next?

• When you visit your doctor, share what you’ve learned about your risk factors for kidney disease
• Follow healthy lifestyle advice
• If you have any questions, call our NKF Cares patient hotline toll-free at 1-855-NKF-Cares (653-2273).

Locally, the Kidney Foundation of Arizona provides a similar service with a screening coming up this Saturday. By the way, the Register Online link is live:

PATH TO WELLNESS SCREENING

Saturday March 24th, 2018

Free Public Health Screenings

Next Path to Wellness Screening:
Saturday, March 24, 2018
South Phoenix Missionary Baptist Church | 2006 E. Broadway Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85040

REGISTER ONLINE

HACER UNA CITA

Path to Wellness is a free community health screening program provided by the National Kidney Foundation of Arizona in collaboration with the Cardio Renal Society of America and other local health organizations.  Screenings are held throughout the state of Arizona on a sponsored basis, and are open to the public.

Path to Wellness screenings provide free blood and urine testing, which is evaluated onsite is using point-of-care testing devices to assess the risk of diabetes, heart and kidney diseases. Those screened are also presented with chronic disease management education, an overall health assessment (weight, blood pressure, etc.) and a one-on-one consultation with a physician. Enrollment opportunities are offered for a follow-up 6-week series of Healthy Living workshops that teach chronic disease self-management skills.

For more information, call our main line at: (602) 840-1644. To volunteer for a Path to Wellness event, please contact James Ivie, Director of Patient Services, at jivie@azkidney.org.

Until next week (when it will still be National Kidney Month),

Keep living your life!

Black and Blue is Back

I looked in the mirror and what did I see? Black and blue under my eyes staring back at me… and then I realized I’d been seeing them for ages. Hmmm, what could be causing them?

I researched and researched and researched and didn’t really find any answers that relate to me, but did find some that do relate to Chronic Kidney Disease. The biggie was anemia. Let’s go all the way back to What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease for the definition:

“Anemia: A blood disease in which the number of healthy red blood cells decreases”

Need some basics? In SlowItDownCKD 2011, it was explained that the red blood cells are the ones that contain the hemoglobin which carries oxygen to your cells. There’s a bit more about hemoglobin in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2. There we learned that it’s a protein and that it is responsible for the red color of your blood.

Well, what’s this got to do with CKD? This explanation from The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse at http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/anemia/anemia_508.pdf which appeared in SlowItDownCKD 2015 will explain:

“Healthy kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin, or EPO, which stimulates the bone marrow to produce the proper number of red blood cells needed to carry oxygen to vital organs.  Diseased kidneys, however, often don’t make enough EPO. As a result, the bone marrow makes fewer red blood cells.”

A little more about erythropoietin from the Lung Institute at https://lunginstitute.com/blog/oxygen-kidneys/:

“Red Blood Cell Regulation: When the kidneys do not receive enough oxygen, they send out a distress signal in the form of erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates bone marrow to produce more oxygen-carrying red blood cells.”

Uh-oh, what happens if we have fewer red blood cells – or anemia? I popped over to SlowItDownCKD 2016 to find the answer.

“If you have fewer red blood cells, you are carrying less oxygen to your vital organs… which are the following according to livescience at http://www.livescience.com/37009-human-body.html

‘The human brain….The human heart…. The job of the kidneys is to remove waste and extra fluid from the blood. The kidneys take urea out of the blood and combine it with water and other substances to make urine. The liver….The lungs are responsible for removing oxygen from the air we breathe and transferring it to our blood where it can be sent to our cells. The lungs also remove carbon dioxide, which we exhale.’

Okay, so the lungs are responsible for gathering oxygen from the air (for one thing) and healthy kidneys produce red blood cells to carry oxygen to your vital organs (again, for one thing). CKD reduces the oxygen you have since it reduces your red blood cell production….”

Let’s get back to the seeming black and blue under our eyes. While Dr. Mercola is not necessarily my medical hero, I did find an interesting explanation on his website at https://articles.mercola.com/what-causes-dark-circles-under-eyes.aspx:

“Some of the causes believed to contribute to hyperpigmentation around the periorbital area are temporary and resolve after the irritant has been removed. Possible temporary and permanent triggers for periorbital hyperpigmentation include….”

Sun exposure	Genetic pigmentation	Dermal melanocytosis
Allergic dermatitis	Contact dermatitis	Edema (swelling)
Drugs	Aging	Hormones

According to the Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary, periorbital means “of, relating to, occurring in, or being the tissues surrounding or lining the orbit of the eye, “ and hyperpigmentation is “the production of excess melanin causing dark spots on the skin.” This is not exactly what we were looking for, but notice the last item in the third column: hormones. Erythropoietin is a hormone.

Maybe it has to do with the reduction of red blood cells which means less hemoglobin which means less red color. To my way of thinking, that means your veins would show up as blue. I’m conflicted here. I can’t decide if that’s just plain silly since I’ve never seen a red vein through my skin or if this might be the germ of a thought to be expanded upon.

EyeHealthWeb at https://www.eyehealthweb.com/dark-circles-under-eyes/  lists many possible causes of these black and blue or dark rings under our eyes.

• Heredity. Dark circles under the eyes can appear in childhood, and are often an inherited trait. Some children will outgrow them, but others will not.
• Allergies. Nasal congestion can dilate the blood vessels that drain from the area around your eyes, causing them to darken.
• Sleep deprivation is the most common cause, and the easiest to prevent, but …
• Oversleeping can also cause dark eye circles.
• Eczema
• Stress
• As we get older, our skin becomes thinner.
• Iron deficiency can prevent the blood from carrying sufficient oxygen to eye tissues.
• Minor trauma that causes the appearance of a black eye 

Additional causes for dark circles under your eyes:

• Crying
• Lifestyle. Excessive smoking or drinking can contribute to under-eye circles. Also, people who drink too much coffee or who use cocaine or amphetamines may have difficulty getting enough sleep.
• Fluid retention, as may occur with pregnancy or weight gain.
• Skin pigmentation abnormalities. The skin around the eyes is thinner, which is why your blood vessels are more readily visible through it.
• Excessive exposure to the sun. Sun exposure encourages your body to produce more melanin.
• Age. As we get older, we lose some of the fat and collagen surrounding our eyes. This loss, combined with the thinning of our skin, magnifies the appearance of dark eye circles.
• Mononucleosis can cause the eyes to appear puffy and swollen. This is due partly to the fatigue that people feel when they are suffering from it, and partly because this illness causes a yellowing of the eyes and the skin around them (this is called jaundice).
• Periorbital cellulitis. This is a bacterial infection of the eyelid or eyelids. If it is promptly treated with antibiotics, however, it is nothing to worry about.
• Excess salt in the diet causes fluid retention throughout your body—including underneath your eyes.

Gulp! Iron deficiency (which may be a kind of anemia), excessive smoking or drinking, certain drugs, excess salt. Sound familiar? These are some of the things we’re told to avoid as CKD patients.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

The Constant Student

Last week, I was excited about a new word and, boy oh boy, did I learn even more about gastroparesis after my blog was posted on Facebook Kidney Disease Support Pages. This week, it’s a new test that a reader asked me about: the Iothalamate clearance test.

This is what the University of Washington at http://www.uwmedicine.org/health-library/Pages/iothalamate-scan.aspx had to say about the test:

“An Iothalamate study is a diagnostic nuclear medicine procedure used to find out your glomerular filtration rate (GFR) for each kidney….

How Does It Work?

A small amount of a radioactive material, called radiotracer, is injected into the muscle of your upper arm. This material is excreted out of your blood, into your urine, by glomerular filtration. By taking samples of your blood and urine over time, we are able to calculate what your GFR is. This gives your doctor information about the health of your kidneys.

How Do I Prepare?

• Drink 20 ml of water per kilogram of body weight in the 90 minutes before arriving in the department. For most people, this is about 1 to 2 1-liter bottles of water.
• Drink lots of fluids throughout the 4-hour study. The study may be continued for more time if more urine is needed.
• You need to be able to empty your bladder completely.
• Most patients are required to withhold diuretics the day of the test. Check with your doctor if you take diuretics.
• Do not consume any caffeine the morning of the study.

How is the study performed?

1. When you arrive at the lab, the technologist will check your blood pressure. You will need to completely empty your bladder into a container. The technologist will also place an IV into one of your veins and take a sample of your blood.
2. The radioactive tracer will be injected into your upper arm muscle. The technologist will take another blood pressure reading about 10 minutes later.
3. You will return every hour, for 4 hours. Each hour, the technologist will take a blood sample and ask you to completely empty your bladder into a container. It is very important that you do not go to the bathroom outside of the department.
4. Throughout the study, you will be required to drink plenty of fluids, and avoid caffeine. You will be allowed to eat.
5. After 5 urine and blood samples are collected, the IV will be removed and you are free to leave. This urine will be analyzed and measured.

What will I feel during the study?

Most people feel no different than normal during this study. Some people may feel a little shaky after the injection of the radiotracer. This is because a small amount of epinephrine is added to the radiotracer to improve its absorption. You may also have minor discomfort from holding your bladder….

Whoa, baby! Nuclear medicine? Radioactive material? Epinephrine? I understood why no diuretics, but why no caffeine? Any why was there an IV?

I know, I know. Start slowly. According to RadiologyInfo at https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=gennuclear,

“​Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose and determine the severity of or treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological disorders and other abnormalities within the body. Because nuclear medicine procedures are able to pinpoint molecular activity within the body, they offer the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages as well as a patient’s immediate response to therapeutic interventions.”

Okay, got it. And radioactive?  MedicineNet at https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11952 defines the word this way:

“Radioactive: Emitting energy waves due to decaying atomic nuclei. Radioactive substances are used in medicine as tracers for diagnosis and in treatment to kill cancerous cells.”

As a side note, as far as I could tell this test is not used on pregnant women or those who are breastfeeding since a radioactive substance is involved.

I couldn’t decide if I was feeling better or worse about nuclear medicine to diagnose Chronic Kidney Disease. So I looked… and looked…and looked again before I realized it’s contrast dye that may cause injury in those with CKD, not radioactive material. No wonder some nephrologists have no compunction about ordering this test. By the way, radioactive exposure in this test is less than that in a CT scan.

Hmmm, epinephrine sounds familiar. Of course! My buddy back East carries an epi pen just in case she’s stung by a bee. Epinephrine is also known as adrenaline. Ah, so adrenaline “is added to the radiotracer to improve its absorption.” Makes sense.

Now that we know that epinephrine is adrenaline, we can easily understand why no caffeine. Remember that song, “Fly Me to the Moon”? Between the adrenaline and the caffeine, you’d be flying yourself to the moon.

What also makes sense is no diuretics. You wouldn’t want to be urinating more than necessary if your urine is being evaluated. That might dilute the very small amount of radioactive material that was injected into the muscle of your arm.

So, what’s the IV for you ask.  That’s how the radiotracer is injected and/or how the blood samples are obtained. I know I’d rather have one IV instead of four or five needle sticks for individual blood draws. Apparently, there are variations in how the test is administered.

 

Now the biggie: Why use this test at all? This is from the glossary in What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease:

“GFR: Glomerular filtration rate [if there is a lower case “e” before the term, it means estimated glomerular filtration rate] which determines both the stage of kidney disease and how well the kidneys are functioning.”

The Iothalamate clearance test is a measured GRF test. It doesn’t estimate, but actually measures your GFR, sort of like real time videos are not replays but live. Your doctor may doubt the results of your eGFR, the routine test, due to your serum creatinine output or some other variable. Age, race, gender, and muscle mass all affect the eGFR. The Iothalamate clearance test will give him an accurate measurement of your GFR so he will know not only what stage of CKD you are in, but how to treat it.

I hope this is helpful to the reader who asked.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

And the Beat Goes On

Happy New Year! After a night of thinking about my life and where it’s gone in the last almost 71 years, I remembered some events from a long, long time ago. For example, when I was a young woman in my late teens, I used to go to the clubs in New York City and dance the night away. I had a drink or two – never more – but I was there to dance… and that’s I did. I danced until I felt my whole body pulsing. Pulsing. That’s the word we used, but it has a very different meaning for me today over 50 years later.

High blood pressure can damage your kidneys. Maybe, like me, you’ve been ordered to take your blood pressure daily even if you are taking medication for hypertension. But what is this pulse/min reading I see at the bottom of the blood pressure monitor face?

Back to the beginning. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pulse, this is the way we used the word in relation to our dancing:

“rhythmical beating, vibrating, or sounding”

The same dictionary tells us that this is the way my blood pressure monitor uses the word:

“a: the regular expansion of an artery caused by the ejection of blood into the arterial system by the contractions of the heart

b: the palpable beat resulting from such pulse as detected in a superficial artery; also: the number of individual beats in a specified time period (such as one minute)

I knew that. I’ll bet that you did, too; but I keep forgetting why that’s important.

Verywell, a conglomeration of information from doctors, dieticians, and personal trainers, at https://www.verywell.com/pulse-pressure-1763964 answers that question for us:

“Sometimes pulse pressure does provide important information. There’s research showing that pulse pressure can be valuable when looking at a patient’s overall risk profile. Several studies have identified that high pulse pressure:

• Causes more artery damage compared to high blood pressure with normal pulse pressure

• Indicates elevated stress on a part of the heart called the left ventricle

• Is affected differently by different high blood pressure medicines

So if you’re diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor may consider it when designing your overall treatment plan.”

Now I understand why my physician’s nurse gets that look on her face after taking my pulse sometimes. Since I have no heart problems, although Chronic Kidney Disease can easily lead to them, my hypertension medication may have to be adjusted or the ones I’m taking replaced with others that won’t raise my pulse level.

But what about the possibility of “elevated stress on a part of the heart called the left ventricle?” And why only the left ventricle? Wait a minute; what is a ventricle anyway?

I have definitely forgotten more than I ever knew to begin with! Enough grousing.

Let’s see how precise a definition of ventricle we can get. The Oxford Dictionary at https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ventricle offers the following definitions:

“A hollow part or cavity in an organ…..

Each of the two main chambers of the heart, left and right….

Each of the four connected fluid-filled cavities in the centre of the brain.”

It’s pretty obvious we need the second definition.

But why is the left ventricle the only one that may experience “elevated stress”? Healthline (The same organization that included SlowItDownCKD in the top six nephrology blogs of 2016 & 2017.) at https://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/left-ventricle explains:

“The left ventricle is the thickest of the heart’s chambers and is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to tissues all over the body….. Various conditions may affect the left ventricle and interfere with its proper functioning. The most common is left ventricular hypertrophy, which causes enlargement and hardening of the muscle tissue that makes up the wall of the left ventricle, usually as a result of uncontrolled high blood pressure.”

So here I am, taking three blood pressure medications, and it’s possible to still have uncontrolled high blood pressure?

Apparently so, the American Heart Association at https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/MakeChangesThatMatter/Managing-High-Blood-Pressure-Medications_UCM_303246_Article.jsp has some interesting information about this.

“Because different drugs do different things in the body, you may need more than one medication to properly manage your blood pressure…. Different people can respond very differently to medications. Everyone has to go through a trial period to find out which medications work best with the fewest side effects. Give yourself a chance to adjust to a drug. It may take several weeks, but the results will usually be worth it. If you don’t feel well after taking a medication, let your doctor know so he/she can adjust your treatment.”

Considering that Chronic Kidney Disease causes high blood pressure as well as high blood pressure causing CKD, I intend to keep doing just that.

We’re not finished with the pulse just yet. I wanted to know the basic connection between blood pressure and pulse and I wanted a simple explanation of it.

But first we’ll need a definition of artery. No problem, that’s what the glossary in What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease is for.

“Arteries: Vessels that carry blood from the heart.”

Let’s get to the heart (That’s funny. Get it? Heart) of the matter now.

HealthCentral at https://www.healthcentral.com/article/pulse-rate-and-high-blood-pressure-defining-the-connection had exactly what I asked for.

“Because high blood pressure causes tension and complicates cardiovascular normal activity, it may cause stress with your pulse activity. Meaning, the arteries experience resistance against the flow of the blood. The pulse rate calculates the number of times the heart beats per minute. The rate measurements indicate the heart rate, heart rhythm and the strength of your pulse. Therefore, high blood pressure slows down normal blood flow causing the arteries to demonstrate difficulty with expanding.”

Got it! Now, if I can only remember it….

Here’s hoping this New Year is your best year yet – as I say to my grown children every year. Wishing you health first of all, then love from your friends and family, and finally kindness to share with others.

Thank you for being my readers and thank you for helping to make this an award winning blog not once or twice, but three times.

Until next week,
Keep living your life!

To Eat It Or Not To Eat It

Merry Christmas… and for tomorrow, Happy Kwaanza. Oh, all right, let’s throw in Happy Chanukah although that’s already passed this year. What all these celebrations – yes, and New Year’s Eve, too – have in common is food. And food has potassium and phosphorous in it. Those are two of the electrolytes that Chronic Kidney Disease patients have to curtail.

Let’s backtrack a little bit and find out what these are. Each was included in the glossary of What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease:

“Phosphorus: One of the electrolytes, works with calcium for bone formation, but too much can cause calcification where you don’t want it: joints, eyes, skin, and heart.

Potassium: One of the electrolytes, important because it counteracts sodium’s effect on blood pressure.”

Now, let’s see if we can get a bit more information about the ill effects of having too much of either one.

This is from SlowItDownCKD 2011:

“Be aware that kidney disease can cause excessive phosphorus. And what does that mean for Early Stage CKD patients? Not much if the phosphorous levels are kept low. Later, at Stages 4 and 5, bone problems including pain and breakage may be endured since excess phosphorous means the body tries to maintain balance by using the calcium that should be going to the bones.”

And potassium? SlowItDownCKD 2012 has the answer:

“Too much potassium can cause irregular heart beat and even heart attack. This can be the most immediate danger of not limiting your potassium.”

We all have limitations on these (as well as sodium and protein) based upon our latest blood and urine lab results. Since my lab results registered normal for both electrolytes, I have pretty generous daily limitations: potassium: 3000 mg; phosphorous: 800 mg. If you’re like me, the numbers didn’t mean much.

Let’s try this another way. My husband’s traditional family Christmas dinner consists of standing rib roast, sweet potatoes baked in orange juice with marshmallow topping, string bean casserole, dinner rolls, tea or coke, and apple pie. (I added salad so there would be something I could eat.)

We’ll need a list of high potassium and high phosphorous foods before we can to analyze the meal. Luckily, there is one for phosphorus in SlowItDownCKD 2015:

HIGH PHOSPHORUS FOOD TO LIMIT OR AVOID

Beverages:
ale                                                    beer
chocolate drinks                           cocoa
drinks made with milk                dark colas
canned iced teas

Dairy Products:
cheese                                              cottage cheese

custard                                            ice cream

milk                                                 pudding

cream soups                                  yogurt

Protein:
carp                                                crayfish
beef liver                                       chicken liver
fish roe                                          organ meats
oysters                                           sardines

Vegetables:
dried beans and peas                  baked beans
black beans                                   chick peas
garbanzo beans                            kidney beans
lentils lima                                    northern beans
pork’n beans                                 split peas
soy beans

Other foods:
bran cereals                                brewer’s yeast
caramels                                      nuts
seeds                                            wheat germ
whole grain products

Now we need a list of high potassium foods. The National Kidney Foundation at https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/potassium was helpful here. They also have a list for “Other Foods.”:

Fruits and Vegetables:
Apricot, raw (2 medium) dried (5 halves)    Acorn Squash
Avocado (¼ whole)                                           Artichoke
Banana (½ whole)                                             Bamboo Shoots
Cantaloupe                                                          Baked Beans
Dates (5 whole)                                                  Butternut Squash
Dried fruits                                                          Refried Beans
Figs, dried                                                            Beets, fresh

then boiled
Grapefruit Juice                                                  Black Beans
Honeydew                                                            Broccoli, cooked
Kiwi (1 medium)                                                 Brussels Sprouts
Mango(1 medium)                                             Chinese Cabbage
Nectarine(1 medium)                                        Carrots, raw
Orange(1 medium)                                             Dried Beans and Peas
Orange Juice                                                       Greens, except Kale
Papaya (½ whole)                                              Hubbard Squash
Pomegranate (1 whole)                                      Kohlrabi
Pomegranate Juice                                             Lentils
Prunes                                                                    Legumes
Prune Juice                                                           White Mushrooms,

cooked (½ cup)
Raisins                                                                    Okra
Parsnips

Potatoes, white and sweet
Pumpkin  

Rutabagas
Spinach, cooked
Tomatoes/Tomato products
Vegetable Juices

(Looks like my formatting is on vacation. Sorry about that, folks.)

Okay, here comes the hard part. Let’s scan the lists to see which of the foods in the dinner my husband craved are on this list. I see canned iced teas, dark colas, orange juice, and sweet potatoes. The potassium and phosphorous in one serving (?) of each is as follows:

food                                  potassium                                    phosphorous
canned iced tea                    18 mg.                                            32 mg.
dark cola                               44 mg.                                            62 mg.
orange juice                       235 mg.                                            40 mg.
sweet potatoes                   542 mg.                                            81 mg.
totals                                   839 mg.                                          215 mg.

Doesn’t look bad at all, does it? But it’s all guesswork. Is your liquid serving an ounce? Eight ounces? What about the juice in the sweet potato dish? Surely it’s not just one ounce. And maybe not eight depending upon how much of the juice is in the size portion of the sweet potato dish you had. Maybe you had seconds. Same for the sweet potatoes.

Since this is not at all a precise science, you’re better off practicing more limiting rather than less. I’m not a doctor as I keep mentioning, but I don’t see anything wrong with a just a taste or a small serving of each.

Of course, I’m not a fan of soda or any canned drink, so I get a pass on that. If you’re not sure how much of what you can eat on a daily basis, make an appointment with your renal dietician after the holidays and just enjoy today’s Christmas meal.

Hey, that doesn’t give you free reign to eat all those things expressly not on your renal diet. I know if I decide to eat some of the standing rib roast, I’m still limited to five ounces of protein a day… including the hardboiled egg I had for breakfast.

Lay.off.the.salt.shaker.too. Sodium is not your friend if you have CKD. Ask your hostess if he or she has Mrs. Dash’s seasoning or garlic powder (NOT SALT) should you be asked if you’d like the salt. Oh, was the green bean casserole made with canned, creamy soup? That’s going to up the salt content. Just another thing to be aware of when salivating at the sight of the scrumptious meal in front of you today.

I’d go really light on the hot chocolate, too, if you were planning on having some. The message here is to enjoy, but limit, those high phosphorous and potassium holiday foods you really crave.

Until next week (and next year),
Keep living your life!

Chemo and Kidneys

Cancer has become an everyday word around here. While I have no personal acquaintance with cancer, too many friends and readers do. That got me to thinking. If you had chronic kidney disease and cancer, how would your already poorly functioning kidneys react to the chemotherapy?

We do need to start with some basics here. First, what is chemotherapy? According to the American Cancer Society at https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/chemotherapy/how-chemotherapy-drugs-work.html:

“More than 100 chemotherapy or chemo drugs are used to treat cancer – either alone or in combination with other drugs or treatments. These drugs are very different in their chemical composition, how they are taken, their usefulness in treating specific forms of cancer, and their side effects.

Chemotherapy works with the cell cycle

Chemotherapy drugs target cells at different phases of the process of forming new cells, called the cell cycle. Understanding how these drugs work helps doctors predict which drugs are likely to work well together. Doctors can also plan how often doses of each drug should be given based on the timing of the cell phases.

Cancer cells tend to form new cells more quickly than normal cells and this makes them a better target for chemotherapy drugs. However, chemo drugs can’t tell the difference between healthy cells and cancer cells. This means normal cells are damaged along with the cancer cells, and this causes side effects. Each time chemo is given, it means trying to find a balance between killing the cancer cells (in order to cure or control the disease) and sparing the normal cells (to lessen side effects).”

Uh-oh, “normal cells are damaged along with the cancer cells.” Let’s see if we can get a bit more specific here and find out what happens to kidney cells. The Canadian Cancer Society at http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/diagnosis-and-treatment/chemotherapy-and-other-drug-therapies/chemotherapy/side-effects-of-chemotherapy/kidney-damage-and-chemotherapy/?region=on#ixzz51dnKcgtI offers the following information:

“Some chemotherapy drugs can damage the kidneys (nephrotoxicity). The kidneys break down and remove many chemotherapy drugs from the body. When chemotherapy drugs break down, they make products that can damage cells in the kidneys, ureters and bladder. The potential for kidney damage varies with the type of chemotherapy drug used.

Causes

Chemotherapy drugs that can cause kidney damage include:
• cisplatin (Platinol AQ)
• carboplatin (Paraplatin)
• nitrosureas, such as carmustine (BiCNU, BCNU)
• mitomycin (Mutamycin)
• methotrexate – especially if high doses are used

Whether or not a chemotherapy drug will cause kidney damage depends on:
• the dose of the drug used
• if other drugs, which also have the potential to damage the kidney, are used at the same time
• if the person already has kidney disease”

Look at the last item on the list. That’s us; we already have kidney disease. Cancer.Net at https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/older-adults/when-cancer-not-your-only-health-concern gives us just a bit more information about chemotherapy when you already have CKD. They also mention diabetes which is one of the leading causes of CKD.

“Diabetes. If you have diabetes, you need to monitor your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels closely during cancer treatment. Some chemotherapy and medications used to lower side effects (such as steroids) can raise your blood sugar levels. These levels might also go up because you are less physically active or under stress. Side effects like nausea and vomiting also affect your blood sugar.

Your doctor might also recommend:
• Taking low-sugar food supplements
• Taking different anti-nausea medications
• Using fast-acting insulin at times during cancer treatment
• Keeping a record of your blood sugar levels. You and your doctor can look at them during clinic visits. Controlling your blood sugar will help make sure you can stay on your cancer treatment schedule.

Kidney disease. Your kidneys might not work as well as you get older. So adults over 65 might have more problems with some types of chemotherapy. The drugs can be difficult for your kidneys to handle. This can raise your risk of kidney problems. How well your kidneys work might determine the type of chemotherapy you can have, or how often you have it.

If you are on dialysis, talk with your oncologist. Dialysis cleans your blood when your kidneys do not work well enough to do it. But dialysis may also clean the chemotherapy drugs out of your body before they can work.”

This does address older adults which is why I believe they mention age as a CKD risk factor. We know that’s not the only risk factor.

But there is hope. Take a look at what appeared in NDT (the respected European Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation Journal). It’s a bit a technical, but you can read more of the study at https://academic.oup.com/ndt/article/30/12/1979/2459906:

“One of the important drug-related problems in patients with renal impairment is inappropriate medication use and dosing errors…. Along this line, many cytotoxic drugs and their active/toxic metabolites are eliminated through the kidney depending on how much of the substance undergoes renal filtration, tubular secretion and/or tubular reabsorption. Hence, patients with both acute kidney injury (AKI) and CKD receiving chemotherapeutic agents often possess alterations in their pharmacokinetic parameters such as drug absorption, distribution, protein binding, biotransformation and renal excretion, which may result in the accumulation of potentially toxic components and over-dosage …. Therefore, clinicians must be wary to appropriately adjust doses of drugs that are excreted primarily by the kidneys. This requires dosing according to the calculated or measured creatinine clearance or eGFR formulas, which will allow the safe use of chemotherapy in patients with underlying kidney disease.”

Interesting to me is readers and friends’ reactions to chemo. Some have none, other than high energy for a day or two after their treatment. Others are nauseous and depleted of energy. It depends on your unique body chemistry and the ingredients in your chemo cocktail (for lack of a better term).

You can probably add quite a bit more – and I wish you would – since I am limited by a word count. Readers with kidney cancer, will you weigh in? And those who have both CKD and chemo, would you, too?

Brag time! After being included in Healthline’s Top Six Kidney Disease Blogs two years in a row, this year SlowItDownCKD has been awarded a place on BlogFeedSpot’s Top 75 Nephrology Blogs GLOBALLY. You know that expression the British readers use – gob smacked? That’s me!

I hope your Chanukah has been a mass of sweet, fried celebrations. See you on Christmas.

Oh, there’s still time to win a copy of the newly published SlowItDownCKD 2011 in the Chanukah Book Giveaway Contest. If you haven’t won a book this year, all you have to do is be the first person to correctly answer: What percentage of people with CKD are aware they have the disease?

Until next week,
Keep living your life!

Giving Thanks

Thursday is the American Thanksgiving. This is what we were taught in grade school when I was a child:

“In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.”

Thank you History.com at http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving for that information.

Thanksgiving is celebrated in one form or another all over the world since it is basically a celebration of the harvest. For example, Canadians celebrate theirs on the second Monday of October since the harvest is earlier there. Then there’s China’s Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, Korea’s Chuseok, the Liberian Thanksgiving, Ghana’s Homowo Festival, and the Jewish Sukkot.

One thing all the different forms of Thanksgiving worldwide have in common is the delicious danger of overeating… and that is not good for our kidneys (no matter how scrumptious the food is). This report – which deals with just that topic – popped up on my news feed the other day. The source is Baylor College of Medicine at https://www.bcm.edu/news/kidney/overeating-holidays-bad-for-kidneys.

“‘The body absorbs nutrients from the gut and then the liver metabolizes them. Whatever is left that can’t be used by the body is excreted by the kidneys,” said Mandayam, associate professor of medicine in the section of nephrology. “The more you eat, the more you deliver to your kidneys to excrete, so eating a lot of substances that are very high in proteins or toxins can put a strain on your kidneys because they now have to handle the excess calories, toxins or proteins you’ve eaten.

During holidays like Thanksgiving, people tend to eat very heavy meals with lots of proteins and carbohydrates, and this can impact not only kidney function, but also liver, pancreas and cardiac function,’ Mandayam said.

‘When you consume carbohydrates, the body will use what is necessary for immediate energy release but any extra carbohydrates are converted into fat and stored underneath the skin and in the muscles and the liver. Similarly, when you eat a lot of fat, if the fat can’t immediately be converted into energy-producing adenosine triphosphate, then all of the fat will be stored in various fat deposits in the body,’ Mandayam explained.

‘The building up of fat inside your liver can lead to liver failure or cirrhosis, and fat inside your blood vessels can lead to heart attacks. Additionally, eating a lot of protein that your body can’t metabolize can lead to an increase in blood urea nitrogen, which adds stress on kidneys because they have to work harder to excrete this.

It is especially important for people with chronic kidney disease and kidney stones to not overeat,’ he said.

‘For people with kidney disease, even eating normal amounts of food puts stress on their kidneys,’ he said. ‘If you consume large amounts of carbohydrates, protein or fat the stress on an overworked, half functioning kidney will get even worse and can accelerate your kidney dysfunction.’”

It always made sense to me that overeating is detrimental to your health, but I was thinking in terms of obesity which could lead to diabetes which, in turn, could lead to CKD. I’ve also noticed that since I read this report, I’ve been eating less without making an effort. For years, I’ve been struggling with my weight and all I had to do is read this report????? Life is weird.

Let’s talk about carbohydrates for a minute. I instantly think of bread, all kinds of bread which is even weirder because I’ve been on a low carb diet for a while. I know, you thought of cakes and pies, didn’t you? Did you know that fruits and vegetables contain carbohydrates, too?

Hmmm, that was a revelation to me the first time I saw those charts. Now I’m wondering about excess calories. I’m limited to 1200 a day and find that this is fine with me. Bear is larger, being both male and bigger than I am, so his calorie limitations are higher. Your renal dietician can tell you what your ideal calorie count per day is if you don’t know.

So, why limit calories? Renal Medical Associates at http://renalmed.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Nutrition-and-the-CKD-diet.pdf explain this succinctly:

  Why being overweight matters and what you can do about it.

We used to think that those “few extra pounds” were just dead weight. We now know that those extra pounds work together to disrupt your body’s normal functioning-with the goal of making you gain more weight. That’s why losing weight is such a difficult task.

I’m back. It’s important to limit your calorie limit so that you don’t add those extra pounds. The extra pounds not only make it more difficult to lose weight, but can lead to obesity… which can lead to diabetes… which can lead to CKD. This is starting to sound familiar, isn’t it?

If you already have CKD, the extra pounds you gain without calorie restrictions make it more difficult for your poor, already overworked and struggling kidneys to do their jobs.

What are those jobs you ask? Let’s take a look at Verywell.com at https://www.verywell.com/kidney-functions-514154 ‘s answer:

• Prevent the Buildup of Waste Products – The kidneys function as an intricate filter, removing normal waste products of metabolism, as well as toxins from the body. In the process of removing toxins, the kidneys may be damaged   by these substances.
• Regulate Fluid – Through holding on to fluids when a person is dehydrated, or eliminating excess fluids, the kidneys control fluid balance in the body.
• Regulate Electrolytes – The kidneys play an important function in electrolyte balance in the body, regulating the levels of sodium, potassium, and phosphate. This maintaining of optimal levels of electrolytes is referred to as homeostasis – or equilibrium.
• Regulate Blood Pressure – Through the production of a hormone called renin, the kidneys play an important role in regulating blood pressure. Learn more about the renin-angiotensin system.
• Regulate Production of Red Blood Cells – The kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin which controls the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow.
• Bone Health – The kidneys produce an active form of vitamin D which keeps the bones healthy.

Hey, it’s Thanksgiving. You can enjoy the holiday meal without overeating.

Until next week,
Keep living your life!

Snap, Crackle, and Pop

I haven’t taken to eating boxed cereals, although I do thank Rice Krispies for coming up with that slogan. I’ve discovered there are drawbacks to being independent that I hadn’t thought about… like the one that landed me in my new chiropractor’s office where I heard those sounds coming from within my body.

It started off so innocently. Our outdoor swing bit the dust so Bear took it apart. I decided our hammock chairs would look great where the swing had been. Ah, but Bear was busy moving the parts of the swing from that part of the patio.

I could do it if I went slowly. So I pulled one of them partway down the walkway, then pulled the second one. Of course, pulling meant going backwards. Why I was looking forward instead of backward, I’ll never know. I managed to trip over the foot of the first hammock frame.

My arm was scraped from one end to the other. My thigh had the biggest black and blue mark I’d seen on my body to date. But worse of all, my neck hurt. No problem, I figured. I’ll just wash out the scrapes, ice the neck and the thigh and I’ll be fine. But I wasn’t. Hence, the chiropractic visits.

It’s been two weeks. The arm is almost healed, the black and blue mark moving toward disappearing and the neck barely hurts at all. Hmmm, if chiropractic is so good for these aches and pains, could it also be good for my kidneys?
The Medical Dictionary of The Free Dictionary at http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/chiropractic defines chiropractic for us:

Chiropractic is from Greek words meaning done by hand. It is grounded in the principle that the body can heal itself when the skeletal system is correctly aligned and the nervous system is functioning properly. To achieve this, the practitioner uses his or her hands or an adjusting tool to perform specific manipulations of the vertebrae. When these bones of the spine are not correctly articulated, resulting in a condition known as subluxation, the theory is that nerve transmission is disrupted and causes pain in the back, as well as other areas of the body.

Chiropractic is one of the most popular alternative therapies currently available. Some would say it now qualifies as mainstream treatment as opposed to complementary medicine. Chiropractic treatment is covered by many insurance plans and in 2004, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced full inclusion of chiropractic care for veterans. It has become well-accepted treatment for acute pain and problems of the spine, including lower back pain and whiplash.…

I didn’t see anything in my research to connect this type of medicine and the kidneys, so I tried thinking about it another way. What are the major causes of Chronic Kidney Disease? We know diabetes is the first and hypertension the second.

I took a look at NaturalNews.com (https://www.naturalnews.com/035546_chiropractic_blood_sugar_diabetes.html) and found the following:

The average person may not recognize how diabetes and chiropractic are connected. What does the back have to do with blood sugar? Often, an electrician understands this faster than most people. Interfere with the current flowing through the wires and the appliances or areas of the house lose normal function or might even catch fire.

If the nerve supply from the upper neck or middle back (the two areas that supply the pancreas) are disturbed, pancreatic function suffers; maybe in its ability to produce enzymes to digest proteins, fats and carbohydrates, or maybe insulin production, or both. Blood sugar and digestion become unbalanced, resulting in either in diabetes or hypoglycemia.

Nutritionist Carolyn Heintz further explains:

Chiropractic care might be helpful to diabetics if problems in the spine affect blood flow to the pancreas. The pancreas releases insulin in the body which is necessary to regulate proper levels of glucose in the blood. If the pancreas is not receiving enough oxygen and nutrients through proper blood circulation, perhaps this might have an effect on insulin production.

Another way chiropractic treatment might help those who suffer from diabetes is by alleviating pressed nerves on the spine to allow for a regenerated connection between the brain and the systems that are involved in the endocrine system and a body’s metabolism. Also, when the nervous system is free to work properly, the body can work to heal itself better.

You can read the rest of her article at http://belviderechiropractic.com/conditions/can-chiropractic-care-help-treat-diabetes/.

This makes sense. If there’s a ‘short’ in the system, it’s just not going to work. If you correct the short allowing the current to flow, you could be shortcutting diabetes… and maybe Chronic Kidney Disease.

Well, how about hypertension? How can chiropractic help with that?

This caught my eye, but it will need some explaining. I discovered it at https://www.echiropractor.org/chiropractic-blood-pressure/.

Upper cervical chiropractic treatment, “performed by a mechanical chiropractic adjusting device” was noted to decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and these findings were published in 1988…. More recently, it was found that the Atlas Adjustment lowered blood pressure with the effectiveness of “two blood pressure medications given in combination”, according to Dr. George Bakris. The drop in blood pressure as a result of the realignment of the Atlas vertebra was “an average of 14 mm Hg greater drop” (systolic) and “an average 8 mm Hg greater drop” (diastolic), compared to “sham-treated patients”.

Cervical means “relating or belonging to the neck, or to any body part that resembles a neck,” according to Encarta Dictionary. In the paragraph above, it means the neck. Here’s a picture of a mechanical chiropractic adjusting device. It’s used if more than finger or hand pressure is needed for spinal adjustment and sounds almost like a stapler. It doesn’t break the skin, simply manipulates the spine.

The Atlas Adjustment is a little harder to explain. The topmost vertebra of your neck is called the Atlas because it holds up the globe better known as your head. Remember your Greek mythology? Atlas supported the world. It’s this vertebra that is being manipulated.

I, for one, am convinced. I was wondering whether or not to continue the visits since I’m feeling better. It sounds like something I should do. How about you?

Until next week,
Keep living your life!

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead

How many times have you said this (before your diagnose) to those who told you to slow down, take it easier, don’t rush so, take some time for yourself, etc.? As a younger person, I was a high school teacher, an actor, a writer, and – most importantly – a mother, actually a single mother once my daughters were double digit aged.

Guess what. You may sleep when you’re dead, but you need to sleep now before you hasten the time to your death. What’s that? You get enough sleep? I thought I did, too, but I wasn’t getting the kind of sleep I needed.

Why do we need sleep anyway? I turned to The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1 for some answers. The first reason I stumbled across was in an article from The Journal of The American Society of Nephrologists:

“Hermida tells WebMD that some of the body’s blood pressure control systems are most active while we sleep. So medicines designed to control those systems work better when taken close to the time when the systems are activated most fully.”

Ramon C. Hermida, PhD is the director of the bioengineering and chronobiology labs at the University of Vigo in Spain.

Hmmm, I take medication for hypertension… and I take it at night. I see that I need to sleep for it to work most effectively. I’ve known this for years and written about it. The point is you may need to know about it.

Then I started wondering if I were correct in the amount of sleep I thought I needed. The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2 was helpful here:

“How much sleep is enough sleep anyway? According to Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler of The Mayo Clinic site, seven to eight hours is what an adult needs, but then he lists mitigating circumstances under which you might need more:

• Pregnancy. Changes in a woman’s body during early pregnancy can increase the need for sleep.
• Aging. Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as younger adults. As you get older, however, your sleeping patterns might change. Older adults tend to sleep more lightly and for shorter time spans than do younger adults. This might create a need for spending more time in bed to get enough sleep, or a tendency toward daytime napping.
• Previous sleep deprivation. If you’re sleep deprived, the amount of sleep you need increases.
• Sleep quality. If your sleep is frequently interrupted or cut short, you’re not getting quality sleep. The quality of your sleep is just as important as the quantity.”

While I’m not pregnant (and will become a medical miracle if I become pregnant), all the other circumstances do apply to me. During Shiva after my brother’s death, there was very, very little sleeping going on. Hence, sleep deprivation. I’m aging and my sleep quality is not great right now. Those are my circumstances, but they could be yours. Are you getting enough sleep?

Sometimes, simply having Chronic Kidney Disease can be the source of sleep problems. This is something I’ve written about several times. Here’s an excerpt from SlowItDownCKD 2015 about just that:

“We’ve known for a long time that sleep disorders are more common in kidney disease patients than in the general population,” Charles Atwood, MD, associate director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Sleep Medicine Center in Pennsylvania, who wasn’t involved in the study, told Medscape Medical News. “A lot of studies in the past focused on the dialysis population. It seems like this group focused on people with milder degrees of kidney disease and basically found that they also have sleep disorders and I’m not surprised by that,” he added.

You can read the entire article at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/805342, although you will have to register for a free account.

By digging deep, far and wide, I finally figured out that toxic waste buildup in our systems (from the imperfect blood filtering by our kidneys) could be the cause of my segmented sleep. I took a comment from one study, a sentence from another, and unilaterally decided this was the reason. I am not a doctor – as I keep saying – and I don’t have the facts I’d like to behind this conclusion….”

Oh, right: you need a definition of segmented sleep. Wikipedia provides one:

“Segmented sleep, also known as divided sleep, bimodal sleep pattern, bifurcated sleep, or interrupted sleep, is a polyphasic or biphasic sleep pattern where two or more periods of sleep are punctuated by periods of wakefulness.”

The National Institutes of Health at https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why sums up our need for sleep beautifully:

“Sleep plays an important role in your physical health. For example, sleep is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.

Sleep deficiency also increases the risk of obesity. For example, one study of teenagers showed that with each hour of sleep lost, the odds of becoming obese went up. Sleep deficiency increases the risk of obesity in other age groups as well.

Sleep helps maintain a healthy balance of the hormones that make you feel hungry (ghrelin) or full (leptin). When you don’t get enough sleep, your level of ghrelin goes up and your level of leptin goes down. This makes you feel hungrier than when you’re well-rested.

Sleep also affects how your body reacts to insulin, the hormone that controls your blood glucose (sugar) level. Sleep deficiency results in a higher than normal blood sugar level, which may increase your risk for diabetes.

Sleep also supports healthy growth and development. Deep sleep triggers the body to release the hormone that promotes normal growth in children and teens. This hormone also boosts muscle mass and helps repair cells and tissues in children, teens, and adults. Sleep also plays a role in puberty and fertility.

Your immune system relies on sleep to stay healthy. This system defends your body against foreign or harmful substances. Ongoing sleep deficiency can change the way in which your immune system responds. For example, if you’re sleep deficient, you may have trouble fighting common infections.”

I think I need to go to sleep now.

Until next week,
Keep living your life!

Good Grief!

No, Charlie Brown, grief is not good. Grief is not good at all. My big brother, Alan Peckolick, died 10 days ago. You can read about him in lots of publications and I’ll even provide the links.* But you can’t read about him as my big brother in any of these.

Nowhere do they mention how Alan used our brother Paul’s accordion for sound effects as he told us scary stories when forced to babysit. Nowhere do they mention how this non- violent boy promptly tackled his friend to wash his face in snow after he caught the friend throwing a snowball at me, his little sister. Nowhere do they mention his being told to take Paul and me to his scout meeting and his doing it, inappropriate or not.

Six and a half years is a big age difference when you’re growing up. You sort of catch up as adults. We never did. We lived in different worlds. He was a giant in the art world. I was happy raising my little girls, acting, teaching, and writing on a less than giant scale. Nevertheless, he was my brother and I made sure we kept in touch.

As Jews, we sat shiva. That is the week long period of mourning for the first degree relatives of the deceased. At their loft in Manhattan where shiva was being observed, I met many members of his social circle who were surprised Alan had a brother and sister and who asked me to tell them anecdotes about growing up with him. They praised his art world, and rightly so. I praised the big brother as a child… and then a teenager. They were charmed by the Alan that was this age; I was charmed by the Alan they knew as an adult.

But I found myself grieving. It was not unexpected. I hurt all over, nothing specific, just a general aching… or was it my heart I felt aching? Wait a minute, what was happening to my kidneys throughout this process of grief?

The day he was taken off life support, I was at my lab having the usual quarterly blood draw. Alan and Jessica Weber, his wife, were in Connecticut where they have a country house and where the catastrophic fall that landed him on life support occurred; I was in Arizona. There was nothing I could do from afar and I knew I could trust Jessica to keep me informed. I thought keeping myself to my usual schedule would help me cope.

Except for the values in the next sentence, all my tests came back as low as they could while still being in the normal range. That had never happened before. While my GFR stayed stable, my BUN was at 30 (‘normal’ range is 8-25), Bun/Creatinine Ratio 29.1 (‘normal’ range is 10-28) and my glucose was 113 (‘normal’ range is 65-99). I was underwhelmed. I figured it was my brother’s situation making my body goes haywire. I still am.

PyschCentral at https://psychcentral.com/lib/your-health-and-grief/ offers the following explanation of how grief affects our bodies:
“…. At the death the brain ‘translates’ the stress of grief into a chemical reaction in the body. The pituitary gland located at the base of the brain is stimulated to produce a hormone called adrenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH). This reaction is a “protective” one and in essence makes the body ready to do battle. The ACTH (from the pituitary gland) then travels to the adrenal gland, a gland at the top of the kidneys, which causes a chemical reaction which ultimately produces cortisone. As the cortisone level increases it causes the production of ACTH to level off.

What happens in the case of grief where the stress continues for many months? The cycle does not operate as it should. Because the stress is continuing, the production of ACTH is continuing thus causing the adrenal gland to produce more and more cortisone. The result is an abnormally high level of cortisone circulating in the blood sometimes exceeding ten to twenty times the normal levels.

A high level of cortisone is one of the things that causes our immune system (the system that normally fights off disease carrying bacteria fungi and viruses) to falter. The high level of cortisone affects yet another gland the thalamus which manufactures the white cells of our blood. With the thalamus not functioning properly, it cannot produce white cells that are effective. Those white cells normally locate and phagocytize (eat up) the invading germs, viral particles or even pre-cancerous cells. Thus with the white cells unable to function properly the individual is 100% more susceptible to the most common germs.”

Well, what is cortisol? As I mentioned in SlowItDownCKD 2016,
“Cortisol is a hormone that controls metabolism and helps the body react to stress, according to Endocrineweb. It affects the immune system and lowers inflammatory responses in the body.”

So our already compromised immune system is compromised even more compromised. Are we now at the mercy of our grief? Nothing that dramatic, folks.

 

We can up our vitamin D – with our nephrologist’s approval first, of course. As mentioned in the glossary of What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease,
“Vitamin D: Regulates calcium and phosphorous blood levels as well as promoting bone formation, among other tasks – affects the immune system.”

We can up our NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep. I turned to The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2 for this information:
“WebMD tells us
During the deep stages of NREM sleep, the body repairs and regenerates tissues, builds bone and muscle, and appears to strengthen the immune system.”

My favorite deterrent to a further compromised immune system? Hugs. MedicalNewsToday at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275795.phpat explains:
“Oxytocin has an anti-anxiety (anxiolytic) effect ….”

Less anxiety, less stress. That’s something that could be useful during times of grief. I didn’t have to clear this with my nephrologist, hugging is a way of life with my family and friends, and it somehow, magically, lessens the pain for a little while.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

*The links to Alan’s obituaries:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alan-peckolick-dead_us_5988ae58e4b0d7937388f5be
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/alan-peckolick-influential-designer-from-madison-avenue-to-hollywood-dies-at-76/2017/08/10/ea33134a-7dd7-11e7-9d08-b79f191668ed_story.html?utm_term=.d2b395bfa3c6

Long Term, Short, and your Heart

I received some comments about Acute Kidney Disease (AKI) in the midst of all the support after last week’s blog. It seems this is a new topic for so many of us. By us I mean Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients. I know at stage 3, my nephrologist never brought this up to me.

Ah, but I remembered this from The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2:

On the very first page of What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, I wrote “…chronic is not acute. It means long term, whereas acute usually means quick onset and short duration.”

All those years of teaching English in high school and college paid off for me right there in that sentence.

I’d always thought that AKI and CKD were separate issues and I’ll bet you did, too. But Dr. L.S. Chawla and his co-writers based the following conclusion on the labor of epidemiologists and others. (Note: Dr. Chawla et al wrote a review article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2014.)

“Chronic Kidney Disease is a risk factor for acute kidney injury, acute kidney injury is a risk factor for the development of Chronic Kidney Disease, and both acute kidney injury and Chronic Kidney Disease are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.” …

Not surprisingly, the risk factors for AKI {Once again, that’s acute kidney injury.} are the same as those for CKD… except for one peculiar circumstance. Having CKD itself can raise the risk of AKI 10 times. Whoa! If you’re Black, of an advanced age {Hey!}, or have diabetes, you already know you’re at risk for CKD, or are the one out of nine in our country that has it. Once you’ve developed CKD, you’ve just raised the risk for AKI 10 times. I’m getting a little nervous here….

It makes sense, as researchers and doctors are beginning to see, that these are all connected. I’m not a doctor or a researcher, but I can understand that if you’ve had some kind of insult to your kidney, it would be more apt to develop CKD.

And the CVD risk? Let’s think of it this way. You’ve had AKI. That period of weakness in the kidneys opens them up to CKD. We already know there’s a connection between CKD and CVD. Throw that AKI into the mix, and you have more of a chance to develop CVD whether or not you’ve had a problem in this area before. Let’s not go off the deep end here. If you’ve had AKI, you just need to be monitored to see if CKD develops and avoid nephrotoxic {Kidney poisoning} medications such as NSAIDS… contrast dyes, and radioactive substances. This is just so circular!

As with CKD, your hypertension and diabetes {If you have them.} need to be monitored, too. Then there’s the renal diet, especially low sodium foods. The kicker here is that no one knows if this is helpful in avoiding CKD after an AKI… it’s a ‘just in case’ kind of thing to help ward off any CKD and possible CVD from the CKD.

Has your primary care doctor recommended a daily low dose aspirin with your nephrologist’s approval? This is to protect your heart against CVD since you already have CKD which raises the risk of CVD. Now here’s where it gets confusing, the FDA has recently revoked its endorsement of such a regiment.

Let’s see what more we can find out about this dastardly triumvirate.

The National Kidney Foundation at https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/AcuteKidneyInjury offers this information about AKI.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden episode of kidney failure or kidney damage that happens within a few hours or a few days. AKI causes a build-up of waste products in your blood and makes it hard for your kidneys to keep the right balance of fluid in your body. AKI can also affect other organs such as the brain, heart, and lungs. Acute kidney injury is common in patients who are in the hospital, in intensive care units, and especially in older adults.

You did catch that it can affect the heart, right?

Well, what about the heart and its diseases?

This is from the Mayo Clinic at http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/basics/definition/con-20034056.

The term “heart disease” is often used interchangeably with the term “cardiovascular disease.”

Cardiovascular disease generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke. Other heart conditions, such as those that affect your heart’s muscle, valves or rhythm, also are considered forms of heart disease.

Many forms of heart disease can be prevented or treated with healthy lifestyle choices.

Maybe a reminder of what CKD is will help, too. WebMD at http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/tc/chronic-kidney-disease-topic-overview#1 offers this simple, comprehensive explanation.

Having chronic kidney disease means that for some time your kidneys have not been working the way they should. Your kidneys have the important job of filtering your blood. They remove waste products and extra fluid and flush them from your body as urine. When your kidneys don’t work right, wastes build up in your blood and make you sick.

Chronic kidney disease may seem to have come on suddenly. But it has been happening bit by bit for many years as a result of damage to your kidneys.

Each of your kidneys has about a million tiny filters, called nephrons. If nephrons are damaged, they stop working. For a while, healthy nephrons can take on the extra work. But if the damage continues, more and more nephrons shut down. After a certain point, the nephrons that are left cannot filter your blood well enough to keep you healthy.

My head is spinning. One could – or could not – lead to another which, in turn, could – or could not – lead to the third. There’s no strict order and there’s no way of knowing until you actually have it. My layperson’s suggestion? Take good care of your kidneys.

Until next week,
Keep living your life!

Shocked

When I checked my phone messages this morning, I saw one from the wife of someone I have known and loved my whole life. That shook me. The message was from his wife, not him. I couldn’t bring myself to listen to it until after I’d had a cup of coffee and fed Shiloh, our dog.

It was bad news. He was in the hospital on life support. I was shocked. Immediately, I felt nausea and a band started to tighten around my head. I noticed my voice was rough as I tried to process what his wife was telling me.

She did an exemplary job of explaining what had happened step by step and including what will happen at the hospital now. After reassuring myself that she had friends around her to support her while she’s emergency central, so to speak, we hung up…and I tried to go through my usual early morning routines.

I knew it wasn’t working when I took the wash out of washing machine, put it back in the washing machine, and started the empty dryer. I knew it wasn’t working when I fed the dog I’d just fed.

So I retreated to the library to start the daily ‘kidney work’: checking email, texts, and LinkedIn for messages from readers; posting on Instagram and Facebook; and perusing Twitter for articles that might interest you. I was having trouble concentrating. Maybe thinking about what I’d write in today’s blog would be more productive.

It was obvious, wasn’t it? I’d write about what shock does to your body and to your kidneys.

In befuddedly casting around on the internet for information, I found this at http://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/7-warning-signs-acute-stress-reaction-emotional-shock.htm.

By Harley Therapy January 23, 2014 Anxiety & stress, Counselling  

…. While it’s true you aren’t in “medical shock” – an acute circulatory condition where blood pressure falls so severely that multiple organ failure can occur – you are still in a medically recognised kind of shock.

Psychological shock, a form of psychological trauma, is the body’s very real stress response to experiencing or witnessing an overwhelming and/or frightening event….

You might feel as if your brain has turned to mush, or you have ‘brain fog’….

Life might even feel unreal, as if you are disconnected, floating slightly outside of your body and watching yourself carry on doing things. This is called dissociation….

When your brain decides that there is ‘danger’ around, it triggers the primal ‘fight, flight, or flight’ response. Back when we were ‘cave people’ these responses where helpful, but nowadays the overload of adrenaline they involve just leave you with a racing heartbeat, muscle tension, headaches, stomach upset, and random aches and pains….

Sleep is often affected by emotional shock. Insomnia is common. Even if you are sleeping more than ever, you are unlikely to get quality sleep but might suffer disturbed sleep, full of stress dreams. It’s common to develop ‘night panic attacks’ where you wake up suddenly with a racing heart and severe anxiety….

I could identify with this. It seemed I had to correct the spelling of every other word today. My husband was trying to pin down dates for a California trip and I was responding with dates for a New York trip. The doorbell rang, so I answered the phone. You get the idea. I’ve already mentioned the particular headache and the nausea. But what about my kidneys? What was happening to them?

The Medical Dictionary at http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/shock+organs, defines shock as “a sudden disturbance of mental equilibrium.” That is a pretty accurate description of what happened when I returned that phone call this morning.

The same site goes on to explain that shock “is associated with a dangerously low blood pressure.” And blood pressure, of course is:

pressure that is exerted by the blood upon the walls of the blood vessels and especially arteries and that varies with the muscular efficiency of the heart, the blood volume and viscosity, the age and health of the individual, and the state of the vascular wall

Thank you to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blood%20pressure for that definition.

Notice the word “arteries.” Arteries also run into the kidneys. The following is from What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease.

Your kidneys have about a million nephrons, which are those tiny structures that produce urine as part of the body’s waste removal process. Each of them has a glomerulus or network of capillaries. This is where the blood from the renal artery is filtered.

In other words, when you’re in shock – even if it’s emotional shock – the pressure of your blood can be dangerously low. But low blood pressure may also lead to Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). Uh-oh, I remember writing about that in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2.

….Chronic Kidney Disease is a risk factor for acute kidney injury, acute kidney injury is a risk factor for the development of Chronic Kidney Disease, and both acute kidney injury and Chronic Kidney Disease are risk factors for cardiovascular disease…. Not surprisingly, the risk factors for AKI {Once again, that’s acute kidney injury.} are the same as those for CKD… except for one peculiar circumstance. Having CKD itself can raise the risk of AKI 10 times. Whoa! If you’re Black, of an advanced age {Hey!}, or have diabetes, you already know you’re at risk for CKD, or are the one out of nine in our country that has it. Once you’ve developed CKD, you’ve just raised the risk for AKI 10 times.

Let me make sure you (and I) understand that this is the worst case scenario. A few thoughts about how cardiovascular disease and the kidneys interact before I get on the phone to check on my beloved friend again. This is from a study that was included in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1.

“The brain and kidney are both organs that are affected by the cardiovascular systems,” said the study’s lead author, Adam Davey, associate professor of public health in Temple’s College of Health Professions and Social Work. “They are both affected by things like blood pressure and hypertension, so it is natural to expect that changes in one organ are going to be linked with changes in another.”

You can find the article at http://www.EurekAlert!.org/pub_releases/2012-11/tu-dkf111312.php

Until next week,
Keep living your life!

CKD and the VA or It’s Not Alphabet Soup at All

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. It is not a day to say Happy Memorial Day since it is a day commemorating those who gave their lives for our freedom. Lots of us have bar-b-ques or go to the park or the beach to celebrate. No problem there as long as we remember WHO we are celebrating. I promise: no political rant here, just plain appreciation of those who serve(d) us both living and dead. Personally, I am honoring my husband, my step son-in-law, and all those cousins who just never came home again.

I explained the origins of this day in SlowItDownCKD 2015 (May 25), so won’t re-explain it here. You can go to the blog and just scroll down to that month and year in the drop down menu on the right side of the page under Archives. I was surprised to read about the origins myself.

We already know that Chronic Kidney Disease will prevent you from serving your country in the military, although there are so many other ways to serve our country. This is from The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2:

‘The Department of Defense’s Instruction for Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Military Services establishes medical standards, which, if not met, are grounds for rejection for military service. Other standards may be prescribed for a mobilization for a national emergency.

As of September 13, 2011, according to Change 1 of this Instruction, the following was included.

‘Current or history of acute (580) nephritis or chronic (582) Chronic Kidney Disease of any type.’

Until this date, Chronic Kidney Disease was not mentioned.”

You can read the entire list of The Department of Defense’s Instruction for Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Military Services at http://dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/613003p.pdf. You’ll also find information there about metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and pre-diabetes as conditions for non-enlistment.

This got me to thinking. What if you were had already enlisted when you developed CKD. Yes, you would be discharged as medically unfit, but could you get help as a veteran?

According to the Veterans Administration at https://www.research.va.gov/topics/Kidney_disease.cfm#research4,

“In 2012, VA and the University of Michigan began the work of creating a national kidney disease registry to monitor kidney disease among Veterans. The registry will provide accurate and timely information about the burden and trends related to kidney disease among Veterans and identify Veterans at risk for kidney disease.

VA hopes the kidney disease registry will lead to improvements in access to care, such as kidney transplants. The department also expects the registry will allow VA clinicians to better monitor and prevent kidney disease, and will reduce costs related to kidney disease.”

That’s what was hoped for five years ago. Let’s see if it really came to fruition.

Oh, this is promising and taken directly from The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“VA eKidney Clinic

The VA eKidney Clinic is now available! The eKidney Clinic offers patient education through interactive virtual classrooms where Veterans can learn how to take care of their kidneys and live a good life with kidney disease. Please visit the VA eKidney Clinic website or click on the picture below. For additional information see the eKidney Clinic Patient Information Brochure.”

The Veterans Health Administration doesn’t just provide information, although I must say I was delighted to see the offer of Social Work Services. There is also treatment available. Notice dialysis mentioned in their mission statement.

“Mission: The VHA Kidney Program’s mission is to improve the quality and consistency of healthcare services delivered to Veterans with kidney disease nationwide. The VHA Kidney Program provides kidney-related services to dialysis centers throughout VA’s medical centers. Professional guidance and services are available in the form of consultation and policies developed by VA kidney experts. These experts are dedicated to furthering the understanding of kidney disease, its impact on Veterans, and developing treatments to help patients manage disease symptoms. In addition, the VHA Kidney Program provides VA healthcare professionals with clinical care, education, research, and informatics resources to improve healthcare at local VA dialysis facilities.”

I did find it strange that there was a cravat on the Veterans Administration site that they do not necessarily endorse the VHA Kidney Program, especially since it is so helpful.

 

 

 

How involved is the VA with CKD patients? Take a look for yourself at this 2015 statistics by going to https://www.va.gov/HEALTH/services/renal/documents/Kidney_Disease_and_Dialysis_Services_Fact%20Sheet_April_2015.pdf

• All Veterans enrolled in VA are eligible for services, regardless of service connection status
• Enrolled Veterans can receive services from the VA or from community providers under the Non-VA Care Program if VA services are unavailable
• 49 VA health care facilities offer kidney disease specialty care (nephrology services)
• 96 VA facilities offer inpatient and/or outpatient dialysis; 25 centers are inpatient-only. Of the 71 VA outpatient dialysis centers, 64 are hospital based units, 2 are joint VA/DoD units, 4 are freestanding units, and one is within a community based outpatient clinic (CBOC)
• VA enrollees must be offered the option of home dialysis provided either directly by the VA or through the Non-VA Care Program
• 36 outpatient hemodialysis centers offer home dialysis care directly.
• 5 VA medical centers host kidney transplantation programs.
• VA Delivered Kidney Care (Calendar Year 2013) 13,794 Unique Veterans receiving dialysis paid for by VA; representing an annual increase of 13% since 2008. 794 Veterans received home dialysis; 55percent (434) by VA facilities and 45percent (360) under the Non-VA Care Program.
• Increasing use of telehealth services to increase Veteran access to kidney specialty care Secure messaging: 7,319 messages, Clinical video telehealth: 4,977 encounters
• VA Kidney Research (FY ’14) the research budget for the study of kidney disease has been $18.5 million per year for the past 5 years (FY ’10-FY ’14). The VA Cooperative Studies Program has supported national clinical trials addressing the best treatment of Veterans with CKD since at least 1998.

It seems to me our veterans are covered. Now if we could only make sure the rest of us stay covered no matter what bills the current administration signs into law.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

B.U.N. No, not bun. B.U.N.

Let’s consider this part 2 of last week’s blog since all these terms and tests and functions are intertwined for Chronic Kidney Disease patients. Thanks to reader Paul (not my Bear, but another Paul) for emphatically agreeing with me about this.

Bing! Bing! Bing! I know where to start. This is from The National Kidney Disease Education Program at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ information about being tested for CKD.

“If necessary, meaning if your kidney function is compromised, your pcp will make certain you get to a nephrologist promptly.  This specialist will conduct more intensive tests that include:

Blood:

BUN –

BUN stands for blood urea nitrogen. Urea nitrogen is what forms when protein breaks down.”

If you read last week’s blog about creatinine, you know there’s more to the testing than that and that more of the information is in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2. No sense to repeat myself so soon.

Let’s take this very slowly. I don’t think it necessary to define blood, but urea? Maybe. I found this in SlowItDownCKD 2015:

“But how can I explain blood urea?  I’ll allow the experts to do that.

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/routine-kidney-function-blood-test has the simplest explanation.

‘Urea is a waste product formed from the breakdown of proteins. Urea is usually passed out in the urine. A high blood level of urea (‘uraemia’) indicates that the kidneys may not be working properly or that you are dehydrated (have low body water content).’

In the U.S., we call this test B.U.N. or Blood Urea Nitrogen Blood Test.  So as I understand it, if your protein intake is high, more urea is produced.  But since your kidneys are already compromised by CKD, the toxins remaining in your body are not eliminated as well….”

You with me so far? If there’s suspicion of CKD, your nephrologist tests your serum creatinine (see last week’s blog) and your BUN.  Wait a minute; I haven’t explained nitrogen yet. Oh, I see; it has to be defined in conjunction with urea.

Thanks to The National Kidney Foundation at https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/understanding-your-lab-values for clearing this up:

“Urea nitrogen is a normal waste product in your blood that comes from the breakdown of protein from the foods you eat and from your body metabolism. It is normally removed from your blood by your kidneys, but when kidney function slows down, the BUN level rises. BUN can also rise if you eat more protein, and it can fall if you eat less protein.”

So now the reason for this protein restriction I wrote about in What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease should be clear.

“So, why is protein limited? One reason is that it is the source of a great deal of phosphorus. Another is that a number of nephrons were already destroyed before you were even diagnosed. Logically, those that remain compensate for those that are no longer viable. The remaining nephrons are doing more work than they were meant to. Just like a car that is pushed too hard, there will be constant deterioration if you don’t stop pushing. The idea is to stop pushing your remaining nephrons to work even harder in an attempt to slow down the advancement of your CKD.  Restricting protein is a way to reduce the nephrons’ work.”

This is starting to sound like a rabbit warren – one piece leads to another, which verves off to lead to another, and so forth and so on. All right, let’s keep going anyway.

Guess what. Urea is also tested via the urine. Nothing like confusing the issue, at least to those of us who are lay people like me. Let’s see if Healthline at http://www.healthline.com/health/urea-nitrogen-urine#overview1 can straighten this out for us.

“Your body creates ammonia when it breaks down protein from foods. Ammonia contains nitrogen, which mixes with other elements in your body, including carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen to form urea. Urea is a waste product that is excreted by the kidneys when you urinate.

The urine urea nitrogen test determines how much urea is in the urine to assess the amount of protein breakdown. The test can help determine how well the kidneys are functioning, and if your intake of protein is too high or low. Additionally, it can help diagnose whether you have a problem with protein digestion or absorption from the gut.”

Hmmm, these two don’t sound that different to me other than what is being analyzed for the result – blood (although blood serum is used, rather than whole blood) or urine.

What about BUN to Creatinine tests? How do they fit in here? After all, this is part 2 of last week’s blog about creatinine. Thank you to Medicine Net at http://www.medicinenet.com/creatinine_blood_test/article.htm for explaining. “The BUN-to-creatinine ratio generally provides more precise information about kidney function and its possible underlying cause compared with creatinine level alone.”

Dizzy yet? I think that’s enough for one day.

In other news, the price of all my Chronic Kidney Disease books has been reduced by 20%. I think more people will avail themselves of this information if they cost less… and that’s my aim: CKD awareness. If you belong to Kindle’s share program, you can take advantage of the fact that the price there was reduced to $1.99. You can also loan my books to a Kindle friend or borrow them from one for free for 14 days. Or you can ask your local librarian to order all five books, another way of reading them free. I almost forgot: as a member of Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, you also read the books for free although you do need to pay your usual monthly subscription fee.

Students: Please be aware that some unscrupulous sites have been offering to rent you my books for a term for much more than it would cost to buy them. I’ve succeeded in getting most of them to stop this practice, but more keep popping up.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Recreating Creatinine

I throw a lot of terms around as if we all understood them. Sorry for that. One reader made it clear he needed more information about creatinine. In another part of my life, I belong to a community that calls reviewing or further explanation of a certain topic recreating… and today I’m going to recreate creatinine.

Let’s start in the beginning. This is what I wrote in the beginning of my CKD awareness advocacy in What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease :

“Creatinine is a waste product of muscle activity. What actually happens is that our bodies use protein to build muscles and repair themselves. This used protein becomes an amino acid which enters the blood and ends up in the liver where it is once again changed.  This time it’s changed into urea which goes through the kidneys into the urine.

The harder the muscles work, the more creatinine that is produced and carried by the blood to the kidneys where it also enters the urine.  This in itself is not toxic, but measuring the urea and creatinine shows the level of the clearance of the harmful toxins the body does produce.  These harmful toxins do build up if not voided until a certain level is reached which can make us ill. Working kidneys filter this creatinine from your blood.  When the blood levels of creatinine rise, you know your kidneys are slowing down.  During my research, I discovered that a non-CKD patient’s blood is cleaned about 35 times a day. A CKD patient’s blood is cleaned progressively fewer times a day depending upon the stage of the patient’s disease.”

Got it. Well, I did have to read it a couple of times to get it straight in my mind. Now what? Let’s see what more information I can find about what this means to a CKD patient. The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1 contains the following explanation from DaVita,

“Because there are often no symptoms of kidney disease, laboratory tests are critical. When you get a screening, a trained technician will draw blood that will be tested for creatinine, a waste product. If kidney function is abnormal, creatinine levels will increase in the blood, due to decreased excretion of creatinine in the urine. Your glomerular filtration rate (GFR) will then be calculated, which factors in age, gender, creatinine and ethnicity. The GFR indicates the person’s stage of Chronic Kidney Disease which provides an evaluation of kidney function.”

I thought you might want to know more about this test, so I turned to The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2 since I remembered including The National Kidney Disease Education Program at The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ information (including some reminders about definitions) concerning the process of being tested for CKD.

1. “A blood test checks your GFR, which tells how well your kidneys are filtering.…

2. A urine test checks for albumin. Albumin is a protein that can pass into the urine when the kidneys are damaged.

If necessary, meaning if your kidney function is compromised, your PCP will make certain you get to a nephrologist promptly.  This specialist will conduct more intensive tests that include:

Blood:

BUN – BUN stands for blood urea nitrogen.

Creatinine – The creatinine blood test measures the level of creatinine in the blood. This test is done to see how well your kidneys work.

Urine:

Creatinine clearance – The creatinine clearance test helps provide information about how well the kidneys are working. The test compares the creatinine level in urine with the creatinine level in blood.”

Aha! So there are two different creatinine readings: blood or serum and urine. By the way, MedicineNet at http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5470 defines serum as “The clear liquid that can be separated from clotted blood. Serum differs from plasma, the liquid portion of normal unclotted blood containing the red and white cells and platelets. It is the clot that makes the difference between serum and plasma.”

This is starting to get pretty complex. It seems that yet another test for CKD can be conducted with a urine sample. This is from SlowItDown 2015.

“In recent years, researchers have found that a single urine sample can provide the needed information. In the newer technique, the amount of albumin in the urine sample is compared with the amount of creatinine, a waste product of normal muscle breakdown. The measurement is called a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). A urine sample containing more than 30 milligrams of albumin for each gram of creatinine (30 mg/g) is a warning that there may be a problem. If the laboratory test exceeds 30 mg/g, another UACR test should be done 1 to 2 weeks later. If the second test also shows high levels of protein, the person has persistent proteinuria, a sign of declining kidney function, and should have additional tests to evaluate kidney function.

Thank you to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, A service of the NIH, at http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/proteinuria/#tests for that information.”

Is there more to know about creatinine? Uh-oh, this savory little tidbit was reprinted in SlowItDownCKD 2016 from an earlier book.

“.…Dr. HL Trivedi of the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC) said, ‘…. Rapid water loss causes the kidney’s functioning to slow down, resulting in temporary or permanent kidney failure.’

Extreme heat causes rapid water loss, resulting in acute electrolyte imbalance. The kidney, unable to cope with the water loss, fails to flush out the requisite amount of Creatinine and other toxins from the body. Coupled with a lack of consistent water intake, this brings about permanent or temporary kidney failure, explain experts.”

This seems to be calling for a Part 2. What do you think? There’s still BUN and albumin to deal with. Let me know what else you’d like to see included in that blog.

Have I mentioned that I’ll be presenting a display about CKD Awareness at Landmark’s Conference for Global Transformation? Or that both an article and an update about CKD Awareness will be included in their journal?

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Getting Juiced

I have the gentlest nephrologist in the world! Well, I think so anyway. He has been cautioning me about my weight for years. Yes, there it is again: my weight. Here I was finally coming to terms with being a chubby since nothing I was doing seemed to work to lose the weight. That’s when he tossed out a bombshell.

We all know that increased weight can raise your blood pressure which, in turn, negatively affects your kidneys. I was so pleased with myself for having raised my GFR another three points on my last blood test that I didn’t understand how I could be leaking protein into my urine at the same time. Wasn’t protein in the urine simply an indication that you have Chronic Kidney Disease? Didn’t I already know that? So why was protein leaking into my urine to the tune of 252 mg. when the norm was between 15-220 mg?

I know, I know: back up a bit. Thanks for the reminder. GFR is defined in What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease this way:

“GFR: Glomerular filtration rate [if there is a lower case ‘e’ before the term, it means estimated glomerular filtration rate] which determines both the stage of kidney disease and how well the kidneys are functioning.”

Oh, and just in case you’ve forgotten, this excerpt from The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2 is a good reminder about the stages of CKD.

“Different stages require different treatment or no treatment at all.  There are five stages with the mid-level stage divided into two parts. The higher the stage, the worse your kidney function.

Think of the stages as a test with 100 being the highest score.  These are the stages and their treatments:

STAGE 1: (normal or high) – above 90 – usually requires watching, not treatment, although many people decide to make life style changes now: following a renal diet, exercising, lowering blood pressure, ceasing to smoke, etc.

 STAGE 2: (mild) – 60-89 – Same as for stage one

STAGE 3A: (moderate) – 45-59 – This is when you are usually referred to a nephrologist [Kidney specialist]. You’ll need a renal [Kidney] dietitian, too, since you need to be rigorous in avoiding more than certain amounts of protein, potassium, phosphorous, and sodium in your diet to slow down the deterioration of your kidneys. Each patient has different needs so there is no one diet.  The diet is based on your lab results.  Medications such as those for high blood pressure may be prescribed to help preserve your kidney function.

STAGE 3B: (moderate) – 30-44 – same as above, except the patient may experience symptoms.

STAGE 4:  (severe 15-29) – Here’s when dialysis may start. A kidney transplant may be necessary instead of dialysis [Artificial cleansing of your blood]. Your nephrologist will probably want to see you every three months and request labs before each visit.

STAGE 5: (End stage) – below 15 – Dialysis or transplant is necessary to continue living.

Many thanks to DaVita for refreshing my memory about each stage.”

Okay, back to the connection between spilling protein into your urine (called proteinuria) and CKD. This is from the recently published SlowItDownCKD 2016:

“In The Book of Blogs: Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1, The National Institutes of Health helped me explain why this combination of excess weight and pre-diabetes was a problem for CKD patients:

‘High blood glucose and high blood pressure damage the kidneys’ filters. When the kidneys are damaged, proteins leak out of the kidneys into the urine. The urinary albumin test detects this loss of protein in the urine. Damaged kidneys do not do a good job of filtering out wastes and extra fluid. Wastes and fluid build up in your blood instead of leaving the body in urine.’”

Let’s say you don’t have pre-diabetes, but do have CKD. Does proteinuria still make it worse? Damn! It does. This explanation is from SlowItDownCKD 2015:

“The problem is that antibodies are made up of protein. Antibodies is defined by Dictionary.com at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/antibodies as

‘A protein substance produced in the blood or tissues in response to a specific antigen, such as a bacterium or a toxin, that destroys or weakens bacteria and neutralizes organic poisons, thus forming the basis of immunity.’

Lose lots of protein into your urine and you’re losing some of your immunity. In other words, you’re open to infection.”

I guess that explains why I magically developed a UTI after years of not having any.

I have gone so far afield from what I intended to write about on this last Monday of National Kidney Month. What was that, you ask? It was my nephrologist’s strong suggestions for immediate weight loss: juicing. I was so surprised.

After all that writing about eating the raw vegetables for roughage and sticking to only three specified amount servings of each daily, this expert in his field was telling me to ignore all that and throw myself into juicing for the immediate future. But you can bet I’ll try it; no way I’m throwing nine years of keeping my kidneys healthier and healthier out the window.

I can’t tell you if it works since I only started yesterday, but I can tell you it doesn’t taste bad. I’m learning how to use this fancy, dancy blender we got three years ago that had just been sitting on the shelf. Experimenting with the consistency has caused a mess here and there, but oh well.

My first juicing experience included kale, celery, lemons, cucumbers, and ginger. I definitely need to play with my combinations. I also think I made far too much. Luckily Bear was in the house and shouted out that the machine was making that noise because I didn’t add enough water. Water? You’re supposed to add water?

I’ll keep you posted on these experiments if you’ll get yourself tested for CKD. It’s just a blood and urine test. Fair deal?

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Women Marching to the Kidney’s Beat

In keeping with my theme of March being Women’s History Month – minus the history – and National Kidney Month, today’s blog will be about those women around the world who have contributed to Chronic Kidney Disease knowledge. Two such women, Dr. Vanessa Grubbs and Dr. Bessie Young, were highlighted in February’s tribute to Black History Month and women in nephrology. Thank you again, ladies, for all you do for CKD patients.

When you realize the study of nephrology as we know it is only a little over 50 years old (Incredible, isn’t it?), you’ll understand why I raided The International Society of Nephrologists (ISN) October 2010 issue at http://www.theisn.org/images/ISN_News_Archive/ISN_News_35_October_2010_LR.pdf for the following information. I’ve added notes for clarification when needed.

United States: An accomplished researcher and physician, Josephine Briggs is a former ISN councilor and former councilor and Secretary of ASN (American Society of Nephrologists). She is the former director of the Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and was responsible for all NIH funded renal research in the 1990s. Today, she is Director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. She maintains a lab at NIDDK, researching the renin-angiotensin system, diabetic nephropathy, circadian regulation of blood pressure, and the effect of antioxidants in kidney disease.

Europe: Rene Habib, who passed away (in 2010), was a truly pioneering renal pathologist. She provided the first description of many renal diseases and worked with ISN founder Jean Hamburger to establish nephrology as a new discipline in Europe. Her contributions and energy were central to establishing pathology as an essential and integrated component of this new field worldwide.

India: Vidya N. Acharya was the first woman nephrologist in India and trained some 150 internists in nephrology. For three decades, her research focused on Urinary Tract Infection. She was a consultant nephrologist at Gopalakrishna Piramal Memorial Hospital and director of the Piramal Institute for training in Dialysis Technology, Renal Nutrition and Preventive Nephrology in Mumbai. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Society of Nephrology in 2007.

China: HaiYan Wang is the Editor of Kidney International China and has been an ISN and ASPN (American Society of Pediatric Nephrology) councilor and Executive Committee member as well as a member of the editorial boards of Chinese and international renal journals. She has published over 200 articles and books in Chinese and English. She graduated from Beijing Medical University. After three years of internship, she became a nephrology fellow at the First Hospital Beijing Medical University. Since 1983, she moved on to Chief of Nephrology and later became Professor of the Department of Medicine at the First Hospital Beijing. She has been Chairman of the Chinese Society of Nephrology and is Vice President of the Chinese Medical Association. Her unit is the largest training site for nephrology fellows in China.

United Arab Emirates: Mona Alrukhaimi is co-chair of the ISN GO (International Society of Nephrologists Global Outreach Programs) Middle East Committee, and the leader of the KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) Implementation Task Force for the Middle East and African regions. She is also a Member of the Governing Board of the Arab Society of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation. Since 2006, she has actively organized World Kidney Day activities in the United Arab Emirates and prepared the past four rounds of the ISN Update Course in Nephrology. Having played an active role in the Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism, she contributes to serve on the custodian group and takes part in the Steering Committee for Women in Transplantation under The Transplantation Society.

South Africa: Saraladevi Naicker carried the weight of setting standards and provided the first training program for nephrologists in Africa over the last decade (Remember this article was published in 2010.). Specializing in internal medicine, she trained in Durban and later helped set up a Transplant Unit in the Renal Unit at Addington Hospital. In 2001, she became Chief Specialist and Professor of Renal Medicine at University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and in 2009 was appointed Chairman of Medicine at Wits. She is proud that there are currently (Again: in 2010) six postgraduate students from Africa studying for higher degrees in nephrology under her tutelage. Over the years, Naicker’s unit has served as the main training site for young nephrologists from across Africa and many individuals trained by her are currently practicing in Africa. Naicker received the Phillip Tobias Distinguished Teaching Award in 2006, an honor which bears testimony to her teaching prowess.

Israel: Batya Kristal is Professor of Medicine at the Technion Medical School, Haifa. She is the first woman to direct an academic nephrology department in Israel. At the Western Galilee Hospital, Nahariya, she leads a translational research project focusing on different aspects of oxidative stress and inflammation. She also heads a large clinical nephrology and dialysis program, which uniquely integrates staff and patients from the diverse ethnic population of the Galilee. Founder of the Israeli NKF, initiator and organizer of the traditional annual international conferences at Nahariya, she is truly an important role model for women in the country.

Australia: After holding resident positions in medicine and surgery and as registrar in medicine at the Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg, Priscilla Kincaid-Smith was director and physician of Nephrology at Royal Melbourne Hospital and Professor of Medicine at University of Melbourne. She demonstrated overwhelming evidence of the link between headache powders and kidney damage and contributed to research on the links between high blood pressure and renal malfunction. The only female ISN President so far, she was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire “for services to medicine”, was awarded the David Hume Award from the National Kidney Foundation (USA) and became a Companion of the Order of Australia.

There’s very little room for me to add my own words this week so I’ll use them to add myself as a lay woman in nephrology (What hubris!) to let you know that the edited digital version of SlowItDownCKD 2016 will be out on Amazon later this week. You guessed it: in honor of National Kidney Month.

 

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

The Three Musketeers

I was in Cuba last week with very sketchy internet, so it was not possible to post a blog. But for now, I was thinking about a friend – you know, one of those Facebook friends you never met but you feel an instant kinship with – who told me that her surgeon warned her that her recovery from the spinal fusion surgery she’d recently had would be slow because she has Chronic Kidney Disease.

CKD…bone healing. Let’s start slowly and work this one out.  First of all, what do the kidneys have to do with your bones?

I turned to What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease for some answers.

“Both vitamin D and calcium are needed for strong bones. It is yet another job of your kidneys to keep your bones strong and healthy….Vitamin D enables the calcium from the food you eat to be absorbed in the body. CKD may leech the calcium from your bones and body….Be aware that kidney disease can cause excessive phosphorus. And what does that mean for Early Stage CKD patients? Not much if the phosphorous levels are kept low. Later, at Stages 4 and 5, bone problems including pain and breakage may be endured since excess phosphorous means the body tries to maintain balance by using the calcium that should be going to the bones.”

Whoa! Each one of those thoughts needs at least a bit more explanation. Let’s start with the jobs of the kidneys. The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1 has a paragraph that mentions some of them. I turned it into a list to make it more visual.

“Our kidneys are very busy organs, indeed.  They produce urine, remove potentially harmful waste products from the blood, aid in the maintenance of the local environment around the cells of the body, 

help to stimulate the production of red blood cells, regulate blood pressure, help regulate various substances in the blood {For example, potassium, sodium, calcium and more}, help to regulate the acidity of the blood, and regulate the amount of water in the body. Mind you, these are just their main jobs.”

Another of those various substances in the blood they help to regulate is phosphorous. That’s where one of the connections between CKD and your bones lies. If your phosphorous is not being correctly regulated by your kidneys (since your kidneys are impaired), yes you do experience pain and broken bones, but did you notice that your body also diverts your necessary-for-bone-health calcium to regulate the other substances in your blood?

I wanted to know more about phosphorous so I turned to The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2. I got a chuckle from seeing that I’d quoted from my first book in explaining how phosphorous works. I’d forgotten about that.

“This is the second most plentiful mineral in the body and works closely with the first, calcium. Together, they produce strong bones and teeth. 85% of the phosphorous and calcium in our bodies is stored in the bones and teeth.  The rest circulates in the blood except for about 5% that is in cells and tissues…. Phosphorous balances and metabolizes other vitamins and minerals including vitamin D which is so important to CKD patients. As usual, it performs other functions, such as getting oxygen to tissues and changing protein, fat and carbohydrate into energy.”

Talk about multi-tasking. Let’s focus in on the calcium/phosphorous connection. Kidney Health Australia at http://kidney.org.au/cms_uploads/docs/calcium-and-phosphate-balance-fact-sheet.pdf explained this succinctly:

“When your kidney function declines, you are unable to get rid of excess phosphate. (Me here: that’s what we call phosphorous except when dealing with inorganic chemistry.)  The phosphate builds up in your body and binds to calcium, which, in turn, lowers your calcium levels. When your calcium levels get too low, glands in your neck (called the parathyroid glands) pull the extra calcium your body needs out of your bones. This can make your bones easy to break. The bound phosphate and calcium get deposited in your blood vessels. It can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. It can also cause skin ulcers and lumps in your joints.”

So where does vitamin D come in? As was mentioned in SlowItDownCKD 2015,

“’Vitamin D: Regulates calcium and phosphorous blood levels as well as promoting bone formation, among other tasks – affects the immune system.’ We know vitamin D can be a real problem for us.  How many of you are taking vitamin D supplements? Notice my hand is raised, too.  How many of you read the blogs about vitamin D?  Good!” 

It sounds like vitamin D is in charge here. Let me get some more information about that for us. Bingo: DaVita at https://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/diet-and-nutrition/diet-basics/vitamin-d-and-chronic-kidney-disease/e/5326 was able to help us out here.

“Vitamin D is responsible for:

• Building and maintaining strong bones
• Keeping the right level of calcium and phosphorus in the blood
• Preventing bones from becoming weak or malformed
• Preventing rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults

Too much vitamin D can be toxic….”

Hmmm, the three work together with vitamin D as their captain.

I wondered what foods would be helpful for my friend in her healing process.

“Calcium

Milk, yogurt, cheese, sardines, spinach, collard greens, kale, soybeans, black-eyed peas, white beans and foods often fortified with calcium: breakfast cereals, orange juice, soy milk, rice milk

Vitamin D

Salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, flounder, sole, cod

Phosphorus

Ricotta cheese, barley, soybeans, sunflower seeds, cottage cheese, lentils”

Thank you to Weill Cornell Medical College’s Women’s Health Advisor at http://www.cornellwomenshealth.com/static_local/pdf/WHA0210_BoneHealth.pdf for the above information.

But, you know, it’s never just that easy. As CKD patients, we have limits of how much protein, potassium, sodium, and – wait for it – phosphorous we can eat each day. There is no socking in all the good stuff for kidney disease patients.

I can see why my friend’s surgeon told her the recovery might be slow. Something else that keeps the bones strong is weight bearing exercise, but how can she do that right now?

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

 

It’s Unfolding Now

Remember when I was lucky enough to catch the flu just after Christmas? (She wrote sarcastically.) When I went to the Immediate Care facility my doctor is associated with, the doctor there had my records and knew I’d had pleurisy at one time. But now, he ordered a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia. What he found instead was news to me… so, of course, I’m telling you about it.

To quote from the final result report of the X-ray: “There is unfolding of the thoracic aorta.” Huh? In The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1 there’s an explanation of thorax.

“What?  The what? Oh, the thorax. That’s ‘the part of the human body between the neck and the diaphragm, partially encased by the ribs and containing the heart and lungs; the chest’ according to The Free Dictionary at http://www.thefreedictionary.com/thorax.”

Thoracic is the adjective form of thorax; it describes the aorta in this case.

Do you remember what the aorta is? I sort of, kind of did, but figured I’d better make certain before I started writing about it. MedicineNet at http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2295 was helpful here.

“The aorta gives off branches that go to the head and neck, the arms, the major organs in the chest and abdomen, and the legs. It serves to supply them all with oxygenated blood. The aorta is the central conduit from the heart to the body.”

Now I get the connection between Chronic Kidney Disease and the aorta. Did you catch “oxygenated blood” in that definition? And what organs oxygenate the blood? Right. Your kidneys. This excerpt from SlowItDownCKD 2015 may help.

““The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse …explains.

‘Healthy kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin, or EPO, which stimulates the bone marrow to produce the proper number of red blood cells needed to carry oxygen to vital organs.  Diseased kidneys, however, often don’t make enough EPO. As a result, the bone marrow makes fewer red blood cells.’”

With me so far? Now, what the heck is an unfolded aorta? I turned to the British site for radiologists, Radiopaedia.org, at https://radiopaedia.org/articles/unfolded-aorta for the definition. “The term unfolded aorta refers to the widened and ‘opened up’ appearance of the aortic arch on a frontal chest radiograph. It is one of the more common causes for apparent mediastinal widening and is seen with increasing age.

It occurs due to the discrepancy in the growth of the ascending aorta with age, where the length of the ascending aorta increases out of proportion with diameter, causing the plane of the arch to swivel.”

I purposely left the click through definitions in so you read them for yourself. You know the drill: click on the link while holding down your control key. For those of you who are reading the print version of the blog, just add the definition of aorta to the common terms we know: arch and ascending.

Mediastinal, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mediastinum is the adjective (describing) form of mediastinum or “the space in the chest between the pleural sacs of the lungs that contains all the tissues and organs of the chest except the lungs and pleurae; also:  this space with its contents.”

Hang on there, folks, just one more definition. I searched for a new site that wouldn’t offer a terribly technical definition of pleura (or pleurae) and found verywell at https://www.verywell.com/pleura-lungs-definition-conditions-2249162.

“The pleura refers to the 2 membranes that cover the lungs and line the chest cavity. The purpose of the pleura is to cushion the lungs during respiration.

The pleural cavity is the space between these 2 membranes and contains pleural fluid.”

Side note: I definitely feel like I’m back teaching a college class again.

Okay, so now we have a bunch of definitions, we’ve put them together as best we can and where does it bring us? Are you ready for this? Nowhere. An unfolding of the thoracic aorta is nothing more than a function of age.

However, with CKD, it’s somewhere. As was explained in What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, “Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.”  We’re already not getting enough oxygen due to our poor, declining in function kidneys.

Am I concerned about the unfolding thoracic aorta? No, not at all. It happens with age; I don’t think I can do anything about that. But, the CKD that also lowers our oxygen production? Oh yes, I can – do – and will do something about that by protecting my kidneys as best I can and keeping the remaining kidney function I have.

Kidneys.com, quoted in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1, did a nice job of laying out a plan for me to do just that.

“Along with taking your prescribed blood pressure medications, lifestyle changes such as losing weight, exercising, meditating, eating less sodium,  drinking  less  alcohol  and  quitting  smoking  can  help  lower  blood pressure. Better blood pressure control helps preserve kidney function.”

I added using my sleep apnea machine and aiming for eight hours of sleep a night. I also stick to my renal diet – which limits protein, phosphorous, potassium, and sodium (as mentioned by kidney.com) – for the most part and keeping my kidneys hydrated by drinking at least 64 ounces of fluid a day.

Is it hard? I don’t know any more. It’s been nine years. They’re simply habits I’ve developed to live as long as I can and, sometimes, even raise the function of my kidneys.

When my New York daughter was with us over the holidays, I realized how differently we eat than other people do. My husband has chosen to pretty much eat the way I do. So she actually had to go down to the market to pick up the foods that people ordinarily eat.  It would have been funny if I hadn’t been sick. I would have gone with her and laughed each time I answered, “No,” when she asked, “Do you eat this?”

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Where Does It All Come From?

For the past two weeks, I’ve had the flu. I’ve missed the Chanukah Gathering at my own house, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s. I even missed my neighbor’s husband/son birthday party and a seminar I enjoy attending.

Before you ask, yes I did have a flu shot. However, Strain A seems to be somewhat resistant to that. True, I have been able to cut down on the severity of the flu by taking the shot, but it leaves me with a burning question: How can anyone produce as much mucus as I have in the last two weeks?

Mucus. Snot. Sputum. Secretion. Phlegm. Whatever you call it, what is it and how is it produced? According to The Medical Dictionary at http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/mucus, it’s “the free slime of the mucous membranes, composed of secretion of the glands, various salts, desquamated cells, and leukocytes.” By the way, spelling it mucous makes it an adjective, a word that describes a noun. Mucus is the noun, the thing itself.

Let’s go back to that definition for a minute. We know from What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease that “Leukocytes are one of the white blood cells that fight bacterial infection.” Interesting, the flu as bacterial infection.

Yep, I looked it up and found this on WebMd at http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/tc/flu-signs-of-bacterial-infection-topic-overview: “A bacterial infection may develop following infection with viral influenza.” Oh, so that’s what all the mucus is about. There’s quite a bit more information on this site, but I’m having a hard enough time sticking to my topic as it is.

I still wanted to know how mucus (without the ‘o’) was produced.

Many thanks to Virtual Medical Centre at http://www.myvmc.com/medical-centres/lungs-breathing/anatomy-and-physiology-of-the-nasal-cavity-inner-nose-and-mucosa/ for their help in explaining the following:

The nasal cavity refers to the interior of the nose, or the structure which opens exteriorly at the nostrils. It is the entry point for inspired air and the first of a series of structures which form the respiratory system. The cavity is entirely lined by the nasal mucosa, one of the anatomical structures (others include skin, body encasements like the skull and non-nasal mucosa such as those of the vagina and bowel) which form the physical barriers of the body’s immune system. These barriers provide mechanical protection from the invasion of infectious and allergenic pathogens.

By now you’re probably questioning what this has to do with Chronic Kidney Disease. I found this on a site with the unlikely name Straightdope at http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1246/how-does-my-nose-produce-so-much-snot-so-fast-when-i-have-a-cold :

“The reason you have a seemingly inexhaustible supply of mucus when suffering from a cold is that the mucus-producing cells lining your nasal cavity extract the stuff mostly from your blood, of which needless to say you have a vast supply. The blood transports the raw materials (largely water) from other parts of the body. Fluid from your blood diffuses through the capillary walls and into the cells and moments later winds up in your handkerchief. (This process isn’t unique to mucus; blood is the highway for most of your bodily fluids.)”

While this is not the most scholarly site I’ve quoted, it offers a simple explanation. Blood. Think about that. I turned to The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1 for help with my explanation.

“Our kidneys are very busy organs, indeed.  They produce urine, remove potentially harmful waste products from the blood, aid in the maintenance of the local environment around the cells of the body, help to stimulate the production of red blood cells, regulate blood pressure, help regulate various substances in the blood {For example, potassium, sodium, calcium and more}, help to regulate the acidity of the blood, and regulate the amount of water in the body. Mind you, these are just their main jobs.  I haven’t even mentioned their minor ones.”

Get it? Kidneys filter the blood. Our kidneys are not doing such a great job of filtering our blood since we have CKD, which means we also have compromised immune systems. Thank you for that little gift, CKD. (She wrote sarcastically.)

Now you have the flu. Now what? Here are some hints taken from Dr. Leslie Spry’s  ‘Flu Season and Your Kidneys’  reprinted in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2. Dr. Spry is an active member of the Public Policy Committee at the National Kidney Foundation, and, I am honored to say, a follower on Twitter.

You should get plenty of rest and avoid other individuals who are ill, in order to limit the spread of the disease. If you are ill, stay home and rest. You should drink plenty of fluids …to stay well hydrated. You should eat a balanced diet. If you have gastrointestinal illness including nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, you should contact your physician. Immodium® is generally safe to take to control diarrhea. If you become constipated, medications that contain polyethylene glycol, such as Miralax® and Glycolax® are safe to take. You should avoid laxatives that contain magnesium and phosphates. Gastrointestinal illness can lead to dehydration or may keep you from taking your proper medication. If you are on a diuretic, it may not be a good idea to keep taking that diuretic if you are unable to keep liquids down or if you are experiencing diarrhea. You should monitor your temperature and blood pressure carefully and report concerns to your physician. Any medication you take should be reported to your physician…

Check the National Kidney Foundation itself for even more advice in addition to some suggestions as to how to avoid the flu in the first place.

Every year I decide not to write about the flu again. Every year I do. I think I’m oh-so-careful about my health, yet I end up with the flu every year. Sometimes I wonder if these blogs are for you…or reminders for me. Either way, I’m hoping you’re able to avoid the flu and keep yourself healthy. That would be another kind of miracle, wouldn’t it?

Until next week,

Keep living your life.

Never Too Old to Learn

Last week, we were delighted to have an overnight guest we hadn’t seen for a year or two. While we were all waking ourselves up the next morning, I asked him if he’d like some coffee.  Yep, he’s my family; that look of delight on his face when he thought of coffee confirmed it. Then I asked if he took milk in his coffee. Hmmm, more confirmation: he passed on the milk claiming lactose intolerance, another family trait. But when we got to the sugar question, he startled me. His response was something like no thanks, I have high cholesterol. After a moment of stunned silence, I asked why he connected cholesterol and sugar. He said his doctor told him to cut down on sugars to lower his cholesterol. Hmmm, very interesting.

This is the definition of cholesterol from What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Early Disease:

While the basis for both sex hormones and bile, can cause blockages if it accumulates in the lining of a blood vessel.

If that doesn’t ring a bell, here’s the definition of dyslipidemia:

Abnormal levels of cholesterol, triglyceride or both

Now we know there’s a normal and an abnormal level of cholesterol and that can’t be good. Is that a big deal?

It is if you have Chronic Kidney Disease.  Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, one of leading nephrologists in the U.S., explained it to reporter Jane Brody in an interview which is included in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1.

Good  control  of  blood  sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body weight can delay the loss of kidney function.

I repeat, “…can delay the loss of kidney function.” That has been your ultimate goal since you were diagnosed, hasn’t it?

You may become confused by the three different kinds of cholesterol readings when you see the results of your blood tests.  I know I was, so I researched them and then wrote about them in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2.

HDL is High Density Lipoprotein, the cholesterol that keeps your arteries clear or – as it’s commonly called – the good cholesterol. LDL is Low Density Lipoprotein or the ‘bad’ kind that can clog your arteries. VLDL is Very Low Density Lipoprotein and one of the bad guys, too. It contains more triglycerides than protein and is big on clogging those arteries.

Wait a minute. Where did triglycerides come into this? According to the Mayo Clinic at http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/triglycerides/ART-20048186

Triglycerides and cholesterol are separate types of lipids that circulate in your blood. Triglycerides store unused calories and provide your body with energy, and cholesterol is used to build cells and certain hormones. Because triglycerides and cholesterol can’t dissolve in blood, they circulate throughout your body with the help of proteins that transport the lipids (lipoproteins).

Still with me?  Good, because you can do something about this.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as lifestyle changes like adjusting your diet. While I don’t agree with all of this advice, DaVita at http://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/diet-and-nutrition/diet-basics/lowering-cholesterol-with-chronic-kidney-disease/e/5304 can get you started.

•  Avoid foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol such as whole milk, cheese and fat from meat.
• Bake, grill, broil and roast your poultry, fish and meat. Choose lean cuts of meat and trim off any fat.
• Eggs are an excellent source of protein, but the yolks are high in cholesterol. Try egg substitutes like Egg Beaters® or Scramblers®, or substitute two egg whites for a whole egg.
• Eat at least two servings of fish every week. Salmon, tuna, herring and trout contain good amounts of omega-3 fatty acids that lower your risk of heart disease.
• Try spreads like Benecol® or Take Control® in place of butter or margarine. Plant sterols and stanols in these spreads help lower cholesterol levels.
• Choose oils that are high in mono- and polyunsaturated fats: canola, olive, peanut, corn, safflower, soybean and sunflower.
• Read food labels and try to eliminate foods with trans-fats (found in hydrogenated oils, margarine and many commercially prepared snack foods).
• Eat kidney-friendly fruits and vegetables.

Of course, if you’re diabetic or prediabetic, you need to modify these suggestions for your diet.

As was suggested in this Everyday Health article (http://www.everydayhealth.com/high-cholesterol/fitness-and-cholesterol.aspx) included in SlowItDownCKD 2015, exercise will help.

       Try these exercise options to help shed pounds and manage high cholesterol:

• Walking
• Jogging or running
• Swimming
• Taking an aerobics class
• Biking
• Playing tennis, basketball, or other sports
• Using weight machines or lifting free weights to build muscle tone

If life style changes don’t work for you, your doctor may prescribe a statin.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/statin defines this as:

any of a group of drugs (as lovastatin and simvastatin) that inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol and promote the production of LDL-binding receptors in the liver resulting in a usually marked decrease in the level of LDL and a modest increase in the level of HDL circulating in blood plasma

There are substantial arguments against taking statins, but there are also substantial arguments for taking them.  This is something you have to discuss with your doctors since you have a unique medical condition.

Finally, sugar. What did my cousin’s doctor mean about sugar’s role in lowering his cholesterol? This was news to me, so I researched. Sure enough, my cousin’s doctor was right.  According to Progressive Health at http://www.progressivehealth.com/sugar-may-be-the-cause-of-your-elevated-cholestero.htm:

Sugar is a good example of a carbohydrate with high glycemic index. It can, therefore, increase the amount of small, dense LDL particles in the blood.

Although, health experts used to advocate that we cut the amount of sugar we consume because high blood sugar can cause insulin resistance and increase the risk of diabetes, there is now another reason to cut down on our sugar consumption.

A number of studies show that sugar can affect the kind and amount of cholesterol released into the blood.

So? According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4297703/

…patients with pre-dialysis CKD appear to be more likely to die of heart disease than of kidney disease. CKD accelerates coronary artery atherosclerosis by several mechanisms, notably hypertension and dyslipidemia, both of which are known risk factors for coronary artery disease.

That’s a pretty big ‘so.’

Until next week,

Enjoy your life!

Medical Individuals

We all know I write about Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD, but just what is that? When I wrote What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease six years ago, I defined CKD as “Damage to the kidneys for more than three months, which cannot be reversed but may be slowed.” Although I’m not so sure about that “cannot be reversed” any more, this is simple, right?

Well, not exactly. Over the years, many readers have pointed out that they have another form of kidney disease. According to University Kidney Research Organization (UKRO) @ http://ukrocharity.org/kidney-disease/different-types-of-kidney-diseases/, these are all considered kidney disease:

• Alport Syndrome
• Diabetic Nephropathy
• Fabry Disease
• Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
• Glomerulonephritis
• IgA Nephropathy (Berger’s Disease)
• Kidney Stones
• Minimal Change Disease
• Nephrotic Syndrome
• Polycystic Kidney Disease or PKD

Wait a minute. Chronic means of long duration. Then with the exception (hopefully) of kidney stones, these diseases can all be classified as CKD… but are they when it comes to treatment?

Dr. Joel Topf is a nephrologist who writes a blog of his own (Precious Bodily Fluids @pbfluids.com) and is a member of the eAJKD Advisory Board at American Journal of Kidney Disease. He must make great use of his time because he has helped develop teaching games for nephrology students and has written medical works. (Yeah, I’m impressed with him, too.)

He’s also a Twitter friend. He contacted me the other day about an article in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology entitled “The CKD Classification System in the Precision Medicine Era,” which was written by Yoshio N. Hall and Jonathan Himmelfarb. You can read it for yourself on their site, but you’ll need to join it and get yourself a user name and password. I didn’t. Joel sent me the copy I needed.

My first reaction to his request was, “Sure!” Then I read the article and wondered if I could handle all the medicalese in it. Several readings later, I see why he asked me to write about it.

I say I have CKD stage 3B. You understand what I mean. So does my nephrologist. That’s due to the KDOQI. As I explained in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2, this is The National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative which was not put into place until 1997 and then updated only five years later in 2002. It introduced stages and put CKD on the world medical map. By the way, the 2012 revised guidelines helped raised awareness of CKD according to the CJASN article: “…from 4.7% to 9.2% among persons with CKD stages 3 and 4 in the United States ….”

But something is missing. How can my stage 3 CKD be the same for someone who has, say, Nephrotic Syndrome? We may have the same GFR, but are our symptoms the same? Is the progression of our illnesses the same? What about our treatment? Our other test results?

Whoops! A certain someone looking over my shoulder as I type reminded me I need to define GFR. I especially like Medline Plus’s definition that I used in SlowItDownCKD 2015:

“Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a test used to check how well the kidneys are working. Specifically, it estimates how much blood passes through the glomeruli each minute. Glomeruli are the tiny filters in the kidneys that filter waste from the blood.”

I know, I know, I didn’t explain what “the Precision Medicine Era” is, either. According to the article, “The underlying concept behind the Precision Medicine Initiative is that disease prevention and treatment strategies must take individual variability into account.” Actually, President Obama first used the term in his State of the Union Address last year.

Alrighty now, back to why CKD staging is not necessarily precision medicine. It seems to center on one phrase – individual variability. I was diagnosed at age 60. I’m now almost 70. Where is the age adjustment in my treatment plan? Is there one? What about when I’m 80? 90? We know the body reacts differently to medications as we age. Is my nephrologist taking this into account? Is yours? I’m taking liberties with the definition of individual here; I don’t think the authors meant within the individual, but rather amongst individuals.

I check my husband’s blood test results for his GFR. FOR HIS AGE, he does not have CKD. But here’s another point I’ve been ranting about that’s brought up in this article. Many elders (Oh my! We’re in that category already.) are not being told if they have stage 1 or stage 2 CKD because their doctors age adjust and so don’t consider the results CKD. We’re getting a little esoteric here. Is CKD really CKD if you’ve age adjusted your GFR readings?

My brain is starting to hurt and I haven’t even written about the different diseases yet, although I did allude to them earlier. What impressed me most in this article is this (in discussing four different hypothetical patients): “Each would be classified as having stage 3 CKD with approximately the same eGFR, but it is patently obvious that virtually every aspect of clinical decision making … would greatly differ in caring for these four individuals.”

I have to agree in my layman way. I’m not a doctor, but I know that if you have Polycystic Kidney Disease and I don’t, although our GFR is the same, I cannot receive the same treatment you do and you cannot receive the same treatment I do. Yes, they’re both kidney diseases and both chronic, but they are not the same disease despite our having the same GFR.

There is no one size fits all here. Nor does there yet seem to be precision. My CKD at 70 is not the same as it was at 60. If I had diabetes, my CKD treatment would be different, too.  I do have hypertension and that has already changed my CKD treatment.

This got me to thinking. How would every nephrologist find the time for this individualized treatment for each CKD patient? And what other tests will each patient need to determine treatment based on his/her UNIQUE form of CKD?

Thanks for the suggestion, Dr. Topf. This was worth writing about.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

 

Starting My Day

Every day, I spend the morning doing ‘kidney work’ as I call it. That means looking for Chronic Kidney Disease related articles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and perusing the various medical newsletters to which I’ve subscribed. This takes a minimum of two hours. I also post something on most of these sites at as SlowItDownCKD.

I noticed I’d been reading more and more about the plant based diet being good for CKD patients, so that’s what I posted on SlowItDownCKD’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SlowItDownCKD/on November 1. Then I started receiving emails from readers about it.

One was a very interesting, but undocumented, chart concerning how avoiding red meat lowers the risk of CKD. There was no title … and to make it worse, the reader – Cindy – couldn’t remember where she found it. She was frustrated; I was frustrated. So I did a little digging.

I started with a site that’s fast becoming one of my favorites – NephJC, a journal club. According to their website,

“It is the teaching session where trainees and teachers exchange roles. Journal Club is the area where the flipped classroom has been fully implemented in medical education. Read and study the article at home, and then use classroom time to critically debate the methods, results and interpretation of the article.”

As both a former high school and college instructor, I can tell you this method of teaching seemed to have sparked some super creative thoughts in my classroom. Anyhoo, as they say, that’s where I found the chart. More specifically, it’s at http://www.nephjc.com/news/2016/8/17/red-meat-summary. Read the article. It’s got more information.

Cindy also mentioned that she lost so much weight – without being hungry – on the plant based diet that her nephrologist asked her to gain weight so that she wouldn’t “be at the bottom of BMI or below.” You know this grabbed my attention.

At the same time we were corresponding, another CKD Awareness Advocate posted in a private FB group (Hence, the reason he remains unnamed.) that in his last two nephrology labs, he raised his GFR something like eight or nine points and had nothing to attribute it to but changing to a plant based diet.

As a reminder, here’s the definition of GFR from What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease:

“Glomerular filtration rate [if there is a lower case “e” before the term, it means estimated glomerular filtration rate] which determines both the stage of kidney disease and how well the kidneys are functioning.”

Let’s look at this a little more closely. In The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2, I wrote a blog about the limited history of nephrology and included mention of the five stages of CKD. Basically, the higher your GFR, the better your kidneys are working. So this means the other advocate’s kidneys are functioning better now that he’s on a plant based diet. Why?

I turned to Dr. Greger’s NutritionFacts.org on YouTube for a better explanation than any I could offer. Dr. Greger is Michael Greger, described on NutritionFacts.org as:

“a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues. A founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Greger is licensed as a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition. He is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and Tufts University School of Medicine.”

NutritionFacts.org, while new to me, describes itself on its site as:

“a strictly non-commercial, science-based public service provided by Dr. Michael Greger, providing free updates on the latest in nutrition research via bite-sized videos. There are more than a thousand videos on nearly every aspect of healthy eating, with new videos and articles uploaded every day.”

I thoroughly enjoyed his analogy of overloading the kidneys with meat protein to that of constantly revving a car’s engine, especially since that’s the same analogy I used in my first CKD book.  He also mentions inflammation as a contributing cause of lower GFR. I’m glad I’ve discovered his website and intend to take a closer look at it…just not now.

Now I’m really interested in going back to Cindy’s comment about losing weight on the plant based diet. I wanted to know – what else? – why. I spent most of yesterday researching. The consensus seems to be that not having to count calories or portion control may have something to do with it.  Then again, maybe it’s the lack of cookies, cakes, and candies. The few medical studies I did find were far too complicated for me to understand, much less explain. Are there any readers out there who can help? I have one particular reader in mind and hope that she will immediately respond.

Let’s see if I can do any better with finding out why the nephrologist of the reader I’m corresponding with doesn’t want her to “be at the bottom of BMI or below.” Aha! A study by US National Library of Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26920126 suggests that “that combined effects of low BMI … and serum albumin level … are associated with CKD progression.”

Maybe we should take a look at “serum albumin level.” Serum means it’s the clear part of your blood, the part without red or white blood cells. This much is fairly common knowledge. Albumin is not. Medlineplus, part of The National Institutes of Health’s U.S. National Library of Medicine at https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003480.htm tells us, “Albumin is a protein made by the liver. A serum albumin test measures the amount of this protein in the clear liquid portion of the blood.” Uh-oh, this is also not good: a high level of serum albumin indicates progression of your kidney disease. Conversely, kidney disease can cause a high level of serum albumin.

Even with yesterday’s research, this blog has taken quite a while to complete … and not just because I was doing the wash while I wrote it, or because I was enjoying having the window to my right open as I wrote. I can see this becoming several additional blogs… if there’s reader interest.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

How Sweet She Is

For 12 years, sweet Ms. Bella has positioned herself just inside my office door as I wrote, researched, edited, and formatted. For 12 years, sweet Ms. Bella has greeted me as effusively when I returned from a trip to the mailbox as she did when I returned from a trip to Alaska. For 12 years, sweet Ms. Bella has shared one sided conversations with me about any and everything. For 12 years, sweet Ms. Bella has adored me as no other being on earth ever has.

I’ll miss that. Sweet Ms. Bella crossed what I’m told is called The Rainbow Bridge this morning. .. and it was my decision. I’ve known for months that she had lymphedema. First we tried this. Then we tried that. And finally there was nothing else left to try. I am oh-so-sad without my boon companion, but it was time. She knew it and I knew it. May your soul come back to me, my sweet Ms. Bella.

I’ve been sad for a while knowing that I would have to make this decision and wondering how I would know when she’d had enough. I watched…and watched…and watched, yet she made it perfectly clear when her legs wouldn’t hold her up anymore and her cancerous lymph nodes started to impede her eating. She is at rest now.

What have I done to my kidneys with all this sadness, I wondered. I don’t know via my lab reports because I was just tested last Thursday and didn’t know about sweet Ms. Bella’s cancer when my blood and urine were tested three months ago. So I did what I could to find out: I researched.

I found this on the National Kidney Foundation’s site at https://www.kidney.org/news/newsroom/nr/depression-kd:

“New York, NY (July 1, 2012) – People with kidney disease who have symptoms of depression may be on the fast track to dialysis, hospitalization or death, according to a new study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation.”

But I’m not depressed; I’m sad.  Well, what’s the difference? I turned to my old buddy WebMD for some help here:

“….Also known as clinical depression, major depressive disorder, or unipolar depression, major depression is a medical condition that goes beyond life’s ordinary ups and downs. Almost 18.8 million American adults experience depression each year, and women are nearly twice as likely as men to develop major depression. People with depression cannot simply ‘pull themselves together’ and get better. Treatment with counseling, medication, or both is key to recovery.”

Since I’m one of those people who always manage to get myself back together – and fairly quickly – I’d say I’m not depressed. I do suggest you read more about depression at http://www.webmd.com/depression/is-it-depression-or-the-blues if this strikes a chord with you.

So let’s go back to sadness and the kidneys. This is from a 5/21/14 article on a site that’s new to me: Medical Daily at http://www.medicaldaily.com/can-powerful-emotions-kill-you-negative-health-effects-anger-stress-sadness-and-shock-283682:

” ‘It’s called heartbreak for a reason. When you’re experiencing deep grief or sadness, it takes a toll on your health, too. One study from St. George’s University of London found that it is actually possible to die of a broken heart — bereavement increases your risk of a heart attack or stroke by nearly double after a partner’s death, the researchers discovered. We often use the term a ‘broken heart’ to signify the pain of losing a loved one and our study shows that bereavement can have a direct effect on the health of the heart,’ Dr. Sunil Shah, senior lecturer in public health at St. George’s, said in a press release.”

There’s a firm connection between heart health and kidney health. This is from SlowItDownCKD 2015:

“We’re used to reading about anemia and high blood pressure as the connection between CKD and Heart Disease, but here are two other causes.

DaVita at http://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/overview/symptoms-and- diagnosis/ chronic-kidney-disease-and-your-heart/e/4730 once again jumps in to educate us:

‘High homocysteine levels: Damaged kidneys cannot remove extra homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood. High levels of homocysteine can lead to coronary artery disease, stroke and heart attack.

Calcium-phosphate levels: Damaged kidneys cannot keep calcium and phosphorus levels in balance. Often, there’s too much phosphorus and calcium in the blood. When this happens, there’s a risk for coronary artery disease.’”

Hmmm, just by having Chronic Kidney Disease, we run the risk of heart problems.  Now sadness – maybe ‘deep grief’ is a more apt description – may add to that risk. As much as I love sweet Ms. Bella and will miss her, I can’t honestly say this is true for me. It feels like there’s a big difference between deep grief and sadness.

Just to make certain the difference between depression and sadness is clear, I’m repeating this information from The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2:

“Make The Connection, a veterans’ support site tells us

‘Not everyone with depression has the same symptoms or feels the same way. One person might have difficulty sitting still, while another may find it hard to get out of bed each day. Other symptoms that may be signs of depression or may go along with being depressed include:

• Feeling sad or hopeless
• Losing interest in or not getting pleasure from most of your daily activities
• Gaining or losing weight
• Eating  more or less than usual almost every day
• Sleeping  too much or not enough almost every day
• Feeling restless and unable to sit still
• Feeling that moving takes great effort
• Feeling tired or as if you have no  energy almost every day
• Feeling unworthy or guilty nearly every day
• Having low self-esteem or feeling down on yourself
• Finding it hard to focus, remember things, or make decisions nearly every day
• Feeling anxious, worried, or nervous
• Drinking more alcohol or caffeine
• Taking more of a prescription or over-the-medication than as directed
• Smoking or using tobacco more often'”

It doesn’t look like my short term sadness is worsening my kidneys in any way, but if you’re not sure whether you need help with yours, or if it is truly depression, seek help. It can’t hurt to be careful.

I’m certain sweet Ms. Bella is not suffering anymore and that is already doing wonders for my peace of mind… and my sadness.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Feeling the Pressure

For those of you in the United States, here’s hoping you have a healthy, safe Labor Day.  I come from a Union family. So much so that my maternal grandfather was in and out of jail for attempting to unionize brass workers. That was quite a bit of pressure on my grandmother, who raised the four children and ran a restaurant.

I knew there was more than my personal history with the holiday so I poked around and found this from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/09/04/labor-day-history/89826440/

“In the late 1800s, the state of labor was grim as U.S. workers toiled under bleak conditions: 12 or more hour workdays; hazardous work environments; meager pay. Children, some as young as 5, were often fixtures at plants and factories.

The dismal livelihoods fueled the formation of the country’s first labor unions, which began to organize strikes and protests and pushed employers for better hours and pay. Many of the rallies turned violent.

On Sept. 5, 1882 — a Tuesday — 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march in a parade from City Hall to Union Square in New York City as a tribute to American workers. Organized by New York’s Central Labor Union, It was the country’s first unofficial Labor Day parade. Three years later, some city ordinances marked the first government recognition, and legislation soon followed in a number of states.”

Now that’s pressure, but I want to write about another kind of pressure today: your blood pressure.

Being one of those people who is required to check their blood pressure at least once a day, I was surprised to learn that doctors didn’t realize the importance of maintaining moderate blood pressure until the 1950s. Yet, ancient Chinese, Greeks, and Egyptians knew about the pulse. I wonder what they thought that was.

The American Heart Association explains the difference between the blood pressure and the pulse, and offers a chart to exemplify. The column without the heading refers to ‘Heart Rate.’

	Blood Pressure
What is it?	The force the heart exerts against the walls of arteries as it pumps the blood out to the body	The number of times your heart beats per minute
What is the unit of measurement?	mm Hg (millimeters of mercury)	BPMs (beats per minute)
What do the numbers represent?	Includes two measurements: Systolic pressure (top number): The pressure as the heart beats and forces blood into the arteries Diastolic pressure (bottom number): The pressure as the heart relaxes between beats	Includes a single number representing the number of heart beats per minute
Sample reading	120/80 mm Hg	60 BPM

You can read more about this at http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/AboutHighBloodPressure/Blood-Pressure-vs-Heart-Rate_UCM_301804_Article.jsp.

According to Withings, a French company that sells blood pressure monitoring equipment, at http://blog.withings.com/2014/05/21/the-history-of-blood-pressure/:

“The first study on blood circulation was published in 1628 by William Harvey – an English physician. He came to the conclusion that the heart acts as a pump. At that point it wasn’t clear that blood circulated, but after a little calculation he was pretty sure that blood is not ‘consumed’ by the organs. The physician then concluded that blood must be going though (sic) a cycle.”

Ah, but did his measurement include both numbers? In What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, I satisfied my own curiosity as to why our blood pressure readings always have two numbers, one atop the other:

“The first number… called the systolic is the rate at which the heart contracts, while the second or diastolic … is when the heart is at rest between contractions.  These numbers measure the units of millimeters of mercury to which your heart has raised the mercy.”

Uh, raised the mercury of what? Well it’s not the sphygmomanometer as we now know it. By the way, this is the connection between blood pressure and Chronic Kidney Disease that I mentioned in SlowItDownCKD 2015:

“I wonder how frustrated Dr. Bright became when he first suspected that hypertension had a strong effect on the kidneys, but had no way to prove that theory since the first practical sphygmomanometer (Me here: That’s the device that measures your blood pressure.)  wasn’t yet available.”

Well, why is hypertension – high blood pressure – important in taking care of your kidneys anyway?  It’s the second leading cause of CKD. The Mayo Clinic succinctly explains why at http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20045868

“Your kidneys filter excess fluid and waste from your blood — a process that depends on healthy blood vessels. High blood pressure can injure both the blood vessels in and leading to your kidneys, causing several types of kidney disease (nephropathy). “

Well, how do you avoid it then? One way is to take the pressure off yourself. (As a writer, I’m thoroughly enjoying that this kind of pressure can affect the other kind – the blood pressure. As a CKD patient, I’m not.)

Pressure on yourself is usually considered stress. In The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2, there’s an explanation of what stress does to your body.

“…we respond the same way whether the stress is positive or negative…. First you feel the fight or flight syndrome which means you are releasing hormones.  The adrenal glands which secrete these hormones lay right on top of your kidneys. Your blood sugar raises, too, and there’s an increase in both heart rate and blood pressure.  Diabetes {High blood sugar} and hypertension {High blood pressure} both play a part in Chronic Kidney Disease. If you still haven’t resolved the stress, additional hormones are secreted for more energy.”

What else? This list from the American Kidney Fund was included in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1:

• Eat a diet low in salt and fat
• Be physically active
• Keep a healthy weight
• Control your cholesterol
• Take medicines as directed
• Limit alcohol
• Avoid tobacco

 Why am I not surprised at how much this looks like the list for healthy kidneys?

I was just thinking: what better day to start working on this list than Labor Day?

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

 

 

The Nutrition Action Health Letter Article

I am now officially excited.  I’d been getting some comments about this article which I thought wasn’t being published until September. I wondered why. It was my mistake. The article was to appear in the September issue, which I didn’t realize is published before the month begins.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s September Nutrition Action Health Letter is out… and you can read it online, too. The URL is http://www.nutritionaction.com/wp-content/uploads/cover-Kidney-Check-How-to-Keep-Yours-Going-Strong.pdf. Many thanks to Bonnie Liebman for such a fine job of reporting and aiding in spreading Chronic Kidney Disease Awareness. It’s long, six pages, so what we have here are excerpts.

 

“I didn’t know that I had end-stage renal disease until I was admitted to the hospital in 2009,” says David White, who was then in his mid-40s. “A few days later, I stopped producing urine.”

Doctors told White that he had crashed. “It was scary,” he says. “I went from ‘Something may be wrong’ to ‘Oh my god am I going to die?’ to ‘I have to spend the rest of my life on dialysis.’”

And with four hours of dialysis three times a week, he never felt great.

“People call it the dialysis hangover,” says White, from Temple Hills, Maryland. “You’re so tired that you want to sleep all day after dialysis and most of the following day. And then you gear up for the next treatment.”

And White struggled with his one-quart-a-day limit on fluids. “When you drink too much, moving isn’t comfortable, laying down isn’t comfortable,” he says. “It’s hard to breathe.”

For Gail Rae-Garwood, the news about her kidneys came when she switched to a new doctor closer to her home in Glendale, Arizona.

“She decided that as a new patient, I should have all new tests,” says Rae-Garwood, now 69. “When the results came in, she got me an appointment with a nephrologist the next day. When you get an appointment with a specialist the next day, you know something is not right.”

Rae-Garwood had chronic kidney disease. “My GFR was down to 39, and apparently had been low for quite a while,” she says. (Your GFR, or glomerular filtration rate, is the rate at which your kidneys filter your blood.) “‘What is chronic kidney disease and how did I get it?’ I demanded,” recalls Rae-Garwood.

Every 30 minutes, your kidneys filter all the blood in your body. Without at least one, you need dialysis or a transplant. Yet most people have no idea how well their kidneys are working. “It’s very common for people to have no idea that they have early chronic kidney disease,” says Alex Chang, a nephrologist at Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pennsylvania.

A routine blood test sent to a major lab—like Quest or LabCorp—typically includes your GFR. If it doesn’t, your doctor can calculate it.

“A GFR is pretty routine for anyone who has blood work done,” says Chang. “But if you have very mild kidney disease, and especially if you’re older, a doctor might not mention it since kidney function tends to decline as you age.”

Doctors also look for kidney disease by testing your urine for a protein called albumin …. “That’s usually only done if you have high blood pressure or diabetes or some risk factor for kidney disease other than age,” says Chang.

Rae-Garwood’s previous doctor missed that memo. “I had been on medication for high blood pressure for decades,” she explains. “I wonder how much more of my kidney function I could have preserved if I’d known about it earlier.”

***

David White had kidney transplant in 2015. “It’s given me my life back,” he says. “No more dialysis.”

He takes anti-rejection drugs and steroids, and, like Rae-Garwood, he gets exercise and has to watch what he eats.

“I’ve changed my diet radically,” says Rae-Garwood. “I have to limit the three P’s—protein, potassium, and phosphorus. I’m restricted to 5 ounces of protein a day. We have no red meat in the house. Any product above 7 or 8 percent of a day’s worth of sodium I don’t buy.

“And you know what? It’s fine. It’s been nine years now, and I’ve been able to keep my GFR around 50.”

Both patients are now advocates for preventing kidney disease. “I’ve written four books and almost 400 weekly blogs, and I post a daily fact about chronic kidney disease on Facebook,” says Rae-Garwood. White chairs the the MidAtlantic Renal Coalition’s patient advisory committee, among other things among other things.

“Get tested,” urges Rae-Garwood. “Millions of people have chronic kidney disease and don’t even know it. All it takes is a blood and urine test.”

My hope is that as a result of this article, more libraries, medical schools, and nephrology practices will order copies of What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1, The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2, and SlowItDownCKD 2015. If you have a Kindle, Amazon has two wonderful low cost or free programs that may make it easier for you, your loved ones, and anyone you think could benefit from these books to read them.

This is how Amazon explains these programs:

“Kindle Unlimited is a subscription program for readers that allows them to read as many books as they want. The Kindle Owners’ Lending Library is a collection of books that Amazon Prime members who own a Kindle can choose one book from each month with no due dates.”

Barnes and Noble doesn’t have any such programs, but they do offer discount deals daily, which you can use to purchase any book.

I urge you to help spread awareness of Chronic Kidney Disease in any way you can. Here’s another quote from the article that may help you understand why:

“One out of ten adults have chronic kidney disease. Most don’t know it because early on, kidney disease has no symptoms. And because the risk rises as you age, roughly one out of two people aged 30 to 64 are likely to get the disease during their lives….”

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

CKD Treatment Interruptus

Recently, someone close to me experienced a major burglary.  After calling the police, he called me. That’s what my friends do and I’m thankful they do. I kept him on the phone while I threw on some clothes and sped over to his house. This is a strong, independent man who was shocked at the intimacy of the invasion of his home. When I got there, we walked from room to room, astonished at how much had been stolen.

That night, I couldn’t leave – not even to go home for my evening medications and supplements. That night, I couldn’t sleep while my buddy was in such turmoil. So we sat up staring at the empty space where the TV had been.  He’s not on the renal diet and all he had that I could eat was some chicken, no fruit, no vegetables. And I was too busy being with him to exercise. This was my good buddy of over 30 years standing.

The next morning, another friend came over to help with security devices and spend time with our mutual friend.  I got to go home, take my morning medications, and crawl into bed for ½ an hour. But then our mutual friend had to go to work, so I went back to my buddy’s house and spent the day helping him try to list what was missing, what to do about the insurance, how to handle going to work, etc. The word spread, and, suddenly, a third friend was coming to spend the night with him and another couple joined them to make dinner.  I could go home again.   

But I was exhausted. I ate stupidly: Chinese restaurant food with all that sodium. I even ate rice, and here I am on a low carbohydrate diet. I sat in the living room like a zombie while Bear waited on me hand and foot.

Even with all this help, my buddy needed to see me daily. I was his strength. So we ran around rummaging up some receipts he’d need for the insurance. But I could see he was feeling better. Our mutual friends were amazing, including those who couldn’t leave work to come so kept phoning and texting instead. A different someone else stayed with him overnight again.  Then he only needed to see me for a quick hug… and yet another someone else stayed with him overnight again. He didn’t really need me anymore, which is great because I started breaking down.

I have Chronic Kidney Disease. I need to sleep adequately – and with my BiPap. I need to follow the renal diet. I need to exercise. I need to rest.  I did very little of any of this during the trauma itself, and that’s alright. This is my long term buddy – as grown up and mature as he is – and he needed me. But what did I do to myself?

You guessed it. Right away, my blood pressure shot up and that’s a bad thing. Why? Let me tell you… or you can go to What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, page 9.  

“Through my research, I began to understand what high blood pressure [HPB] has to do with renal disease.  HPB can damage small blood vessels in the kidneys to the point that they cannot filter the waste from the blood as effectively as they should. Nephrologists may prescribe HBP medication to prevent your CKD from getting worse since these medications reduce the amount of protein in your urine.  Not too surprisingly, most CKD related deaths are caused by cardiovascular problems.”

What about the stress?  What was that doing to my poor overworked kidneys?  I went to The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2 for the answer to that one:

“First you feel the fight or flight syndrome which means you are releasing hormones.  The adrenal glands which secrete these hormones lay right on top of your kidneys. Your blood sugar raises, too, and there’s an increase in both heart rate and blood pressure.  Diabetes {Blood sugar} and hypertension {Blood pressure} both play a part in Chronic Kidney Disease.”

That’s two strikes against me. I almost hesitate to think about exercise… or the lack of it for several consecutive days.  This is one of the points about treating prediabetes (which I have and so do so many of you) from the Mayo Clinic at http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prediabetes/basics/treatment/con-20024420 which was included in SlowItDownCKD 2015:

“Losing excess pounds. If you’re overweight, losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight — only 10 to 20 pounds (4.5 to 9 kilograms) if you weigh 200 pounds (91 kilograms) — can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. To keep your weight in a healthy range, focus on permanent changes to your eating and exercise habits. Motivate yourself by remembering the benefits of losing weight, such as a healthier heart, more energy and improved self-esteem.”

And the renal diet? We mustn’t forget about the renal diet. In The Book of Blogs: Moderate Kidney Disease, Part 1 I quoted from http://www.yourkidneys.com/kidney-education/Treatments/Living-a-full-life-after-a-chronic-kidney-disease-diagnosis/3189 which is part of Yourkidneys.com from DaVita:

“Depending on what stage of Chronic Kidney Disease you’re in, your renal dietitian will adjust the amounts of protein, sodium, phosphorus and potassium in your diet. In addition, carbohydrates and fats may be controlled based on conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The CKD non-dialysis diet includes calculated amounts of high quality protein. Damaged kidneys have a difficult time getting rid of protein waste products, so cutting back on non-essential protein will put less stress on your kidneys.”

Have I done more permanent damage to my kidneys? I’m hoping not since it was just a few days and I made the conscious decision to be with my buddy instead of tending to myself. Let’s consider this a cautionary tale instead.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!