Women in Nephrology

You know, in addition to being National Kidney Month, March is also National Woman’s Month. Once again, I decided to combine the two and write about women in nephrology. Nefrologia [English edition] started us off with names you may or may not recognize:

“ Internationally, in an attempt to highlight the work of women in the scientific field, the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) wanted to pay tribute to women who had collaborated closely in the development of the specialty…

Dr Josephine Briggs, responsible for research at the US National Institutes of Health in the 1990s on the renin-angiotensin system, diabetic nephropathy, blood pressure and the effect of antioxidants in kidney disease.

Dr Renée Habib (France), a pioneer of nephropathology in Europe. She worked with the founders of the ISN to establish nephrology as a speciality.

Dr Vidya N Acharya, the first female nephrologist in India inspiring the study of kidney diseases, dedicating her research to urinary infections and heading a Nephrology department in Mumbai.

Dr Hai Yan Wang, head of department and professor of Nephrology at the Peking University First Hospital since 1983, president of the Chinese Society of Nephrology and editor of Chinese and international nephrology journals.

Dr Mona Al-Rukhaimi, co-president of the ISN and leader of the working group on the KDIGO guidelines in the Middle East, as well as a participant in the Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism.

Dr Saraladevi Naicker, who created the first training programme for nephrologists in Africa and the Kidney Transplant Unit at Addington Hospital.

Dr Batya Kristal, the first woman to lead a Nephrology department in Israel and founder of Israel’s National Kidney Foundation. She conducts her current research in the field of oxidative stress and inflammation.

Dr Priscilla Kincaid-Smith, head of Nephrology at Melbourne Hospital, where she promoted the relationship between hypertension and the kidney and analgesic nephropathy. The first and only female president of the ISN, she empowered many other women, including the nephrologist Judy Whitworth, chair of the World Health Organization committee.”

I turned to BMC Nephrology to learn a bit about another woman in nephrology, Dr. Natalia Tomilina. This is from an interview with Dr. Tomilina:

“For me specializing in nephrology happened by chance. After graduating from university, I worked as a general practitioner, and very soon realized that I needed something more than just routine clinical practice; I needed to grow professionally. In 1962–1963 the hospital where I worked introduced a nephrology program. It was not yet a nephrology unit, just 20 beds on the internal medicine floor for patients with kidney diseases. At the time, nephrology as a specialty was only starting to be recognized both in the Soviet Union and in other countries. I was lucky to have met Professor Maria Ratner, who invited me to work with her. I could have moved to the hospital’s research institute, but it seemed to be less interesting, so I chose nephrology and Professor Ratner became my mentor. I found it fascinating, and I have continued to be fascinated by nephrology all my life….”

More recently, as I wrote in March 29’s 2021 blog:

“Dr. Vanessa Grubb first approached me when she was considering writing a blog herself. I believe she’s an important woman nephrologist since she has a special interest in the experiences of Black kidney patients. Here is what University of California’s Department of Medicine’s Center for Vulnerable Populations lists for her: 

‘Dr. Vanessa Grubbs is an Associate Professor in the Division of Nephrology at UCSF and has maintained a clinical practice and research program at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital since 2009. Her research focuses on palliative care for patients with end-stage kidney disease. She is among the 2017 cohort for the Cambia Health Foundation Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program, an initiative designed to identify, cultivate and advance the next generation of palliative care leaders; and the 2018 California Health Care Foundation’s Health Care Leadership Program. 
 
Her clinical and research work fuel her passion for creative writing. Her first book, HUNDREDS OF INTERLACED FINGERS: A Kidney Doctor’s Search for the Perfect Match, was released June 2017 from Harper Collins Publishers, Amistad division and is now in paperback.’ [Gail here: Dr. Grubbs writes the blog, The Nephrologist; has the YouTube channel, Real Kidney Talk with The People’s Nephrologist; and is an advocate with her Black Doc Village.]

I think Dr. Li-li Hsiao should also be included in today’s blog since she has a special interest in the Asian community and their experiences with kidney disease. The following is from the Boston Taiwanese Biotechnological Association:  

‘…. She is the Director of Asian Renal Clinic at BWH; the co-program director and Co-PI of Harvard Summer Research Program in Kidney Medicine. She is recently appointed as the Director of Global Kidney Health Innovation Center. Dr Hsiao’s areas of research include cardiovascular complications in patients with chronic kidney disease; one of her work published in Circulation in 2012 has been ranked at the top 1% most cited article in the Clinical Medicine since 2013. Dr. Hsiao has received numerous awards for her outstanding clinical work, teaching and mentoring of students including Starfish Award recognizing her effective clinical care, and the prestigious Clifford Barger Mentor Award at HMS. Dr. Hsiao is the founder of Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program (KDSAP) at Harvard College where she has served as the official advisor. KDSAP has expanded beyond Harvard campus. Dr. Hsiao served in the admission committee of HMS; a committee member of Post Graduate Education and the board of advisor of American Society of Nephrology (ASN). She was Co-Chair for the ‘Professional Development Seminar’ course during the ASN week, and currently, she is the past-president of WIN (Women In Neprology [sic])’”

Just in case you wondered, Zippia [billed as the job experts] showed 47.37% of nephrologists were female as of 2021. And, yes, they did earn less than their male counterparts: 88 cents to the male’s dollar. From all the different sites I looked at, there is still a pay gap between the two genders. All I have to say about that is, “Huh? This IS 2024, isn’t it?”

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Mom Had One

Years ago, when I was a young woman in my 20s, my mother had a fibroid in her uterus. Or, at least that was the way she explained it. Come to think of it, she didn’t explain. Rather, she simply announced she’d had it removed. My brother and I, both medically ignorant at the time, had no idea why that was such a big deal.

In the intervening decades, I’ve learned a lot. Most of that medical knowledge has come from researching for the blog. That’s how I learned that a fibroid is a tumor or, as Johns Hopkins puts it:

“Fibroids are growths made of smooth muscle cells and fibrous connective tissue. These growths develop in the uterus and appear alone or in groups. They range in size, from as small as a grain of rice to as big as a melon. In some cases, fibroids can grow into the uterine cavity or outward from the uterus on stalks.”

Notice the word tumor wasn’t used in this definition. It didn’t have to be because a tumor as defined by my all-time favorite dictionary, the Merriam-Webster, is:

“an abnormal benign or malignant new growth of tissue that possesses no physiological function and arises from uncontrolled usually rapid cellular proliferation”

Since they have no function and grow in the same way as cancer does, are they cancerous? Not according to Planned Parenthood, who also offers us the symptoms:

Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com

“Uterine fibroids are almost never cancerous, and they don’t increase your risk for getting other types of cancer. But they can cause pelvic pain, heavy period bleeding, bleeding between periods, back pain, and in some cases, infertility or miscarriages. However, many people with fibroids don’t have any symptoms at all.”

My mother was not the type to want to know how the fibroid developed. As most people did 50 years ago, she just wanted it gone. But you might want to know. WebMD explained:

“Experts don’t know exactly why you get fibroids. Hormones and genetics might make you more likely to get them.

Hormones. Estrogen and progesterone are the hormones that make the lining of your uterus thicken every month during your period. They also seem to affect fibroid growth. When hormone production slows down during menopause, fibroids usually shrink.

Genetics. Researchers have found genetic differences between fibroids and normal cells in the uterus.

Other growth factors. Substances in your body that help with tissue upkeep, such as insulin-like growth factor, may play a part in fibroid growth. 

Extracellular matrix (ECM). ECM makes your cells stick together. Fibroids have more ECM than normal cells, which makes them fibrous or ropey. ECM also stores growth factors (substances that spur cell growth) and causes cells to change.”

Let’s get back to Mom wanting it gone. The question here is how? It turns out there are many, many different methods from different types of ablations, surgeries, and medications.

I know you want to know what this has to do with chronic kidney disease. That is actually what I wanted to know, too. According to The National Library of Medicine:

“Uterine fibroids constitute the most common tumor in women of reproductive age …. Significant morbidity secondary to fibroids is a rare event; however acute complications from fibroids may include thromboembolic events, acute torsion of pedunculated fibroids, acute abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, intra-abdominal bleeding, acute urinary retention, and renal failure. [Gail here: I bolded that.] Uterine fibroids are associated with obstructive renal failure as they can physically compress the ureters, leading to acute urinary retention and postrenal nephropathy.”

I get it, but it took me a while to figure out what this meant. So I looked for a different, more easily understood  explanation… and found it on Fibroids.com:

“Although fibroids are made of muscle tissue found in the uterus, they can outgrow the space within the uterine walls and expand to a size large enough to affect the ureter. The ureter is the tube that connects the bladder and the kidney. When fibroids down [sic] on the ureter, the kidneys swell and develop a condition known as hydronephrosis.

Hydronephrosis is often associated with painful urination, an increased urge to urinate, as well as flank and back pain. In more severe cases, permanent kidney damage may also occur. If you are currently experiencing any of these symptoms or suspect your kidneys may be at risk due to your fibroids, consult with your doctor immediately.” 

Talkingfibroids,com tells us more about hydronephrosis:

“But if hydronephrosis persists for a long time, the nephrons (kidney cells) can die, and the result can be irreversible kidney damage. Even if the obstruction to the ureter is eventually removed, a kidney that has gotten to this point will not regain function.”

Hmmm, there must be a way to prevent this. I searched and searched until I found what I was looking for on India’s GAURI – Guna Associates in Urogynecology & Research for Incontinence:

“The removal of fibroids is crucial for those suffering kidney complications due to fibroids. Despite the prevalence of fibroid surgery like a hysterectomy or myomectomy [removal of only the fibroid], there is a less invasive procedure called uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) that eliminates the scars and trauma associated with surgery.

Fibroid embolization works by reducing the larger fibroid that is pushing on the ureter and causing kidney problems. It provides a quick and effective procedure with no chance of regrowth of the fibroid. By shrinking the fibroid instead of removing it, patients experience a quick and effective procedure.”

While that may sound scary, remember that surgery is another way to deal with fibroids but UFE is less invasive. There is also medication, but please do not take NSAIDS. That stands for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and, as CKD patients, is not for us. And let’s not forget ablation.

As for diagnosing hydronephrosis, the usual blood and urine tests plus an ultrasound does the trick. The ultrasound will let you see if the kidney is swollen. The urine test will rule out infection or urinary stones. And the blood test will evaluate your kidney function. I wonder whether Mom underwent these tests.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

So Silly!

For months, my daughter and I have been talking about what I thought was Jardiance. That’s a diabetes medication. For some unknown reason, I asked her to spell it. You’ll never guess. It wasn’t Jardiance at all. I was talking about Jardiance; she was talking about Janumet. While this is still a diabetes medication, it was neither the one I thought we were talking about, nor one I knew anything about. Silly of me, isn’t it? So, of course, Janumet became the topic of today’s blog.

Now, while we know diabetes is the foremost cause of chronic kidney disease, have you ever wondered why? In my very first book about kidneys, What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, I included the following information, which may be more than you ever wanted to know. [Hey, did you score your free copy of this book on New Year’s Day?]

“Thank you to the National Kidney Foundation 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.”

Okay then, time to turn to Medical News Today to find out what Janumet is.

“Janumet and Janumet XR contain the active ingredients sitagliptin and metformin. Janumet and Janumet XR are available only as brand-name medications. They’re not currently available in generic form.

Sitagliptin and metformin are available separately as generic medications. However, they aren’t available together as a combination generic drug.

A generic drug is an exact copy of the active ingredient in a brand-name medication. Generics usually cost less than brand-name drugs.”

Reminder: XR means extended release or slowly released into your body and long lasting. The opposite is IR or immediate release into your body and fast acting.

Let’s take the active [That means what makes the medication work.] ingredients one by one. This is from the Mayo Clinic:

“Sitagliptin helps to control blood sugar levels by increasing substances in the body that make the pancreas release more insulin. It also signals the liver to stop producing sugar (glucose) when there is too much sugar in the blood. This medicine does not help patients who have insulin-dependent or type 1 diabetes.”

Obviously not for me since I only have ¼ of my pancreas left after cancer surgery. I also noticed that a bunch of medications I take would also prevent from taking sitagliptin. Oh, it’s sold as Januvia. So it’s possible to use a sitagliptin only medication.

And Metformin? Medline Plus informs us:

“Metformin is used alone or with other medications, including insulin, to treat type 2 diabetes (condition in which the body does not use insulin normally and, therefore, cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood). Metformin is in a class of drugs called biguanides. Metformin helps to control the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood. It decreases the amount of glucose you absorb from your food and the amount of glucose made by your liver. Metformin also increases your body’s response to insulin, a natural substance that controls the amount of glucose in the blood. Metformin 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).”

Wait a minute. What are biguanides? Let’s let the Cleveland Clinic explain:

“Biguanides (better known as metformin) are a type of oral diabetes medication that helps lower blood sugar levels for people with Type 2 diabetes. Healthcare providers prescribe this medication for other conditions, as well, like PCOS and gestational diabetes.”

Metformin is the only biguanide. Hmm, you can use medication that is solely metformin, just as you can use medication that is solely sitagliptin. Actually, I’m wondering why Metformin isn’t labeled biguanide. It is sold under five different brand names. And why isn’t sitagliptin sold as sitagliptin? This is confusing to me.

Anyway, finally, we arrive at Janumet, not the only diabetes medication to contain both Sitagliptin and Metformin. What is the benefit of taking both? Back to the Mayo Clinic for us:

“Metformin and sitagliptin combination is used to treat high blood sugar levels caused by type 2 diabetes. Metformin reduces the absorption of sugar from the stomach, reduces the release of stored sugar from the liver, and helps your body use sugar better. Sitagliptin helps to control blood sugar levels by increasing substances in the body that make the pancreas release more insulin. It also signals the liver to stop producing sugar (glucose) when there is too much sugar in the blood. This medicine does not help patients who have insulin-dependent or type 1 diabetes….”

In the words of a former student, “Ah, so it’s a double whammy!” I’d have to agree. Be sure to ask your nephrologist or endocrinologist if you’re interested in changing your medication.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Ectopic

Ectopic: “occurring in an abnormal position or in an unusual manner or form” Thank you to my favorite dictionary of all time, The Merriam-Webster, for that definition. You may have heard of an ectopic pregnancy. Healthline explained what that is:

“From fertilization to delivery, pregnancy requires a number of steps in a woman’s body. One of these steps is when a fertilized egg travels to the uterus to attach itself. In the case of an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg doesn’t attach to the uterus. Instead, it may attach to the fallopian tube, abdominal cavity, or cervix.

While a pregnancy test may reveal a woman is pregnant, a fertilized egg can’t properly grow anywhere other than the uterus. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), ectopic pregnancies occur in about 1 out of every 50 pregnancies (20 out of 1,000).”

While that’s interesting, it’s not what I’ll be writing about today. Rather, I’ll be writing about an ectopic kidney. From the above, we can already figure out that this means the kidneys were in the wrong place. The National Institutes of Health can explain better than I can:

“What is an ectopic kidney? An ectopic kidney is a kidney located below, above, or on the opposite side of the kidney’s normal position in the urinary tract. The two kidneys are usually located near the middle of your back, just below your rib cage, on either side of your spine.”

This didn’t sound so good to me. What causes an ectopic kidney, I wondered. According to National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:

“During fetal development, a baby’s kidneys first appear as buds inside the pelvis, near the bladder. As the fetal kidneys develop, they climb gradually toward their normal position near the rib cage in the back. Sometimes, one of the kidneys fails to make the climb. It may stop after making part of the climb. Or it may remain in the pelvis. Rarely does a child have two ectopic kidneys. Some kidneys climb toward the rib cage, but one may cross over so that both kidneys are on the same side of the body. When a crossover occurs, the two kidneys may grow together and become fused.”

Having two little grandchildren, I found this fascinating. How are such things not common knowledge? I realize that’s an unrealistic attitude.

So, here we have a poor little baby and unsuspecting parents. How do they become aware of the condition? The Urology Care Foundation listed the symptoms to keep watch for:

“The most common symptoms linked to the ectopic kidney are:

• Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
• Belly pain
• A lump in the abdomen

A kidney in an abnormal spot may still work properly. But because of the change, it may have problems draining. Up to 1 out of 2 ectopic kidneys are at least partly blocked. Over time, these blockages can lead to serious problems, such as:

• Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
• Kidney Stones
• Kidney Failure

Ectopic kidneys are also linked to vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). VUR is a condition where urine backs up from the bladder through the ureters into the kidneys. Over time, VUR can lead to infections. Infections can cause damage to the kidney that can’t be fixed. The non-ectopic kidney can also have problems like blockages or VUR.”

Uh-oh, I know of a little baby with VUR. What’s to be done if a baby does have an ectopic kidney? Wait, I think you first need to know that there are two types of ectopic kidneys. Associates in Nephrology had a nice, simple description of the two for us. [Remember that renal and kidney are the same.]:

“Renal ectopia is divided into two types. A simple renal ectopia is marked by a kidney sitting on each side of the spine, but above or below its normal placement. The other type is a crossed renal ectopia, which occurs when both kidneys develop on the same side of the spine. Crossed renal ectopic kidneys sometimes fuse together.

The condition doesn’t cause any health problems or symptoms if one or both kidneys function properly. In fact, most people don’t know they have an ectopic kidney until it’s detected by medical tests for another disorder.

Yet some people experience pronounced symptoms stemming from renal ectopia that could produce a urinary tract infection; pain and/or a lump in the abdomen; bloody urine; frequent urination; or a burning sensation when you urinate.”

Don’t lose hope! There are remedies for this condition [if any is required]. The National Kidney Foundation was helpful here:

“An ectopic kidney only needs treatment if it causes problems with your urine flow. If this is the case, your healthcare provider will need to evaluate your kidney.  If the problem is caught soon enough, your healthcare provider can treat it. This includes treating the infection, removing the blockage, or fixing the urine flow before kidney damage happens. Sometimes surgery may be needed. This can correct the position of the kidney. That will lead to better drainage of urine.

If the kidney is severely damaged and not working properly, your healthcare provider may suggest removing it.  This will only be done if your other kidney is working well. “

Urine flow? What does that have to do with anything? MedlinePlus explained the usual urine flow:

“Urine flows from each kidney through tubes called ureters and into the bladder. When the bladder is full, it squeezes and sends the urine out through the urethra. No urine should flow back into the ureter when the bladder is squeezing. Each ureter has a one-way valve where it enters the bladder that prevents urine from flowing back up the ureter.

But in some people, urine flows back up to the kidney. This is called vesicoureteral reflux.

Over time, the kidneys may be damaged or scarred by this reflux.…”

You may notice that this blog was meant to be published last Monday. Between health and computer problems, obviously, it wasn’t. Apologies.

The things you learn! I started this blog 13 years ago and never once was I in the position of not having a topic to write about. Thank you to those who suggested topics and to all who read the blog.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

You’re So Vein. You Probably Think This Song Is About You.

Actually, in the Carly Simon song it’s vain. I just couldn’t resist using the homonym. Pardon me; that’s English teacher speak for two words having the same pronunciation, but different meanings. By the way, this blog is about you.

It seems to me that in all the years I’ve been writing the blog, I never really took a look at the veins dealing with the kidneys with you. They, of course, are called renal veins. As the National Center for Biotechnology Information informs us,

“Renal is an adjective, whereas kidney is a noun. The two words are not tautologies. The word, renal, is derived from Latin (ren). The words for kidney in French (rein), Italian (rene) and Spanish (rinon) are very similar to renal.”

Quick reminder:

An adjective describes a person, place, thing, or idea.                              

A noun is the person, place, thing, or idea.

 A tautology is saying the same thing but using different words.

I see now that being an English teacher for over 30 years is paying off. But I digress. Okay, back to the business at hand… or kidney in this case.

A little anatomy lesson may help us understand. This one was provided by VeryWellHealth,

“The kidneys are bean-shaped, with a concave central portion called the renal hilum. Each renal vein is formed by the confluence of several smaller veins which drain the different parts of the kidney and join together in the renal hilum. The other major structures in the renal hilum are the renal artery and renal pelvis (which carries urine away), both of which are located behind the renal vein.

The left renal vein is longer than the right. It courses in front of the aorta and behind the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) as it drains into the IVC… [Gail here: that’s the interior vena cava.] ^. The ascending lumbar vein, the left adrenal vein, and the left testicular or ovarian vein are smaller veins which typically drain into the left renal vein.

Variations in renal vein anatomy usually affect the left renal vein rather than the right. Although most patients with these anatomic variations are asymptomatic, it is important to know about them if kidney surgery is being planned.”

I didn’t know what an hilum was, so I turned to the Medical Dictionary included in the Free Dictionary by Farley.

“a depression or pit at the part of an organ where vessels and nerves enter.”

Healthline explained even more about how renal veins work.

“There are two renal veins, a left and a right. They branch off the inferior vena cava and drain oxygen-depleted blood from the kidneys.

As they enter the kidneys, each vein separates into two parts. The posterior veins assist in draining the back section of each kidney, while the anterior veins assist the front part. These veins also are responsible for draining blood from the ureter, which transports urine away from the kidneys to the urinary bladder.

These veins should not be confused with the renal aorta. Unlike veins, the renal aorta delivers oxygenated blood to the kidneys. To simplify, the aorta carries blood to the kidneys while veins move the blood away.”

It occurred to me that I really wasn’t sure what the interior vena cava was. Hello, WebMD.

“The inferior vena cava transports blood from your lower limbs, liver, digestive system, kidneys, reproductive system, and other organs and tissues of the body below the diaphragm….

The inferior vena cava goes up the abdomen on the right side of the spine (vertebral column). After connecting with the hepatic [liver] vein, it goes through the diaphragm, the muscle that helps you breathe and separates your chest cavity from your abdomen. In the chest, the inferior vena cava lies on the right side of the space between the lungs. Reaching the heart, it opens into the right atrium.”

How would we know if anything went wrong with your all important renal veins?  First, let’s take a look at the Merck Manual, Consumer Version, to see what could go wrong.

“Renal vein thrombosis is blockage of the renal vein, which carries blood away from the kidney, by a blood clot.

• The clot can damage the kidney.
• Symptoms may be minimal unless the clot develops suddenly.
• Diagnosis is with magnetic resonance angiography, Doppler ultrasonography, or computed tomography angiography.”

Symptoms? What symptoms? As Mount Sinai  explains,

“Symptoms may include:

• Blood clot to the lung
• Bloody urine
• Decreased urine output
• Flank pain or low back pain”

Although I’ve looked it up many times, I just couldn’t remember where the flank was specifically, so I turned to my very favorite dictionary. That’s right, the Merriam-Webster.  

“the fleshy part of the side between the ribs and the hip”

Well, that clears that up. Back to the renal veins.

Naturally, I wanted to know what you could do should these symptoms alert you that you were experiencing renal vein thrombosis. Stanford Medicine Health Care had the easiest explanation to understand.

“Renal vein thrombosis is generally treated medically with anticoagulant (keeps the blood from clotting) medication. Anticoagulants may be given intravenously (IV) for several days, then given orally for several weeks up to an indefinite period of time.”

Let’s finish up by looking at the possible causes of renal vein thrombosis with the help of Mount Sinai again.

“Renal vein thrombosis is an uncommon disorder. It may be caused by:

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm
• Hypercoagulable state: clotting disorders
• Dehydration (mostly in infants)
• Estrogen use
• Nephrotic syndrome
• Pregnancy
• Scar formation with pressure on the renal vein
• Trauma (to the back or abdomen)
• Tumor

In adults, the most common cause is nephrotic syndrome. In infants, the most common cause is dehydration.”

Wow, not being a doctor, I’ve learned as much as you have today.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Bet You Never Heard of This Kind of Duplex

I’ve been writing this blog for over a decade and am continually amazed that new topics keep coming up. There is so much to chronic kidney disease. Today’s new topic is duplex kidneys. You read that correctly: not duplex housing units, but duplex kidneys. 

Everyone know what duplex means? Haha, you’re so clever. Indeed, we are turning to my favorite dictionary since college over 50 years ago. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary tells us it means, 

“1a: having two principal elements or parts: DOUBLE, TWOFOLD 

b: having two complementary polynucleotide strands of DNA or of DNA and RNA 

2: allowing telecommunication in opposite directions simultaneously “ 

This is the adjective (describes a noun or pronoun) definition of the word. There’s also a noun (person, place, thing, or idea) definition, and a verb (action word) definition. In our case, we need the adjective definition because we are describing the kidney. Specifically, we need definition 1a. 

I know, I know, enough with the English lesson and on to the actual duplex kidney. A new source, Denver Urology Associates, explains duplex kidneys: 

“Duplex kidney is the duplication of the ureter tube, which drains urine from the kidney to the bladder. The condition results in two tubes rather than the normal single ureter tube for each kidney. 

Duplex kidney (also known as duplicated collection system) occurs in about 1 percent of children and usually requires no medical treatment. Medical concerns relate to obstruction of urine flow or urine flowing back into the kidney. 

The function of the kidneys is to filter waste from the blood and convert it to urine to be dispelled from the body. The urine travels from the kidney to the bladder via the ureter tube. The bladder expels urine through the urethra tube, which emerges at the tip of the penis in boys and at the upper region of the vagina in girls. 

In the duplex kidney condition, the kidney forms in two, duplicate parts with separate ureter tubes, as well as a separate blood supply. In about half of duplex kidney cases, both kidneys are affected with the duplicate ureter and blood supply. 

These double ureter tubes may join together in a ‘y’ shape before they reach the bladder and combine their delivery of urine. Or in other instances, each duplicate ureter will drain into the bladder via its own attachment. 

In either case, the result is the same — and generally the same as in a normal kidney with only one ureter.” 

Considering one of the babies in my daughter’s social circle has been having kidney problems, I wondered what the symptoms of duplex kidneys are. I turned to the UK’s Top Doctors for answers: 

“Duplex kidneys and duplicated ureters that drain directly into the bladder rarely cause any symptoms. 

However, if there is a complete second ureter, this often functions poorly and can be connected to a number of problems: 

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) – problems in urine drainage make it easier for bacteria to enter the urine and travel to the bladder. Under certain conditions, infections can even spread up to the kidneys. 

Ureterocele – the end of the ureter doesn’t develop properly, causing urine to be obstructed and become backed up. The ureter begins to swell and balloon where it enters the bladder and the length of the tube may become swollen as more urine backs up along it. 

Vesicoureteral reflux – urine is able to flow back through the ureter, sometimes even as far as the kidney. This may be because of an abnormal connection between the ureter and the bladder or as a result of a ureterocele. 

Hydronephrosis – the ureter and kidney swell due to urine being backed up. This may be due an abnormal connection between the ureter and the bladder or as a result of a ureterocele, and can lead to kidney damage. 

Ectopic ureter – the ureter does not connect to the bladder, instead being blocked or leaking into another part of the body. This can lead to vesicoureteral reflux, hydronephrosis, swelling, and incontinence.” 

Logically, the next question would be, “How are duplex kidneys diagnosed?” Children’s Hospital in Colorado had the answer: 

“A duplex kidney is most commonly diagnosed by using an ultrasound scan. This is a simple test that looks at the kidney and it is not painful. Sometimes it is necessary to do additional tests, which can include a voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), where a catheter is placed into the bladder and X-rays are taken as the bladder is filled. Another test used to diagnose this condition is a renogram, where the function of the kidney is evaluated.” 

Now here’s a surprise. This is what you do if your baby has a duplex kidney. Doctor of Internal Medicine, Anthony L. Komaroff, tells us, 

“No treatment is needed. There is no harm to the kidney, though some people with duplex kidneys are more prone to urinary infections, reflux and blockages of the urinary tract.” 

I’m not a doctor, but that didn’t sound right to me, so I looked at site after site to check on it. It turns out that while a duplex kidney may not need treatment, the problems they may cause do need treatment. That made more sense to me, especially as the baby I mentioned is being treated for vesicoureteral reflux. I have no idea if she has duplex kidneys, but it seems vesicoureteral reflux does need to be treated. 

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia put this into perspective for us: 

“Duplex kidneys are a normal variant, meaning that they occur commonly enough in healthy children to be considered normal. They occur in 1 percent of the population, and most cause no medical problems and will require no treatment.” 

Oh, that means if the baby in question’s vesicoureteral reflux was caused by duplex kidneys, she does NOT have chronic kidney disease. I know one mama who’s going to be very happy when she reads today’s blog. 

Enjoy your holidays and be safe! Remember that any of the SlowItDownCKD book series would be a really good gift to give someone with CKD, their families and their friends. Talking about friends, one suggested that your primary care doctor could learn a lot about CKD from these books, too. By the way, that’s one book a year since 2010. Love, peace, and joy to all of you. 

Until next week, 

Keep living your life! 

These are not the Lucky Kind

We all know about the superstition that horseshoes are lucky. Some might even argue that this is fact, not a superstition. Today, I’ll be writing about the unlucky kind of horseshoe. Some of you may know about this already; some may not. I didn’t and was surprised by what I found. 

First off, a definition of horseshoe kidneys [Surprise!] might be helpful. WebMD was pretty comprehensive in their definition: 

“Horseshoe kidney, also called renal fusion, is a condition that starts before a child is born. 

As a baby develops in the womb, their kidneys move into position just above the waist — one on each side of the body. But sometimes that doesn’t happen as it should. Instead, the kidneys fuse together at their base, forming a U or horseshoe shape. It usually happens between weeks 7 and 9 of the pregnancy. 

The condition isn’t common — about 1 in 500 babies have it, boys more often than girls. And many kids won’t have serious health issues because of it. 

However, about one in three children with fused kidneys will also have a problem with their heart, blood vessels, nervous system, reproductive or urinary systems, digestive system, or bones. There’s no cure for renal fusion, but your child’s doctor can help them manage those conditions.” 

Oh, so we’re back in pediatrics again. I’m glad I decided to write about pediatric kidney problems once my first grandson was born a little over three years ago. My daughter tells me she and her friends find my pediatric kidney blogs helpful. At least, that’s what I think she said. Here’s hoping every parent finds the pediatric kidney blogs helpful. 

Back to the topic at hand… or kidney, rather. Of course, my next step was to find out what causes horseshoe kidney. Thanks are due to MedicalNewsToday for the following information: 

“Doctors are not sure what causes horseshoe kidney, but certain factors seem to raise the risk. 

People with certain chromosomal disorders have a higher chance of also having horseshoe kidney. These disorders include: 

Edwards syndrome 

Turner syndrome 

Down syndrome 

However, having horseshoe kidney does not necessarily mean a person has a chromosomal abnormality. Other factors that scientists associate with horseshoe kidney include: 

alcohol consumption during pregnancy 

glycemic control due to diabetes 

exposure to certain drugs during pregnancy, such as thalidomide 

Doctors no longer give thalidomide to pregnant people, but some people affected by the drug still survive today.” 

I reasoned that we all know what Down syndrome is, but not necessarily the other two syndromes. I turned to Symptoms and Treatments for explanations: 

“Edwards syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality characterized by the presence of an extra copy of genetic material on the 18th chromosome, either in whole or in part. The additional chromosome usually occurs before conception. The effects of the extra copy vary greatly, depending on the extent of the extra copy, genetic history, and chance. 

This disorder [Turner syndrome] also known as gonadal dysgenesis affects women whose X chromosome is missing or have other abnormalities with one of their sex chromosomes. Normal females have forty six chromosomes comprising two X chromosomes. When one has Turner syndrome, he or she has one X chromosome and if the two are present, one of them is usually abnormal.” 

I wondered if there were symptoms. Boston Children’s Hospital answered that question: 

“While each child may experience symptoms differently, the most common symptoms of horseshoe kidney include: 

urinary tract infection: usually uncommon in children under 5 years and unlikely in boys at any age 

kidney stones: if the stones remain in the kidney, your child may have no symptoms. If the stones pass through her urinary tract, she could experience the following symptoms: 

flank (around the side, just above the waist) pain 

restlessness 

sweating 

nausea and/or vomiting 

blood in urine 

changes in urinary frequency 

chills 

fever 

cloudy urine 

hydronephrosis: occurs when there is a urinary tract obstruction and the kidney(s) become enlarged and potentially damaged. Symptoms of hydronephrosis may include the following: 

abdominal mass 

poor weight gain 

decreased urination 

urinary tract infection 

About one-third of children with horseshoe kidney have no symptoms.” 

How do you even know your baby has horseshoe kidneys? I suppose you could tell by the symptoms, but some babies don’t have any symptoms. Children’s National clarified the diagnostic procedure for horseshoe kidneys: 

“The healthcare provider will ask about your child’s symptoms and health history. He or she may also ask about your family’s health history. He or she will give your child a physical exam. Your child may also have tests, such as: 

Renal ultrasound (sonography). This is a painless test that uses sound waves and a computer to create images of body tissues. During the test, a healthcare provider moves a device called a transducer over the belly in the kidney area. This sends a picture of the kidney to a video screen. The healthcare provider can see the size and shape of the kidney. He or she can also see a growth, kidney stone, cyst or other problems. 

Mag-3 diuretic renal scan. A diagnostic nuclear imaging technique that is conducted by injecting a radioactive fluid into the vein. The radioactive material is then carried to the kidneys where it gives off signals that can be picked up by cameras. Midway during the procedure a diuretic medication is given to speed up urine flow through the kidneys. This helps detect any area of blockage in the urinary tract. 

Blood tests. These look at how well the kidneys are working. 

Urine test. This test checks for chemicals in the urine and signs of infection.” 

Babies grow up. What happens to adults who have horseshoe kidneys? The article: Renal outcomes in adult patients with horseshoe kidney pulled no punches: 

“Patients with HSK [horseshoe kidney] are at risk of ESRD [End Stage Renal Disease], which may be attributable to the high prevalence of complications. Accordingly, these patients should be regarded as having chronic kidney disease and require regular monitoring of both kidney function and potential complications.” 

One more thing: horseshoe kidney is also called renal fusion. 

Until next week, 

Keep living your life! 

Back to Peds

For someone who never planned to write about pediatric kidney issues, here I am again writing about pediatric kidney issues. It seems the mothers of all those babies in my life I’ve mentioned before like to visit me. One of them was a bit upset during her visit, so – being me – I asked what was wrong. 

Her answer was surprising. It seems her little one [I think he’s about five months old] was born with urine reflux in both kidneys. I’d heard of reflux before, but urine reflex? She explained and I wondered why she wasn’t more upset. She explained that, too. But, as usual, I’m getting ahead of myself. 

Let’s start with what it is. First of all, she used the term VUR before telling me it was urine reflux. Well, what’s the ‘V’ stand for?  Turns out the medical term for this condition is VUR or Vesicoureteral Reflux. Okay, so what’s that? I turned to one of my old reliable sources for the answer, NIDDK, which is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 

“Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a condition in which urine flows backward from the bladder to one or both ureters and sometimes to the kidneys. VUR is most common in infants and young children. Most children don’t have long-term problems from VUR. 

Normally, urine flows down the urinary tract, from the kidneys, through the ureters, to the bladder. With VUR, some urine will flow back up—or reflux—through one or both ureters and may reach the kidneys…. 

VUR can cause urinary tract infections (UTI) [Gail here: A UTI may be the signal to test for VUR.] and, less commonly, kidney damage. The two main types of VUR are primary VUR and secondary VUR. Most children have primary VUR.” 

Oh, then what’s secondary VUR? Thank you to the Cleveland Clinic for the following information: 

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

“Secondary VUR occurs when a blockage in the urinary tract causes an increase in pressure and pushes urine back up from the urethra into your child’s bladder, ureters and even kidneys. The blockage could result from an abnormal fold of tissue in the urethra that keeps urine from flowing freely out of your child’s bladder. Another cause of secondary VUR might be a problem with nerves that cannot stimulate the bladder to release urine. Children with secondary VUR often have bilateral reflux.” 

I asked the dad – since I felt I was leaving him out of the conversation – if the baby had bilateral reflux. Yes, he did. But then the dad explained that there are five grades of VUR. This is starting to get a bit complicated. I turned to The Urology Care Foundation for help in understanding this: 

“Grade I: urine reflux into the ureter only 

Grade II: urine reflux into the ureter and the renal pelvis (where the ureter meets the kidney), without distention (swelling with fluid, or hydronephrosis) 

Grade III: reflux into the ureter and the renal pelvis, causing mild swelling 

Grade IV: results in moderate swelling 

Grade V: results in severe swelling and twisting of the ureter” 

This diagram is The Urology Care Foundation’s, too. I found it helpful. Hoping you will, too. 

 
Let’s say VUR is suspected. What now? Cedars-Sinai explained: 

• “Voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG). A VCUG is a type of X-ray that examines the urinary tract. The healthcare provider puts a thin, flexible tube (catheter) in the urethra. This tube drains urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. The provider fills the bladder with a liquid dye. X-ray images are taken as the bladder fills and empties. The images will show if there is any reverse flow of urine into the ureters and kidneys. 
• Renal ultrasound (sonography). This is a painless test that uses sound waves and a computer to create images of body tissues. During the test, a healthcare provider moves a device called a transducer over the belly in the kidney area. This sends a picture of the kidney to a video screen. The healthcare provider can see the size and shape of the kidney. He or she can also see a growth, kidney stone, cyst, or other problems.” 

Wait a minute. I’d forgotten that each of the parents had explained this to me at different times. 

Of course, my primary concern was what do you do about VUR? Again, the parents of the baby had explained, but I wanted to give you a medical source, in addition, so I went to Mayo Clinic: 

“UTIs require prompt treatment with antibiotics to keep the infection from moving to the kidneys. To prevent UTIs, doctors may also prescribe antibiotics at a lower dose than for treating an infection. 

A child being treated with medication needs to be monitored for as long as he or she is taking antibiotics. This includes periodic physical exams and urine tests to detect breakthrough infections — UTIs that occur despite the antibiotic treatment — and occasional radiographic scans of the bladder and kidneys to determine if your child has outgrown vesicoureteral reflux. 

Surgery 

Surgery for vesicoureteral reflux repairs the defect in the valve between the bladder and each affected ureter. A defect in the valve keeps it from closing and preventing urine from flowing backward. 

Methods of surgical repair include: 

Open surgery. Performed using general anesthesia, this surgery requires an incision in the lower abdomen through which the surgeon repairs the problem. This type of surgery usually requires a few days’ stay in the hospital, during which a catheter is kept in place to drain your child’s bladder. Vesicoureteral reflux may persist in a small number of children, but it generally resolves on its own without need for further intervention. 

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Similar to open surgery, this procedure involves repairing the valve between the ureter and the bladder, but it’s performed using small incisions. Advantages include smaller incisions and possibly less bladder spasms than open surgery. 

But, preliminary findings suggest that robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery may not have as high of a success rate as open surgery. The procedure was also associated with a longer operating time, but a shorter hospital stay. 

Endoscopic surgery. In this procedure, the doctor inserts a lighted tube (cystoscope) through the urethra to see inside your child’s bladder, and then injects a bulking agent around the opening of the affected ureter to try to strengthen the valve’s ability to close properly. 

This method is minimally invasive compared with open surgery and presents fewer risks, though it may not be as effective. This procedure also requires general anesthesia, but generally can be performed as outpatient surgery.” 

Don’t miss the key word in today’s blog: OUTGROWN. It is possible for babies to outgrow VUS. 

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Peeking into Peds

This has been a banner year for babies amongst my daughter’s friends circle. It’s too bad they’re spread all over the country, but that’s the way it is these days, isn’t it? Anyway, one of these babies has been having a difficult time lately.  

Photo by Daniel Reche on Pexels.com

If you remember, I created SlowItDownCKD way back in 2011. I have never written about pediatric kidneys. But I was more than curious about how I might be able to help this young woman and her husband understand what her baby was going through. Therefore, welcome to my first blog concerning pediatric kidneys. 

This baby boy’s problems started with RSV. What’s RSV? Let’s allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention answer that question: 

“Respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs) in children younger than 1 year of age in the United States.” 

You’re probably asking yourself what the lungs have to do with the kidneys at this point. An article in the Journal of Nephrology explains: 

“A significant interaction between kidneys and lungs has been shown in physiological and pathological conditions. The two organs can both be targets of the same systemic disease (eg., some vasculitides [Gail here: That means one of the disorders that inflame blood vessels to the point of destroying them.]). Moreover, loss of normal function of either of them can induce direct and indirect dysregulation of the other one.” 

The little tyke in question tested positive for a UTI. Take a look at what Johns Hopkins Medicine has to say about UTIs: 

“A urinary tract infection is inflammation of part of the system that takes urine out of the body. It’s caused by bacteria. The urinary tract includes the two kidneys. They remove liquid waste from the blood in the form of urine. Narrow tubes (ureters) carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. Urine is stored in the bladder. When the bladder is emptied, the urine travels through a tube called the urethra and passes out of the body. Bacteria can infect any part of this system.” 

The baby’s UTI was determined to be caused by E. coli. I have to admit I didn’t know much about E. coli, so I turned to UpToDate, an easily understood medical site for professionals [and seemingly lay people], and not only found information about E. coli, but more about UTIs: 

“In healthy children, most urinary tract infections (UTIs) are caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, which are normally found in stool. These bacteria can move from the anus to the urethra and into the bladder (and sometimes up into the kidney), causing infection. 

Risk factors — Some children have a higher chance of developing a UTI. The following are some risk factors for UTI: 

● Young age – Males younger than one year old and females younger than four years of age are at highest risk.   

●Being uncircumcised – There is a four to 10 times higher risk of UTIs in uncircumcised males. Still, most uncircumcised males do not develop UTIs. …   

●Having a bladder catheter for a prolonged period of time.   

●Having parts of the urinary tract that did not form correctly before birth.   

●Having a bladder that does not work properly or constipation (bladder and bowel dysfunction [BBD]).   

●Having one UTI slightly increases the chance of getting another UTI.”  

My daughter explained that her friend’s little boy was uncircumcised and had both catheters [although not for extended periods] and UTIs before. Then she asked why the baby needed an ultrasound. As always, I told her I’d try to find out.  

I not only found out, but discovered information about the other test this baby is taking: 

“For a renal ultrasound, warm jelly is placed on the abdomen and back and a probe is moved over the surface of the skin. This produces a special kind of picture of the kidney and bladder. This picture shows the size of the kidneys and the bladder, and if there are any other problems such as previous scarring or swelling of the kidneys (hydronephrosis) or thickening of the bladder wall. 

A voiding cystourethrogram is a test where a small tube called a catheter is inserted in the bladder. The bladder is filled with a dye and x-rays are taken. Once the bladder is full, the child is asked to urinate and x-rays are taken again. If the fluid with the dye is seen backing up the ureters to the kidneys, reflux is present.” 

Thank you to Dartmouth Health Children’s for educating us about the renal ultrasound and the voiding cystourethrogram. Even though a three month old baby cannot urinate on demand [At least, I don’t think he can.], the catheter will help obtain the urine.  

Maybe a reminder of how urine works would be helpful here. This is from Cincinnati Children’s Health Library: 

“The kidneys filter the blood and make urine. Urine goes from the kidneys to the bladder through tubes called ureters. Where the ureters and the bladder join, there is a valve-like mechanism. This mechanism prevents the urine from backing up to the kidneys. As the bladder fills with urine, it sends a message to the brain. The brain then sends a message to the sphincter muscle to relax, while the bladder muscle squeezes, allowing the bladder to empty. This is called voiding or urination.”   

I think I skipped over ‘reflux.’ Let me check. Hmmm, I did. Okay, in this case reflux refers to the backing up of the urine. Well, it is a little more complex than that. Back to Cincinnati Children’s Health Library for us: 

“Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a condition in which urine from the bladder is able to flow back up into the ureter and kidney. It is caused by a problem with the valve mechanism. Pressure from the urine filling the bladder should close the tunnel of the ureter. It should not allow urine to flow back up into the ureter. When the ureter enters the bladder at an unusual angle reflux can can [sic] occur. This can also happen when the length of the ureter that tunnels through the bladder wall is too short. 

VUR becomes a problem when the urine in the bladder gets infected. The infected urine travels backward to the kidney. This can cause a kidney infection. Kidney infections lead to kidney damage.” 

Don’t panic, mother of this babe. The reflux is graded from 1-5. In most cases of grades 1-3, the condition will correct itself as your baby matures. The baby will need to take antibiotics on a daily basis, however. 

There’s even more information available about urine reflex and how to treat it in babies, but this is a blog – not a book – so I’ll have to stop now. To the mother of this little boy, I hope I’ve helped you understand a bit better. 

Until next week, 

Keep living your life! 

They Can be a Pair

Last week, I was back in surgery… but for a welcome reason this time. After almost three years of remission, my oncologist felt it was safe to remove my PowerPort. That’s where the harsh chemotherapy drugs entered my body. I was glad to have it gone because it was attached to my jugular vein and that made me nervous. 

While I was in pre-op, one of the nurses looked at my chart and asked me about my chronic kidney disease. After I explained, she told me she had had a pancreas/kidney transplant. I was captivated to the point of almost being disappointed when it was time for my procedure, and she hadn’t finished relating her story. So, I decided to do what I usually do. Research it myself. 

I had all sorts of theories in my head about why the two might be transplanted together. I was curious to see if they were anywhere near the truth. The Mayo Clinic was helpful here: 

“Combined kidney-pancreas transplant. Surgeons often may perform combined (simultaneous) kidney-pancreas transplants for people with diabetes who have or are at risk of kidney failure. Most pancreas transplants are done at the same time as a kidney transplant.” 

Aha! Not only does that make sense, but it was one of my theories. I have diabetes, type 2 and I have CKD. Does that make me a candidate for a pancreas/kidney transplant. Actually, since the pancreatic cancer, I only have the head of my pancreas, does that affect the situation? 

I turned to The National Kidney Foundation to find out: 

“Adults who have kidney failure because of type 1 diabetes are possible candidates for a kidney-pancreas transplant. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin, a hormone that controls the blood sugar level in your body. The transplanted pancreas can make insulin and correct this type of diabetes. 

In order to become active on the transplant waiting list you must be: 

18 years or older 

Have both Type 1 diabetes and kidney failure 

Complete evaluation and be approved by transplant center for a kidney and pancreas transplant” 

Well, that lets me out. Kidney failure is when your kidneys don’t work well enough to keep you alive. My GFR has lowered since my cancer dance, but at 41%, the kidneys are still doing their job. Nor do I have type 1 diabetes, the kind in which your pancreas produces insufficient insulin. Although I only have the head of my pancreas remaining, I’m producing enough insulin to be insulin resistant. [Gee, how lucky for me, she thought sarcastically.] 

The nurse I spoke with said her pancreas/kidney transplant had been redone. It was originally done the “old way” that caused her problems and needed to be done the “new way.” That’s when I was wheeled to the operating room. Darn! You know my curiosity was aroused. What was the old way? The new way? What problems had been caused by doing the operation the old way? 

I came across this discussion in Pub Med Central’s Annals of Surgery, May 1999: 

“Dr. John C. McDonald (Shreveport, Louisiana): This is a detailed report on the current outcome of simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplantation, and is another fine presentation from the Memphis group… (which) has led the field in reestablishing the concept that best results are obtained when endocrine activity is delivered through the portal system and exocrine function through the GI tract. This concept was thought correct intuitively in the early efforts of transplanting the pancreas but was soon abandoned because of technical complications.” 

I needed a little assistance understanding it. I offer you the same assistance. 

Endocrine means “relating to or denoting glands which secrete hormones or other products directly into the blood.” 

 The portal system is “the system of blood vessels consisting of the portal vein with its tributaries and branches.  

Exocrine? That’s “relating to or denoting glands that secrete their products through ducts opening onto an epithelium rather than directly into the bloodstream.” 

 Epithelium means “the thin tissue forming the outer layer of a body’s surface and lining the alimentary canal and other hollow structures.” 

And, finally, the alimentary canal is “the whole passage along which food passes through the body from mouth to anus. It includes the esophagus, stomach, and intestines — that runs from the mouth to the anus.” 

I’d like to think I knew all this, but instead I need to thank the various dictionaries I consulted for these definitions. Now, the way I’m reading this discussion seems to be saying that the original method of delivering the blood containing the glandular production via the portal and the other glands’ secretions via the GI tract. Hmmm, so first that was the best way to transplant the pancreas, then it wasn’t, then it was again. Well, what came in between? Or, since this discussion is from 1999, is there a new method now?  

This is from a MedlLinePlus article published last year: 

“The person’s diseased pancreas is not removed during the operation. The donor pancreas is usually placed in the right lower part of the person’s abdomen. Blood vessels from the new pancreas are attached to the person’s blood vessels. The donor duodenum (first part of the small intestine right after the stomach) is attached to the person’s intestine or bladder.” 
 

Look at that. Blood to the blood and exocrine secretions to the epithelium. I think that’s what the above means, but I wouldn’t swear to it. Wait a minute. The nurse did say that the new pancreas had been attached to her intestine which caused her trouble. Then it was removed from the intestine to be reattached to the bladder, which rectified the situation for her. So, I guess the current method is the original. 

I hate to leave you hanging, but I feel I just don’t understand enough to explain any more. Hopefully, what I have written will be of some help to those facing, or curious about, a pancreas/kidney transplant. Although, I didn’t really write much about a kidney transplant since I’ve written about that several times already. 

Until next week, 

Keep living your life!  

Another New (to me) Kidney Disease

It amazes me that after writing this blog for over a dozen years, I can still happen across something about the kidneys that I didn’t know. This week it’s Acute Tubular Necrosis. Have you ever heard of this before? 

Way back in 2010, I defined acute in What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Kidney Disease: 

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

I’m going to go back even further back to my college textbook, Latin & Greek in Current Use, Second Edition, for the definition of necrosis: 

“corpse” 

Or, updated for our purposes, dead. 

I think we can handle tubular with my favorite dictionary, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: 

“having the form of or consisting of a tube. made or provided with tubes.” 

Putting it all together, it’s the sudden onset of dead tubes. It can’t be that simplistic and this definition doesn’t make that much sense. So, I went to Medline for a more comprehensive definition: 

“Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) is a kidney disorder involving damage to the tubule cells of the kidneys, which can lead to acute kidney failure. The tubules are tiny ducts in the kidneys that help filter the blood when it passes through the kidneys. 

Got it. Well, what can cause ATN? The Cleveland Clinic was helpful here: 

“The most frequent causes of acute tubular necrosis are a stroke or a heart attack, conditions that reduce oxygen to the kidneys. 

Chemicals can also damage the tubules. These include X-ray contrast dye, anesthesia drugs, antibiotics and other toxic chemicals.” 

That’s one of the reasons cardiology and nephrology are so connected. Avoid cardiology problems and you’re helping yourself to avoid ATN. One of the three kinds of stroke is hemorrhagic. It’s caused by a burst or blockage of blood vessels in your brain and can be affected by any blood vessel problem. One of the causes of hemorrhagic stroke is high blood pressure which just happens to be one of the causes of chronic kidney disease. It’s also logical; if your blood can’t reach your kidneys due to the blockage, your kidneys will be damaged. 

Well, how do you know if you have ATN? Healthline lists the symptoms for us: 

“The symptoms of ATN vary depending on its severity. You may: 

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

feel drowsy even during the day 

feel lethargic or physically drained 

be excessively thirsty or experience dehydration 

urinate very little or not at all 

retain fluid or experience swelling in your body 

have episodes of confusion 

experience nausea or vomiting” 

I’m glad I stumbled across ATN. It sounds like something important all CKD patients should know about. By the way, do you see a cardiologist? Speak with your nephrologist to see if it’s something they’d recommend. 

We know what ATN is, what causes it, and what the symptoms are now, but what do you do about it if you find you have ATN? 

Wait. I have to share this with you. It’s Medscape’s information about ATN that we haven’t come across yet: 

“Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) is the most common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) in the renal category (that is, AKI in which the pathology lies within the kidney itself). The term ATN is actually a misnomer, as there is minimal cell necrosis and the damage is not limited to tubules.” 

That sounds worse! We’d better get on to what to do about ATN if you find you have it. WebMD had quite a bit of information about treatment: 

“The exact treatment that your doctor recommends will depend on the cause of your acute tubular necrosis.  

If your acute tubular necrosis is caused by some form of poisoning, the most important treatment will be clearing the harmful substance out of your body. Then, you need to make sure that you know how the poison got into your body so it doesn’t happen again.  

Normally, your kidneys will be able to heal on their own. This means that your treatment will be focused on preventing the buildup of fluids and waste products in your body.  

Your treatment phase can last anywhere from a few days to over six weeks. It depends on how badly damaged your kidneys are. Treatment methods can include:  

Dialysis. In some cases, your doctor may decide that you need dialysis, a process that removes waste, salt, and fluids to prevent them from building up in the body while your kidneys are healing. They’ll decide this on a case-by-case basis.  

Dietary changes. Sometimes, you’ll also need to change your diet during your recovery. Helpful changes could include limiting how much fluid and sodium you eat and drink. This way, you don’t add to the fluid build-up that’s caused by the acute tubular necrosis.  

Medications. In some cases, your doctor will prescribe medications to take during your recovery. These include ones to help increase how often you urinate or to control potassium levels in your body.  

If this condition is left untreated, your kidneys could fail. This could mean that you need to make life-long changes to manage the symptoms from the tissue damage.”    

The Merck Manual (Consumer Version) offers us both good and bad news: 

“Outcome depends on correction of the disorder that caused acute tubular necrosis. If that disorder responds rapidly to treatment, kidney function usually returns to normal in 1 to 3 weeks. Prognosis is usually better if people’s urine volume exceeds 400 mL (about 13.5 ounces) every 24 hours. People who are more seriously ill, especially those who require care in an intensive care unit, have a higher risk of death.” 

There’s another reason to take extra good care of both your heart and your kidney health. Should you end up with ATN, you want to be one of those “otherwise healthy patients.” It all sounds bad but be careful rather than afraid. 

Until next week, 

Keep living your life! 

That’s Harsh

When I had the distal pancreatectomy two years ago [still cancer free!], my spleen had to go, too, since the tumor was wrapped around it. Or was it the artery feeding it? I don’t remember, but either way, my spleen is gone. That’s not great. According to Britain’s National Health Service, 

“The spleen has some important functions:  

it fights invading germs in the blood (the spleen contains infection-fighting white blood cells)  

it controls the level of blood cells (white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets)  

it filters the blood and removes any old or damaged red blood cells.” 

3D Illustration Concept of Spleen a Part of Human Internal Organ System Anatomy X-ray 3D rendering

While I’ve had all the necessary vaccines to accommodate my being spleen less, I’m still at a disadvantage. True, your liver, bone marrow, and lymph nodes take over some of the spleen’s work once it is removed. But I’m already immunocompromised by having chronic kidney disease… and so are you.  

You probably remember that the endodontist had me take a regiment of penicillin as soon as he started to drill that hole in my head [tooth, really] that you read about last week. Now, I have a urinary tract infection. My primary physician ordered Cipro for me right away. 

But what is that? I got my answer at WebMD, 

“This medication is used to treat a variety of bacterial infections. Ciprofloxacin belongs to a class of drugs called quinolone antibiotics. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. This antibiotic treats only bacterial infections. It will not work for virus infections (such as common cold, flu). Using any antibiotic when it is not needed can cause it to not work for future infections.” 

Hmmm, my sister-in-law had taken this when she had pneumonia and ended up with some pretty awful side effects. What I found on Medline Plus about ciprofloxacin [Cipro is the brand name.] convinced me this is a harsh drug. 

Photo by Kindel Media on Pexels.com

“IMPORTANT WARNING: 

Taking ciprofloxacin increases the risk that you will develop tendinitis (swelling of a fibrous tissue that connects a bone to a muscle) or have a tendon rupture (tearing of a fibrous tissue that connects a bone to a muscle) during your treatment or for up to several months afterward. These problems may affect tendons in your shoulder, your hand, the back of your ankle, or in other parts of your body. Tendinitis or tendon rupture may happen to people of any age, but the risk is highest in people over 60 years of age. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a kidney, heart, or lung transplant; kidney disease; a joint or tendon disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis (a condition in which the body attacks its own joints, causing pain, swelling, and loss of function); or if you participate in regular physical activity. Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking oral or injectable steroids such as dexamethasone, methylprednisolone (Medrol), or prednisone (Rayos). If you experience any of the following symptoms of tendinitis, stop taking ciprofloxacin, rest, and call your doctor immediately: pain, swelling, tenderness, stiffness, or difficulty in moving a muscle. If you experience any of the following symptoms of tendon rupture, stop taking ciprofloxacin and get emergency medical treatment: hearing or feeling a snap or pop in a tendon area, bruising after an injury to a tendon area, or inability to move or to bear weight on an affected area. 

Taking ciprofloxacin may cause changes in sensation and nerve damage that may not go away even after you stop taking ciprofloxacin. This damage may occur soon after you begin taking ciprofloxacin. Tell your doctor if you have ever had peripheral neuropathy (a type of nerve damage that causes tingling, numbness, and pain in the hands and feet). If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop taking ciprofloxacin and call your doctor immediately: numbness, tingling, pain, burning, or weakness in the arms or legs; or a change in your ability to feel light touch, vibrations, pain, heat, or cold. 

Taking ciprofloxacin may affect your brain or nervous system and cause serious side effects. This can occur after the first dose of ciprofloxacin. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had seizures, epilepsy, cerebral arteriosclerosis (narrowing of blood vessels in or near the brain that can lead to stroke or ministroke), stroke, changed brain structure, or kidney disease. If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop taking ciprofloxacin and call your doctor immediately: seizures; tremors; dizziness; lightheadedness; headaches that won’t go away (with or without blurred vision); difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; nightmares; not trusting others or feeling that others want to hurt you; hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist); thoughts or actions towards hurting or killing yourself; feeling restless, anxious, nervous, depressed, memory changes, or confused, or other changes in your mood or behavior. 

Taking ciprofloxacin may worsen muscle weakness in people with myasthenia gravis (a disorder of the nervous system that causes muscle weakness) and cause severe difficulty breathing or death. Tell your doctor if you have myasthenia gravis. Your doctor may tell you not to take ciprofloxacin. If you have myasthenia gravis and your doctor tells you that you should take ciprofloxacin, call your doctor immediately if you experience muscle weakness or difficulty breathing during your treatment….” 

There’s more, much more, but these are the parts that may deal with us. There was also a warning that you may need to take your blood glucose readings more often if you have diabetes and take Cipro. Diabetes is the number one cause of CKD and CKD is the number one cause of diabetes. How many of us have diabetes?  

Did you notice that you need to inform your doctor if you had kidney disease or have had a kidney transplant? Or that it may cause peripheral neuropathy? I’ve had that since chemotherapy two years ago. And, of course, you all know I have CKD. 

So, my primary care physician knows I have kidney disease, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, and am over 60. Then why did she prescribe this harsh antibiotic for my current urinary tract infection? Michigan Medicine on the University of Michigan’s Health site gives it to us in one sentence: 

“Ciprofloxacin should be used only for infections that cannot be treated with a safer antibiotic.” 

Until next week, 

Keep living your life! 

Not Your New Age Crystals

I was perusing the Facebook Chronic Kidney Disease online support groups as I usually do in the morning when I ran across a post that caught my eye. The person posting wanted to know if he were going to die because he had crystals in his urine. I’d never thought about that before. He sounded really scared, so I decided to take a look at this condition.

First of all, some basic information from Study.com at https://bit.ly/34n3W6H:

“Crystals in the urine is known as crystalluria. Sometimes crystals are found in healthy people and other times they are indicators of organ dysfunction, the presence of urinary tract stones of a like composition (known as urolithiasis), or an infection in the urinary tract.”

Ummm, I wanted a bit more information so I turned to Healthline.com at https://www.healthline.com/health/urine-crystals.

“Crystals can be found in the urine of healthy individuals. They may be caused by minor issues like a slight excess of protein or vitamin C. Many types of urine crystals are relatively harmless.

In some cases, however, urine crystals can be indicators of a more serious underlying condition. Symptoms that would indicate a more serious condition could include:

• fever
• severe abdominal pain
• blood in the urine
• jaundice
• Fatigue”

Serious conditions? What does that mean? The organ dysfunction Study.com mentioned? Which organs? Urolithiasis? An infection? Can you die from any of these?

Time to slow down. Since this is a Chronic Kidney Disease blog, let’s start with the kidneys.

“Crystal-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is caused by the intratubular precipitation of crystals, which results in obstruction. Crystal-induced AKI most commonly occurs as a result of acute uric acid nephropathy and following the administration of drugs or toxins that are poorly soluble or have metabolites that are poorly soluble in urine …. Other drugs or medications may be metabolized to insoluble products such as oxalate (ethylene glycol, vitamin C), which are associated with precipitation of calcium oxalate crystals within tubular lumens and kidney injury.”

Thank you UptoDate.com at https://bit.ly/3j3BT0k for this information, although we’ll need some explanation in order to understand it. I get it that crystals can produce obstruction in the tubules (Wikipedia: The renal tubule is the portion of the nephron containing the tubular fluid filtered through the glomerulus), rather than being passed out of the body in the urine. It makes sense that if the crystals do produce obstruction, the urine may back up… right into the kidneys. That’s when you have the AKI. Remember, this in not chronic. The condition remains until it’s remedied, but it can be remedied.

What about urolithiasis? I must thank the National Kidney Foundation at https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/hydronephrosis for their easily understood information about a condition called hydronephrosis which will explain how both urolithiasis and/or an infection would affect your kidneys.

“Hydronephrosis is the swelling of a kidney due to a build-up of urine. It happens when urine cannot drain out from the kidney to the bladder from a blockage or obstruction. (Gail here: such as the blockage caused by crystals which results in AKI.) Hydronephrosis can occur in one or both kidneys.

The main function of the urinary tract is to remove wastes and fluid from the body. The urinary tract has four parts: the kidneys, the ureters, the bladder and urethra. The urine is formed when the kidneys filter blood and remove excess waste materials and fluid. Urine collects into a part of the kidney called the renal pelvis. From the renal pelvis, the urine travels down a narrow tube called the ureter into the bladder. The bladder slowly fills up with urine, which empties from the body through another small tube called the urethra. Hydronephrosis occurs when there is either a blockage of the outflow of urine, or reverse flow of urine already in the bladder (called reflux) that can cause the renal pelvis to become enlarged.

Hydronephrosis may or may not cause symptoms. The main symptom is pain, either in the side and back (known as flank pain), abdomen or groin. Other symptoms can include pain during urination, other problems with urination (increased urge or frequency, incomplete urination, incontinence), nausea and fever. These symptoms depend on the cause and severity of urinary blockage.

How is Hydronephrosis Caused?
Hydronephrosis is usually caused by another underlying illness or risk factor. Causes of hydronephrosis include, but are not limited to, the following illnesses or risk factors:

• Kidney stone
• Congenital blockage (a defect that is present at birth)
• Blood clot
• Scarring of tissue (from injury or previous surgery)
• Tumor or cancer (examples include bladder, cervical, colon, or prostate)
• Enlarged prostate (noncancerous)
• Pregnancy
• Urinary tract infection (or other diseases that cause inflammation of the urinary tract)”

Kidney stones? MedicalNewsToday at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154193 helped us out with that one:

“Kidney stones are the result of a buildup of dissolved minerals on the inner lining of the kidneys.

They usually consist of calcium oxalate but may be composed of several other compounds.

Kidney stones can grow to the size of a golf ball while maintaining a sharp, crystalline structure.

The stones may be small and pass unnoticed through the urinary tract, but they can also cause extreme pain as they leave the body.”

There is quite a bit more information about kidneys stones at this site. What we needed to know is that, again, it’s a buildup – as in not passed from the body via the urine – that causes kidney stones.

Will the person who posted the comment about crystals in his urine die, whether or not he develops symptoms? It seems to me that’s not necessary IF he seeks treatment and follows medical advice.

Back to Healthline, but this time at https://www.healthline.com/health/urine-crystals#prevention, for their take on this question:

“Urine crystals that aren’t caused by underlying conditions like liver disease or genetic conditions can often be prevented. In some cases, even crystalluria triggered by genetic causes can be reduced with lifestyle or diet changes.

The most effective way to prevent urine crystals is to drink more water and stay hydrated. This helps dilute the chemical concentrations in the urine, preventing crystals from forming.

You can also make certain changes in your diet. Your doctor can help you determine what changes to make based on the type of crystals that you have. They may recommend cutting back on protein, for example, or reducing foods high in oxalate (as is the case for calcium oxalate crystals).

Avoiding salty foods can also help prevent a number of different urine crystals, so eliminating processed foods can be beneficial.”

I’m going to add today’s blog to the things-I-never-knew part of my brain.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Nephritis without the Lupus

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Recently, I wrote about Lupus Nephritis. As one reader pointed out, it is possible to have Nephritis without Lupus. Let’s take a look at how that works.

According to MedicalNewsToday at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312579.php,

“Nephritis is a condition in which the nephrons, the functional units of the kidneys, become inflamed. This inflammation, which is also known as glomerulonephritis, can adversely affect kidney function.

The kidneys are bean-shaped organs that filter the blood circulating the body to remove excess water and waste products from it.

There are many types of nephritis with a range of causes. While some types occur suddenly, others develop as part of a chronic condition and require ongoing management.”

Of course! ‘Itis’ means inflammation, while ‘neph’ means kidney. It’s amazing what you can remember learning in college over 50 years ago when you’re 72.

Hmmm, what do they mean by “many types of nephritis”? DoctorsHealthPress at doctorshealthpress.com/vital-organs/kidneys/types-nephritis-causes-symptoms-prevention/lists them for us:

“1. Interstitial Nephritis                    

Interstitial nephritis is characterized by swelling between the tubules and kidneys. The kidney tubules reabsorb water and important substances from kidney filtration, and substances are secreted through urination.

Interstitial nephritis can be acute or chronic in nature. Acute interstitial nephritis is typically the result of an allergic reaction. Over 100 different medications cause interstitial nephritis, such as antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and proton pump inhibitors.

Non-allergic interstitial nephritis causes include high calcium levels, low potassium levels, and autoimmune disorders.

2. Pyelonephritis

Acute pyelonephritis is a severe and sudden kidney infection. Consequently, the kidneys will swell, which may lead to permanent damage. Frequent occurrences are known as chronic pyelonephritis.

The infection will begin in the lower urinary tract in the form of a urinary tract infection (UTI). Bacteria enter the body through the urethra and spread to the bladder. At that point, bacteria will travel from the ureters to the kidneys.

3. Glomerulonephritis

Glomerulonephritis refers to a range of kidney conditions that cause inflammation in the very small blood vessels in the kidneys, which are called glomeruli.

It is also called glomerular disease or glomerular nephritis. When the glomeruli become damaged, the kidney can no longer efficiently remove excess fluids and waste.

4. Lupus Nephritis [Gail here: This is they type I recently wrote about.]

Lupus nephritis is inflammation of kidneys caused by the autoimmune disease known as systemic lupus erythematous (SLE)—also called lupus. This is where the body’s immune system targets its own tissues.

As many as 60% of lupus patients will later get lupus nephritis. The most common symptoms include dark urine, weight gain, high blood pressure, foamy urine, and the need for nighttime urination.

5. IgA Nephropathy (Berger’s Disease)

IgA (immunoglobulin A) nephropathy is also called Berger’s disease. The kidney disease occurs when the antibody IgA lodges within the kidneys.

Over time, this leads to local inflammation, which interferes in the kidneys’ ability to filter waste from the blood. It is a progressive disease that may lead to end-stage kidney failure.

6. Alport Syndrome

Alport syndrome is an inherited disease caused by genetic mutations to the protein collagen. It can lead to kidney failure, hearing problems, and vision issues.

It will often run in families, and the severity is greater in men. Common symptoms include high blood pressure, protein in the urine, blood in the urine, and swelling in the ankle, legs, feet, and around the eyes.

The genetic types of Alport syndrome include X-linked Alport syndrome (XLAS), autosomal recessive Alport syndrome (ARAS), and autosomal dominant Alport syndrome (ADAS).”

I usually move on to symptoms next but – as you can see – DoctorsHealthPress already took care of that for us. Thank you to DoctorsHealthPress.

Healthline (Yep, that’s the same Healthline that awarded SlowItDownCKD a place among the top six kidney disease blogs in both 2016 & 2017.) at https://www.healthline.com/health/acute-nephritic-syndrome#types offered more detail about the cause of several acute nephritis diseases:

“Interstitial nephritis

In interstitial nephritis, the spaces between the kidney tubules become inflamed. This inflammation causes the kidneys to swell.

Pyelonephritis

Pyelonephritis is an inflammation of the kidney, usually due to a bacterial infection. In the majority of cases, the infection starts within the bladder and then migrates up the ureters and into the kidneys. Ureters are two tubes that transport urine from each kidney to the bladder.

Glomerulonephritis

This type of acute nephritis produces inflammation in the glomeruli. There are millions of capillaries within each kidney. Glomeruli are the tiny clusters of capillaries that transport blood and behave as filtering units. Damaged and inflamed glomeruli may not filter the blood properly. Learn more about glomerulonephritis.

What causes acute nephritis?

Each type of acute nephritis has its own causes.

Interstitial nephritis

This type often results from an allergic reaction to a medication or antibiotic. An allergic reaction is the body’s immediate response to a foreign substance. Your doctor may have prescribed the medicine to help you, but the body views it as a harmful substance. This makes the body attack itself, resulting in inflammation.

Low potassium in your blood is another cause of interstitial nephritis. Potassium helps regulate many functions in the body, including heartbeat and metabolism.

Taking medications for long periods of time may damage the tissues of the kidneys and lead to interstitial nephritis.

Pyelonephritis

The majority of pyelonephritis cases results fromE.coli bacterial infections. This type of bacterium is primarily found in the large intestine and is excreted in your stool. The bacteria can travel up from the urethra to the bladder and kidneys, resulting in pyelonephritis.

Although bacterial infection is the leading cause of pyelonephritis, other possible causes include:

• urinary examinations that use a cystoscope, an instrument that looks inside the bladder
• surgery of the bladder, kidneys, or ureters
• the formation of kidney stones, rocklike formations consisting of minerals and other waste material

Glomerulonephritis

The main cause of this type of kidney infection is unknown. However, some conditions may encourage an infection, including:

• problems in the immune system
• a history of cancer
• an abscess that breaks and travels to your kidneys through your blood

It certainly looks like there’s a lot more to nephritis than we’d thought.

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!

Kidney Transplant: Cure or Treatment?

I’ve already mentioned that there’s an active network of kidney disease awareness advocates… and that we find each other. I met Steve at a think tank last spring. I wasn’t really sure why I’d been invited, but as soon as he and his wife started talking, I knew why they were.

I hesitated to ask Steve to guest blog since, at the time, I was only writing about Chronic Kidney Disease. Since then, readers have asked me to write about all sorts of topics dealing with the kidneys, not just CKD. So I did. Steve and his thoughts on being a transplant fit right in to this new agenda. When I did ask him to guest blog, I received a return response that was one of the most gracious acceptances… and they’ve all been gracious. I’ll turn the blog over to Steve Winfree now.

The other day I was speaking with some friends and one made mention to me how incredibly lucky I was. I received a new kidney from my wife, Heather, just last year and I was feeling as if I were on top of the world. Given that fact, I had to agree with him, but I inquired further to find out what he meant. He responded that it must be such a relief to be cured and to no longer have to worry about kidney issues, dialysis, and the mess that comes with it.

That really got me thinking about what a kidney transplant actually means outside of the wonderful opportunity for a second chance at a more normal life. It also reminded me that there is a knowledge gap between those close to kidney failure and those who are not.

It is essential that, as a kidney transplant recipient, I clarify the difference between a cure and a treatment. Chronic Kidney Disease is a disease that progresses over time. This is due to the fact that CKD is a disease in which your body attacks your kidneys, or is a genetic disorder (PKD), or is a result of a primary disease such as diabetes and/or high blood pressure. The common factor among the types of kidney disease is that an outside source, not the kidney itself, is the reason for the issues.

This is why receiving a new kidney is a treatment and not a cure. A genetic disorder is still active in your body even when the new kidney is placed. Diabetes and high blood pressure can still be prevalent even with a new kidney, thus causing the implanted kidney to be affected in the same way as the old one. It is due to these reasons that a transplant is a treatment and not a cure. My new kidney has allowed my body to filter out the toxins much more easily, freed me from dialysis, and granted me the ability to get around easier since my arthritis was derived from my kidney disease.

The truth is that while this second opportunity at a much better life is an enormous blessing, the reality is that there is a good chance I will need another transplant one day. The reason is that the cause of my initial kidney failure is still within my body and attacking the new kidney. That is in addition to another main reason that a new kidney is not a final cure: organ rejection.

A new kidney is looked at as a foreign object by your body. Our bodies are designed to keep the body in balance and when something out of the ordinary, such as a virus invading, it attacks to bring balance back. The same is applied to a kidney that is transplanted from another source. Your body sees it as a foreign object and attacks it. That is why we must take immunosuppressant drugs to trick our bodies into not realizing there is a foreign organ inside.

With all of this being said about my new transplant being a treatment and not a cure, I want to mention how my life has changed forever. At the age of 33, I feel better right now than I have since I was a young teenager. My entire adult life has been spent in hospitals and doctors’ offices. I am now free to use my time to travel, enjoy life, and be the foster parent that I have always wanted to be.

A big part of receiving a kidney transplant is the medicine that is involved. The medicine you have to take every day is known as an immunosuppressant, or anti-rejection. While this is a medicine that you must take for the rest of your life, there are steps you can take to ensure that you are able to receive the medicine in an affordable manner. Kidney transplant patients qualify for Medicare. Medicare helps take care of a lot of the costs associated with taking these medications, but not all of it. The best advice I can give you in regards to your medications is to educate yourself on Medicare, MediGap, manufacturer coupons, and be in a close relationship with your transplant team’s social worker. It can be overwhelming at times, but I promise you that there are resources out there to help you!

I am extremely lucky in the fact that my wife, Heather, donated her kidney to me. While this is a treatment, it is the most remarkable and life changing treatment I have ever been blessed to receive! While all kidney disease patients would love to be cured, we understand that will never be the case, but that does not mean our lives cannot be just as remarkable and enjoyable with our treatments.

While we all watched our different renal diets during the weekend we were together, I never once saw Steve or Heather bemoan their new regiment with the transplanted kidney. While they talked about the exorbitant cost of the medications, they were accepting. One other thing I noticed about this delightful couple is that they were grateful every minutes of the time we spent together. I’m hoping Steve’s transplant lasts him as long as is medically feasible.

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!

No Longer an Actor, Now I’m a Reviewer (Of Sorts)

Last month I received an email from Screen Media asking if I’d like to preview Chicken Soup for the Soul’s One Last Thing. It stars two actors I know about, “…Wendell Pierce (TV’s The Wire) and Jurnee Smollett-Bell (TV’s Underground) and is primarily set in Brooklyn.” Hmmm, two appealing actors AND it was set in Brooklyn. I still wasn’t sure so I emailed back asking if SlowItDownCKD was the intended recipient for this email. Once assured it was, I agreed. Hey, I’m always up for an adventure.

When I saw the movie, I understood. One story line in the movie deals with a kidney dysplasia patient’s need for a donor. That’s all I’ll say about the movie so I don’t ruin the story for you. In other words, you’ll get no spoiler alerts from me.

In addition to crying at the most poignant parts of the movie, my brain was working overtime. Granted the character suffered from a rare kidney disease, but so rare that I’d never heard of it? You can tell what’s coming, can’t you? If I hadn’t heard of it, have my readers? And that’s what I’ll be writing about today.

Okay now, let’s see what this rare kidney disease is. It made sense to me to go to one of the tried and true websites I usually go to for information. This is what The National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, at https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/children/kidney-dysplasia had to offer:

“Kidney dysplasia is a condition in which the internal structures of one or both of a fetus’ kidneys do not develop normally while in the womb. During normal development, two thin tubes of muscle called ureters grow into the kidneys and branch out to form a network of tiny structures called tubules. The tubules collect urine as the fetus grows in the womb. In kidney dysplasia, the tubules fail to branch out completely. Urine that would normally flow through the tubules has nowhere to go. Urine collects inside the affected kidney and forms fluid-filled sacs called cysts. The cysts replace normal kidney tissue and prevent the kidney from functioning.

Kidney dysplasia can affect one kidney or both kidneys. Babies with severe kidney dysplasia affecting both kidneys generally do not survive birth. Those who do survive may need the following early in life:

• blood-filtering treatments called dialysis
• a kidney transplant

Children with dysplasia in only one kidney have normal kidney function if the other kidney is unaffected. Those with mild dysplasia of both kidneys may not need dialysis or a kidney transplant for several years.

Kidney dysplasia is also called renal dysplasia or multicystic dysplastic kidney.”

They also offered some clarifying diagrams.

So now we know what it is, but what causes it? I went to MedicineNet at https://www.medicinenet.com/kidney_dysplasia/article.htm#what_is_kidney_dysplasia for the answer to this question.

“Kidney dysplasia may be caused by the mother’s exposure to certain drugs or by genetic factors. Pregnant women should talk with their health care providers before taking any medicine during their pregnancy. Drugs that may cause kidney dysplasia include prescription medicines, such as drugs to treat seizures and blood pressure medicines called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). A mother’s use of illegal drugs-such as cocaine-can also cause kidney dysplasia in her unborn child.

Kidney dysplasia can also have genetic causes. The disorder appears to be an autosomal dominant trait, which means one parent may pass the trait to a child. When kidney dysplasia is discovered in a child, an ultrasound examination may reveal the condition in one of the parents.

Several genetic syndromes that affect other body systems may include kidney dysplasia as one part of the syndrome. A syndrome is a group of symptoms or conditions that may seem unrelated but are thought to have the same cause-usually a genetic cause. A baby with kidney dysplasia might also have problems of the digestive tract, nervous system, heart and blood vessels, muscles and skeleton, or other parts of the urinary tract.

A baby with kidney dysplasia might have other urinary problems that affect the normal kidney. On the left, urine is blocked from draining out of the kidney. On the right, urine flows backward from the bladder into the ureter and kidney, a condition called reflux.

(Me, here: You’ll be able to figure out which was the cause of Jurnee Smollett-Belle’s character once you see the movie.)

Problems of the urinary tract that lead to kidney dysplasia might also affect the normal kidney. For example, one urinary birth defect causes blockage at the point where urine normally drains from the kidney into the ureter. Another birth defect causes urine to flow from the bladder back up the ureter, sometimes all the way to the kidney. This condition is called reflux. Over time, if these problems are not corrected, they can damage the one working kidney and lead to total kidney failure.”

I’m thankful this is a rare disease, but wondered just how rare it was. Back to NIKKD at the same URL as before:

“Scientists estimate that kidney dysplasia affects about one in 4,000 babies…^. This estimate may be low because some people with kidney dysplasia are never diagnosed with the condition.”

I’m not a numbers person, but that seems like a lot of babies.

Now, the biggie. What can be done before the need for dialysis or transplant rears its head? I went directly to Urology Care Foundation at http://www.urologyhealth.org/urologic-conditions/kidney-(renal)-dysplasia-and-cystic-disease/printable-version since the kidneys are part of your urologic system.

• “Treatment may only include symptom management.
• Monitoring should include blood pressure checks, kidney function tests, and urine testing for protein.
• Periodic ultrasound can be used to make sure the other kidney continues to grow normally and no other problems develop.
• Antibiotics may be needed for urinary tract infections.
• The kidney should be removed only if it causes pain or high blood pressure, or ultrasound is abnormal.”

The AAKP Conference I wrote about last week opened my eyes to how much I don’t know about other kidney diseases and those that might affect CKD. The result is that I’ve asked quite a few people and organizations to guest blog about those areas in which they are experts. Expect to see these guest blogs throughout the summer.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Coming Home

I’m not a joiner. I’ve never been one. That’s why I was so surprised that I joined the American Association of Kidney Patients… and even more surprised to find myself attending this year’s conference in Tampa Bay, Florida. Readers had been suggesting I do so for years, but I’m not a joiner. Let’s change that; I wasn’t a joiner. The AAKP conference made the difference.

What’s that you ask? Of course, you need to know what they are. This is from their website at https://aakp.org/,

“THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF KIDNEY PATIENTS SINCE 1969™

The American Association of Kidney Patients is dedicated to improving the quality of life for kidney patients through education, advocacy, patient engagement and the fostering of patient communities.

Education

The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is recognized as the leader for patient-centered education – continually developing high quality, professionally written, edited and reviewed educational pieces covering every level of kidney disease.

Advocacy

For nearly 50 years, AAKP has been the patient voice – advocating for improved access to high-quality health care through regulatory and legislative reform at the federal level. The Association’s work has improved long term outcomes in both quality of health and the ability for patients and family members affected by kidney disease to lead a more productive and meaningful life.

Community

AAKP is leading the effort to bring kidney patients together to promote community, conversations and to seek out services that help maximize patients’ everyday lives.

An IRS registered, Sec. 501(C)(3) organization, AAKP is governed by a Board of Directors. The current board is comprised of dialysis patients, chronic kidney disease patients, [Me here: You did notice ‘chronic kidney disease patients,’ right?] transplant recipients, health care professionals and members of the public concerned with kidney disease. The board and membership are serviced by a staff of five employees under the direction of Diana Clynes, Interim Executive Director, at the AAKP National Office located in Tampa, Florida.”

What’s not mentioned here is that the organization was started by only six patients. I find that astounding, but I’ll let them explain their history:

“Founded by Patients for Patients

King County Hospital, New York

The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) has a rich history in patient advocacy and kidney disease education. AAKP started in 1969 with six dialysis patients at King County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. They wanted to form an organization that would elevate the kidney patient voice in national health care arena, provide patients with educational resources to improve their lives and give kidney patients and their family members a sense of community. They met twice a week in the hospital ward and while hooked up to primitive dialysis machines for 12 to 18 hours at a time they brainstormed, researched and eventually formed AAKP.

The group originally called themselves NAPH (National Association of Patients on Hemodialysis, which later changed to AAKP). AAKP joined forces with other patient groups to fight for the enactment of the Medicare End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Program, testifying before congressional committees, seeking public support and creating a newsletter (the forerunner of today’s AAKP RENALIFE) to keep everyone informed. This effort was crowned with success in 1972 when Congress enacted the program that continues to provide Medicare funding for dialysis and kidney transplantation.

After winning the initial and critical battle for the Medicare ESRD Program, AAKP turned its attention to other important issues — the need to establish a secure national organization to preserve the visibility and influence of patients with Congress and to develop national, educational and supportive programs.

Today & Beyond

AAKP has grown into a nationally recognized patient organization that reaches over 1 million people yearly. It remains dedicated to providing patients with the education and knowledge necessary to ensure quality of life and quality of health.”

This former non-joiner has found her association. I originally avoided the conferences because I thought they would be focused only on dialysis and transplant patients. Boy, was I ever wrong. Here are some of the outbreak (small group) sessions that dealt with other aspects of kidney disease:

Social Media (You’re right: I signed up for that one right away since I identify as a CKD awareness advocate.)

Dental Health

How Kidney Disease Impacts Family Members

Managing the Early Stage of CKD

Understanding Clinical Trials

Treatment Options

Staying Active

Veterans Administration

Caregiver’s Corner

Living Well with Kidney Disease

Avoid Infections

Of course, there were many outbreak sessions for dialysis and transplant patients as well. And there were two opportunities to lunch with experts. That’s where I tentatively learned about governmental aspects of our disease. There were opportunities to learn about nutrition, medications, working, and coping. I’ve just mentioned a few of the 50 different topics discussed.

The general sessions, the ones everyone attended, informed us of what the government’s national policy had to do with kidney disease, legislation, nutrition, patient centered care, and innovation in care (Keep an eye out for Third Kidney, Inc.’s August guest blog.).

I have not covered even half of what was offered during the conference. Did I mention renal friendly food was available and you could dialyze near the hotel if need be? The exhibitors went beyond friendly and explaining their products to being interested in who you were and why you were there. This was the most welcoming conference I’d been to in decades.

AAKP President Paul Conway summed up my feelings about the conference when he was interviewed by The Tampa Bay Times on the last day of the conference,

“This meeting is a way for us to bring patients together and educate them on trends that could affect their own health.”

I met so many others who have kidney disease and so many others who advocate for different types of kidney disease and patients’ rights. I was educated about so many areas, especially those I previously had known nothing about, for example, legislation. It was like coming home. Would I attend again? You bet’cha. Would I urge you to attend? At the risk of being redundant, you bet’cha.

I was so excited about AAKP that I almost didn’t leave myself enough space to tell you about yet another freebie. The Book of Blogs: Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1 is no longer in print since it has been divided into SlowItDownCKD 2011 and SlowItDownCKD 2012. But I still have a desk copy. Let me know if you’d like it. My only restriction is that you have not received a free book from me before.

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!

 

This Former Hippy Wannabe Likes HIPAA

Each day, I post a tidbit about, or relating to, Chronic Kidney Disease on SlowItDownCKD’s Facebook page. This is the quote from Renal and Urology News that I posted just a short while ago:

“Patients with stage 3 and 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) who were managed by nephrology in addition to primary care experienced greater monitoring for progression and complications, according to a new study.”

My primary care physician is the one who caught my CKD in the first place and is very careful about monitoring its progress. My nephrologist is pleased with that and feels he only needs to see me once a year. The two of them work together well.

From the comments on that post, I realized this is not usual. One of my readers suggested it had to do with HIPPA, so I decided to look into that.

The California Department of Health Care Services (Weird, I know, but I liked their simple explanation.) at http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/formsandpubs/laws/hipaa/Pages/1.00WhatisHIPAA.aspx defined HIPPA and its purposes in the following way:

“HIPAA is the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that was passed by Congress in 1996. HIPAA does the following:

• Provides the ability to transfer and continue health insurance coverage for millions of American workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs;
• Reduces health care fraud and abuse;
• Mandates industry-wide standards for health care information on electronic billing and other processes; and
• Requires the protection and confidential handling of protected health information”

Got it. Let’s take a look at its last purpose. There is an infogram from HealthIT.gov at https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/YourHealthInformationYourRights_Infographic-Web.pdf  which greatly clarifies the issue. On item on this infogram caught my eye:

“You hold the key to your health information and can send or have it sent to anyone you want. Only send your health information to someone you trust.”

I always send mine to one of my daughters and Bear… and my other doctors if they are not part of the hospital system most of my doctors belong to.

I stumbled across National Conference of State Legislatures at http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/hipaa-a-state-related-overview.aspx and learned more than I even knew existed about HIPAA. Take a look if you’d like more information. I finally tore myself away from the site to get back to writing the blog after following links for about an hour. It was fascinating, but not germane to today’s blog.

Okay, so sharing. In order to share the information from one doctor that my other doctors may not have, I simply fill out an Authorization to Release Medical Information form. A copy of this is kept in the originating doctor’s files. By the way, it is legal for the originating doctor to charge $.75/page for each page sent, but none of my doctors have ever done so.

I know, I know. What is this about doctors being part of the hospital system? What hospital system? When I first looked for a new physician since the one I had been using was so far away (Over the usual half-an-hour-to-get-anywhere-in-Arizona rule), I saw that my new PCP’s practice was affiliated with the local hospital and thought nothing of it.

Then Electronic Health Records came into widespread use at this hospital. Boom! Any doctor associated with that hospital – and that’s all but two of my myriad doctors – instantly had access to my health records. Wow, no more requesting hard copies of my health records from each doctor, making copies for all my other doctors, and then hand delivering or mailing them. No wonder I’m getting lazy; life is so much easier.

Back to HealthIt.gov for more about EHR. This time at https://www.healthit.gov/buzz-blog/electronic-health-and-medical-records/emr-vs-ehr-difference/:

“With fully functional EHRs, all members of the team have ready access to the latest information allowing for more coordinated, patient-centered care. With EHRs:

• The information gathered by the primary care provider tells the emergency department clinician about the patient’s life threatening allergy, so that care can be adjusted appropriately, even if the patient is unconscious.
• A patient can log on to his own record and see the trend of the lab results over the last year, which can help motivate him to take his medications and keep up with the lifestyle changes that have improved the numbers.
• The lab results run last week are already in the record to tell the specialist what she needs to know without running duplicate tests.
• The clinician’s notes from the patient’s hospital stay can help inform the discharge instructions and follow-up care and enable the patient to move from one care setting to another more smoothly.”

Did you notice the part about what a patient can do? With my patient portal, I can check my labs, ask questions, schedule an appointment, obtain information about medications, and spot trends in my labs. Lazy? Let’s make that even lazier. No more appointments for trivial questions, no more leaving phone messages, no more being on hold for too long. I find my care is quicker, more accessible to me, and – believe it or not – more easily understood since I am a visual, rather than an audial, person.

Kudos to American Association of Kidney Patients for postponing their National Patient Meeting in St. Petersburg from last weekend to this coming spring. The entire state of Florida was declared in a state of emergency by the governor due to the possible impact of Hurricane Irma. The very next day, AAKP acted to postpone placing the safety of its members over any monetary considerations. If I wasn’t proud to be a member before (and I was), I certainly am now.

Aha! That gives me five found days to separate The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1 and The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2 each into two separate books with indexes. I never was happy with the formatting of those two. I plan to reward myself after this project. How, you ask. By writing a book of short stories. I surmise that will be out next year sometime. Meanwhile, there’s always Portal in Time, a time travel romance. Geesh! Sometimes I wonder at all my plans.

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!

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!

A Change is Gonna Come… Or is It?

This has been a confusing week here in the United States. You see, we have a new president-elect. I’m not going to deal with politics in today’s blog, but rather some of the fears we have concerning our health care under this new president. We are Chronic Kidney Disease patients and we have heard so many conflicting rumors.

Let’s start off with a little reassurance in this confusing time. CBS’s Lesley Stahl interviewed President-elect Donald Trump on 60 Minutes yesterday.

For those of us who might need some background, CBS is the Columbia Broadcasting System which, of course (It is 2016, after all.), now includes videos as well as live television. You can also find them on YouTube via the specific show’s title. You can hear parts of the interview I wrote about at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XSo0cH7X1E&t=43s.

According to IMDb (which describes itself as “…the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content….”) 60 Minutes is:

“The oldest and most-watched newsmagazine (sic) on television gets the real story on America’s most prevalent issues. CBS News correspondents contribute segments to each hour long episode…..” 

And who is Lesley Stahl?  Bio.com at http://www.biography.com/people/lesley-stahl-20871751 tells us, “Lesley Stahl is an award-winning television journalist. She’s served as co-editor of 60 Minutes and anchored the news program 48 Hours Investigates.” 

These are not my usual sources, nor is this my usual sort of blog. However, it’s the necessary blog today.

Following is the segment of her interview with the president-elect about Obamacare which you may know as the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

“Lesley Stahl: Let me ask you about Obamacare, which you say you’re going to repeal and replace. When you replace it, are you going to make sure that people with pre-conditions are still covered?

Donald Trump: Yes. Because it happens to be one of the strongest assets.

Stahl: You’re going to keep that?

Trump: Also, with the children living with their parents for an extended period, we’re gonna–

Stahl: You’re gonna keep that–

Trump: Very much try and keep that. Adds cost, but it’s very much something we’re going to try and keep.

Stahl: And there’s going to be a period if you repeal it and before you replace it, when millions of people could lose -– no?

Trump: No, we’re going to do it simultaneously. It’ll be just fine. We’re not going to have, like, a two-day period and we’re not going to have a two-year period where there’s nothing. It will be repealed and replaced. And we’ll know. And it’ll be great healthcare for much less money. So it’ll be better healthcare, much better, for less money. Not a bad combination.”

Is he definitive? Is he absolute? No, but what makes this hopeful is that during his campaign he announced, “On day one of the Trump Administration, we will ask Congress to immediately deliver a full repeal of Obamacare.” Thank you to Trump’s campaign website at https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/healthcare-reform  for this quote. We can see the softening of that position in the 60 Minutes interview.

We have pre-existing conditions. We cannot abide with a presidency that doesn’t support healthcare which allows for this. I did say this would be a non-political blog, so no more adamancy from me… if I can help it.

What does the president-elect say about Medicare? Most of us over 65 (That’s me.) have Medicare as our primary insurance. I am lucky enough to have a secondary insurance through my union. How many of the rest of us are? By the way, if Medicare doesn’t pay, neither does my secondary.

Here’s what Trump had to say about Medicare in a rally in Iowa on December 11^th of last year:

“So, you’ve been paying into Social Security and Medicare…but we are not going to cut your Social Security and we’re not cutting your Medicare….”

A little clarification is in order. According to their website at Medicare.gov, “Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant, sometimes called ESRD).” Then there’s Medicaid. “Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, like nursing home care and personal care services,” according to their website at Medicare.gov.

But then I found the following in a Forbes article by Janet Novack on 11/10/16 at http://www.forbes.com/sites/janetnovack/2016/11/10/will-president-trump-cut-medicare-and-social-security-as-well-as-taxes/#7115535a43f1

“… two big spending cuts Trump has endorsed— a House Republican plan to cut Medicaid spending by $500 billion over a decade by turning it into a capped “block grant” payment to the states and the “penny a year” plan, which requires that all non-defense, discretionary spending be cut 1% a year in nominal terms, saving $750 billion over a decade (without, conveniently, spelling out which programs would get chopped).”

I admit it. I am in over my head. Does this mean that while Medicare will pay if you have ESRD, you still may be on the hook for personal care services IF Trump’s capped block grant payment to states comes into being? Does it mean dialysis will be covered, but possibly not a nursing home stay necessitated by something secondary to your dialysis?

I don’t have ESRD, but Medicare (and my secondary insurance) covers my labs and nephrologist’s appointments. Let’s say the cap goes through, I have a UTI – heaven forbid – that causes me to need a nurse (I know, I’m stretching the issue.), but my income has gone way down. Will Medicaid be available?

While I meant to write a reassuring blog today, I think I’ve raised more issues to question instead. I am not a politician, nor am I politically savvy. BUT, I am a Chronic Kidney Disease patient who needs some kind of reassurance that I won’t be left without the coverage I need.

Hey, that’s another thing: whatever happened to Trump’s campaign promise about letting us order less expensive medications from other countries? Did I miss the update on that one?

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

TED Doesn’t Talk to Me; But YouTube Does

After last week’s accolades for the blog about apps for kidney disease, I thought I would keep on the electronic trail and jump right over to one of the big boys: TED Talks. I was both excited and a bit apprehensive since this is new territory for me. I have heard some of my children talk about them, but never explored these talks for myself.

What new information could I learn here? Would it be easier or harder to understand? And just what were T.E.D. Talks anyway?  Doing what I like to do best, I jumped in for a bit of research.

This is directly from the TED website at www.ted.com:

“TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 110 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.”

Considering what’s been going on with our insane politics this election, I thought I would check the meaning of nonpartisan just to make sure it had a meaning other than the one I’d been hearing bantered around. According to the Encarta Dictionary, it means “not belonging to, supporting, or biased in favor of a political party.” I wasn’t so sure that’s what it meant for TED, so I used the synonym function in Word; that made much more sense: impartial, unaligned, unbiased, unprejudiced, neutral, and so on.

Now that we know what TED is, let’s plunge right in and do some exploring. I searched Chronic Kidney Disease and got no hits. That’s all right; a synonym is renal disease. I’ll search that. All that came up was “Timothy Ihrig: What we can do to die well.” That’s not exactly what I was looking for.

I know, I’ll type in kidney failure. Hmmm, that didn’t work very well, either. I found two interesting talks, “Siddhartha Mukherjee: Soon we’ll cure diseases with a cell, not a pill” and “Anthony Atala: Printing a human kidney,” as well as two blogs that may have peripherally included CKD. No, these were not the talks about living with CKD that I’d hoped to find.

What other term could I search? I know, how about just-plain-kidney? I got three pages of hits which weren’t really hits at all if you were looking for living with Chronic Kidney Disease. While TED Talks cover a variety of interesting topics, I don’t think they’re CKD specific right now.  Maybe in the future…

I was a little crestfallen, but then I remembered that when I first decided to become a CKD Awareness Advocate and wrote What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, I made a couple of YouTubes as marketing devices. They were terrible, but did include some helpful information. You can see this for yourself at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VcVYhhrixg and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRsUNxv7ajA.

When you’ve picked yourself up from the floor after getting your belly laughs at my expense (cringe), start exploring YouTube for CKD information by looking at the side bar on each of my woebegone entries into the world of YouTube.  The list of videos continues and goes on and on. Yay!

Of course, just as when you’re looking online – or choosing a book – or a blog to follow, you need to be careful to separate the wheat from the chaff. There are charlatans and scammers here, just as there are respected physicians and patients bravely sharing their stories.

But what is YouTube anyway? https://www.youtube.com/yt/about/tells us:

“Launched in May 2005, YouTube allows billions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small.

YouTube is a Google company.”

You’ll also find some YouTubes I posted that show friends, family, even me dancing either the Blues or East Coast Swing. My point? Anyone can post anything provided it does not include:

Nudity or sexual content

Violent or graphic content

Hateful content

Spam, misleading metadata, and scams

Harmful or dangerous content

Copyright (Me, here, this refers to copyrighted material.)

Threats

You can read more about these community guidelines at https://www.youtube.com/yt/policyandsafety/communityguidelines.html.

I chose one or two posts to see the quality we can find here. (Very funny, no, this is not a case of I- wouldn’t-want-to-be-a-member-of-any-club- that-lets-me-in.) I noticed one of the physicians I’d had contact with as an advocate, Dr. Robert Provenzano, posted about the causes of CKD on 2/3/09 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjZCKBOoeQo which was highly informative… but getting close to seven years old.

I wanted something more recent and found it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1_srNUJkjE. This one by Danuta Trzebinska, MD, of US San Diego Health, deals with possible symptoms of CKD and was posted last year.

But then I found YouTube about a kidney cleanses which could be harmful to already damaged kidneys. Dr. Josh Axe at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AqPE-j3Eq0 was not particularly targeting CKD patients, but as a new CKD patient, how could you know that? Some of the herbs he suggests are harmful to ALREADY COMPROMISED kidneys. You need to be careful about which videos are for those with CKD and which are for those without CKD. Of course, you’re checking everything you see with your nephrologist before you act on it. Right? You are, aren’t you? You’ve got to protect your kidneys, so please (Let’s make that pretty please.) do.

I’m wondering what other electronic helps I could explore. We’ve looked at apps, TED Talks, and YouTube. What other electronic aids do you know about that I don’t? I’ll be more than happy to explore them for myself which means I’ll be exploring them for you, too, since they’re going to end up being the next blog.

Today is Halloween. You know those treats? Why not treat yourself by not eating them? It’s hard, but it can be done.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

We, the People Who Have CKD…

Happy Independence Day! Here in the United States, we usually celebrate with fireworks and bar-b-ques that may include renal friendly foods, at least at my house. We take our pets inside and try to shield them from the sounds of the fireworks that make them so uncomfortable and then we try to enjoy the heat, the sun, and the parades.

I’m all for Independence Day celebrations, but shy away from them myself. I’m like our pets; I can do without the noise. Since getting older (or medically ‘elderly,’ which always gives me a giggle), I can also do without the heat and the crowds. We used to have renal friendly bar-b-ques at our house, but now our kids are older and visit fiancés, go to bachelorette weekend celebrations, or go camping in other states during this long holiday weekend.

And I realize I do not want to be that far from what is euphemistically called a ‘restroom’ here in Arizona for all that long. There could be many reasons for that, my elderly state (Humph!); a urinary tract infection (UTI); a weak bladder; or interstitial cystitis.

A reader and good online friend – another Texas connection, by the way – asked me to write about interstitial cystitis today. There seems to be some confusion among us – meaning Chronic Kidney Disease patients – between chronic UTIs and interstitial cystitis.

UTI is a descriptive term we probably all know since we have CKD and have to be aware of them. We have to be careful they don’t spread to the bladder and, eventually (but rarely), to the kidneys.  That can cause even more kidney damage. I explained a bit more in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2:

“The second nephrologist to treat me referred me to an urologist when he realized I was on my fifth UTI in the same summer and he suspected this one had spread to my bladder. The urologist actually had me look through the cystoscope (I’m adding this today: a sort of long, narrow tube inserted to view both the urethra and bladder) myself to reassure me that the lower urinary tract infection had not spread to the upper urinary tract where the bladder is located.”

We know we have to be vigilant.  That’s where interstitial cystitis comes in. Let’s take a look at SlowItDownCKD 2015 for more information about cystitis:

“Another standby, WebMD, at http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-bladder-infections-basic-information explains:

‘Bladder infections are known as cystitis or inflammation of the bladder. They are common in women, but very rare in men. More than half of all women get at least one bladder infection at some time in their lives. However, a man’s chance of getting cystitis increases as he ages, due to in part to an increase in prostate size….

Bladder infections are not serious if treated right away. But they tend to come back in some people. Rarely, this can lead to kidney infections, which are more serious and may result in permanent kidney damage. So it’s very important to treat the underlying causes of a bladder infection and to take preventive steps to keep them from coming back.’”

Okay so we get the cystitis part of the condition, but what does interstitial mean? MedicineNet at http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=9587defines it this way:

“Pertaining to being between things, especially between things that are normally closely spaced. The word interstitial is much used in medicine and has specific meaning, depending on the context. For instance, interstitial cystitis is a specific type of inflammation of the bladder wall.”

Hang on, just one more definition. This one is from the Mayo Clinic at http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/interstitial-cystitis/basics/definition/con-20022439

“Interstitial cystitis (in-tur-STISH-ul sis-TIE-tis) — also called painful bladder syndrome — is a chronic condition in which you experience bladder pressure, bladder pain and sometimes pelvic pain, ranging from mild discomfort to severe pain. Your bladder is a hollow, muscular organ that stores urine. The bladder expands until it’s full and then signals your brain that it’s time to urinate, communicating through the pelvic nerves. This creates the urge to urinate for most people. With interstitial cystitis, these signals get mixed up — you feel the need to urinate more often and with smaller volumes of urine than most people….”

Hmmm, then this is clearly not a UTI. So why do we have to be careful about it? Time to look at the causes – or not. According to The National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases at http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/urologic-disease/interstitial-cystitis-painful-bladder-syndrome/Pages/facts.aspx,

“Researchers are working to understand the causes of IC/PBS and to find effective treatments.

…Scientists believe IC/PBS may be a bladder manifestation of a more general condition that causes inflammation in various organs and parts of the body.”

* IC means interstitial cystitis; PBS is painful bladder syndrome

Maybe we should be looking at the cure instead – or not. “At this time there is no cure for interstitial cystitis (IC).” But ichelp does mention a number of possible treatments, some of which we cannot use as CKD patients since they may harm the kidneys. Take a look for yourself at: http://www.ichelp.org/diagnosis-treatment/

Whoa! No definitive cause, no cure, and treatments which may harm our kidneys. Where’s the good news in this?  Take another look at the information from The National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases again. Notice the word ‘inflammation’?

Bingo. CKD is also an inflammatory disease and may be that “more general condition that causes inflammation in various organs and parts of the body.” Wait, I just remembered this from The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1:

“Cancer is a disease caused by inflammation, just as Chronic Kidney Disease is.  By the way, it’s said that alkaline foods are a better way of eating should cancer rear its ugly head in your life.”

So it all comes back to inflammation.  Say, didn’t I recently write a blog about acidity vs. alkaline and inflammation?  Now there’s a good way to avoid the heat, the sun, and the parades of Independence Day. Stay inside (maybe while someone is bar-b-queuing renal friendly food outside) and peruse old blog posts.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Connected

Full Definition of connected from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary

 1:  joined or linked together

2:  having the parts or elements logically linked together <presented a thoroughly connected view of the problem>

3:  related by blood or marriage

4:  having social, professional, or commercial relationships <a well-connected lawyer>

5: of a set:  having the property that any two of its points can be joined by a line completely contained in the set; also:  incapable of being separated into two or more closed disjoint subsets

Growing up in New York, I often heard the word used to suggest someone was associated with the Mafia.  You know, like you see in gangster movies. But, that’s not what today’s blog is about. It’s about the connection among all the chronic ailments you have. That would be the second definition.

Before we start, I need to remind you that I’m not a doctor and have never claimed to be one. This is my thinking from my research. This blog was sparked by a conversation on the Facebook page Stage 3 ‘n 4 CKD Kidneybeaners Gathering Place and Robin Rose who got me to thinking about the connection between CKD and inflammation. Maybe it will give you something to think about, too.

PubMed, part of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19083024 tells us:

“Inflammation is the response of the vasculature or tissues to various stimuli. An acute and chronic pro-inflammatory state exists in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), contributing substantially to morbidity and mortality. … Inflammation contributes to the progression of CKD by inducing the release of cytokines and the increased production and activity of adhesion molecules, which together contribute to T cell adhesion and migration into the interstitium, subsequently attracting pro-fibrotic factors. Inflammation in CKD also causes mortality from cardiovascular disease by contributing to the development of vascular calcifications and endothelial dysfunction. … “

In that one quotation, you have the definition of inflammation and its causes. I thought I’d try easing into this difficult explanation.

In The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1, I accepted the connection, but without thought:

“And to answer your question about what colon cancer has to do with Chronic Kidney Disease, you have to remember you are medically compromised already. Cancer is a disease caused by inflammation, just as Chronic Kidney Disease is.”

That’s two chronic diseases caused by inflammation: CKD and colon cancer. There are more, many more.

By the time I wrote The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2, I was aware that sinusitis is another inflammatory disease.

“According to Canada.com at http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/channel_section_details.asp?text_id=5694&channel_id=1020&relation_id=70842:

‘The narrowed nasal passageway caused by a deviated septum can cause mucus to become blocked by preventing the drainage of mucus from a sinus into the nasal cavity. Excess mucus inside the sinuses presents an attractive environment for bacteria, leading to a sinus infection. This in turn causes inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis), and because it can happen regularly, chronic sinusitis can occur.’”

That’s three chronic diseases caused by inflammation: CKD, colon cancer, and sinusitis. But there are more, many more.

Last year, I wrote SlowItDownCKD 2015 and included this information:

“Another standby, WebMD, at http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-bladder-infections-basic-information explains:

‘Bladder infections are known as cystitis or inflammation of the bladder. They are common in women, but very rare in men. More than half of all women get at least one bladder infection at some time in their lives. However, a man’s chance of getting cystitis increases as he ages, due to in part to an increase in prostate size….”

That’s four diseases caused by inflammation: CKD, colon cancer, sinusitis, and cystitis. But there are more, many more.

According to MedicineNet at http://www.medicinenet.com/psoriasis/article.htm :

“Psoriasis is a noncontagious skin condition that produces plaques of thickened, scaling skin. The dry flakes of skin scales are thought to result from the excessively rapid proliferation of skin cells triggered by inflammatory chemicals produced by specialized white blood cells called lymphocytes. Psoriasis commonly affects the skin of the elbows, knees, and scalp.”

That’s five diseases caused by inflammation: CKD, colon cancer, sinusitis, cystitis, and psoriasis. But there are more, many more.

Let’s not forget rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis.com at http://arthritis.com/rheumatoid_arthritis_symptoms tells us:

“Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks normal joint tissues, causing inflammation of the joint lining.

This inflammation of the joint lining (called the synovium) can cause pain, stiffness, swelling, warmth, and redness. The affected joint may also lose its shape, resulting in loss of normal movement. RA is an ongoing disease, with active periods of pain and inflammation, known as flares, alternating with periods of remission, when pain and inflammation disappear.”

That’s six diseases caused by inflammation: CKD, colon cancer, sinusitis, cystitis, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis. But there are more, many more.

I wouldn’t lose hope even though inflammation seems to be the common thread in chronic disease, though. According to an article in last year’s Blood Purification Journal at https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/368940 , simple lifestyle modifications can help with inflammation:

“Chronic inflammation should be regarded as a common comorbid condition in CKD and especially in dialysis patients. A number of interventions have been proven to be safe and effective in well-designed clinical studies. This includes such inexpensive approaches as modification of physical activity and dietary supplementation. “

For example:  Dr. Richard Synder, O.D.,  suggested an alkaline/anti-inflammatory based diet when he guest blogged.

If you know an expert in the field of Chronic Kidney Disease and inflammation, let me know who that is so I can contact them to ask if they’d like to guest blog for us.

I know you each have a great deal more to say about Chronic Kidney Disease and inflammation… and so do I, so before you protest that this isn’t all there is to the topic: you’re right, but one weekly blog can only go so far. Please feel free to comment about other inflammatory diseases and how they’re affecting your CKD. I only mentioned six of them.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

It’s Not Lemonade

Why drinking water with lemon is good for you screamed The Chicago Tribune at me today. Hmmm, I’d been wondering about that. Last week, I’d attended the 60^th birthday celebration of my friend Naomi. She is studying nutritional counseling. That’s right: studying at age 60. As you can tell, no grass grows under the feet of the people in my social circle.

The celebration was held in one of the beautiful resorts out here in Arizona, The Sanctuary, in The Jade Bar to be exact. It was an odd location since this bar was long and narrow with couches and comfortable chairs lined up, but no place to mingle or chat in small groups. We ended up climbing over each other just to get to the rest room. Yet, my friend came running up to greet us.

Why? She wanted to know if I was drinking the water with lemon first thing in the morning as she’d suggested when I was a test case for one of her classes. She explained to me how important it was to people and her friends Lily and Patty leaned over to verify with their own personal anecdotes.

That, of course, got me to thinking. What was so special about this? Sure, it would warm up the vocal chords if you drank the lemon in warm water, but what else?

According to Tribune’s article at http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-one-simple-thing-lemon-water-0420-20160415-story.html,

“Health experts say the acidity of the lemons improves digestion. Lemons contain potent antioxidants, which can also protect against disease, says Dr. Jonny Bowden, a nutritionist and health author. ‘It’s very alkalizing for the system,’ said the Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Bowden, whose books include “Smart Fat” and “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.” Having a healthy alkaline balance helps fight germs.’”

Now this confused me. How can lemon – an acidic fruit – alkalinize your system?  Body Ecology at http://bodyecology.com/articles/acidic-foods-and-acid-forming-foods-do-you-know-the-difference had exactly what I needed:

“To clear up some of the confusion:

• Acidic and alkaline describe the nature of food before it is eaten.
• Acidifying foods and acid-forming foods are the same, making the body more acidic.
• Alkalizing foods and alkaline-forming foods are the same, making the body more alkaline.”

I know, now you’re wondering what each of these terms mean. So am I…and I thought I knew. I turned to Online Biology Dictionary at http://www.macroevolution.net/biology-dictionary-aaaf.html:

“Acid – a sour-tasting compound that releases hydrogen ions to form a solution with a pH of less than 7, reacts with a base to form a salt, and turns blue litmus red…. An acid solution has a pH of less than 7.”

I used the same dictionary for the definition of alkaline, which referred me to the definition of alkali.

“Any metallic hydroxide other than ammonia that can join with an acid to form a salt (or with an oil to form soap).”

I didn’t find that very helpful so I turned to my old buddy The Merriam-Webster Dictionary at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alkali

“a soluble salt obtained from the ashes of plants and consisting largely of potassium or sodium carbonate; broadly:  a substance (as a hydroxide or carbonate of an alkali metal) having marked basic properties”

Okay, that’s a little better, but not much. Let’s try this another way. I perused site after site. What I gleaned from these is that lemons are, indeed, acidic before they are eaten, but the body metabolizes them into alkaline. There was plenty of specific science to explain this, but I didn’t understand half of it and prefer to keep it simple.

Of course, then I wanted to know why I was even bothering to research this at all. LifeHacks at http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/11-benefits-lemon-water-you-didnt-know-about.html, a new site for me, made it abundantly clear.

1. Gives your immune system a boost.
2. Excellent source of potassium.
3. Aids digestion.
4. Cleanses your system.
5. Freshens your breath.
6. Keeps your skin blemish-free.
7. Helps you lose weight.
8. Reduces inflammation.
9. Gives you an energy boost.
10. Helps to cut out caffeine.
11. Helps fight viral infections.

Now, you do have Chronic Kidney Disease, so be aware that lemons are a high potassium food. Potassium is one of the electrolytes we need to limit. Also, if you are prone to kidney stones, you’ll be very interested to know lemons are full of vitamin C, something you may need to avoid.

So far, it sounds like lemon juice in water upon waking is a good thing if you keep the two caveats above in mind but I think I’ll just check into this a bit more.

I looked in my first CKD book, What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, and discovered this succinct explanation of why you want to keep the potassium levels under guard as a CKD patient:

“Potassium is something you need to limit when you have CKD despite the fact that potassium not only dumps waste from your cells but also helps the kidneys, heart and muscles to function normally. Too much potassium can cause irregular heartbeat and even heart attack. This can be the most immediate danger of not limiting your potassium….

Keep in mind that as you age (you already know I’m in my 60s), your kidneys don’t do such a great job of eliminating potassium. So, just by aging, you may have an abundance of potassium. Check your blood tests. 3.5-5 is considered a safe level of potassium. You may have a problem if your blood level of potassium is 5.1-6, and you definitely need to attend to it if it’s above 6.  Speak to your nephrologist (although he or she will probably bring it up before you do).”

If you’re in the normal potassium range on your blood tests as I am, I say go for the lemon juice in water first thing in the morning. Of course, I’m not a doctor and – even if I were – I’m not your doctor, so check with him or her first.

Oh, hopefully by next week, I’ll be able to give you the address for the Edge Podcast I was interviewed on last week. It wasn’t just about CKD, much to my surprise… and maybe that of the Mike G’s (the interviewer), too.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Renal Sally Port

Sometimes things just pop into a writer’s head for no reason at all. The title of this week’s blog did that over and over again. Okay, I thought, I’ll go with it.  Only one problem: I didn’t know what a sally port was and why I should be writing about a renal one.

Hmmmm, I did marry a military man. I asked. He explained but I wanted to see it in writing. Hence, this definition from The Merriam-Webster Dictionary at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sally%20port:

1:  a gate or passage in a fortified place for use by troops making a sortie

2:  a secure entryway (as at a prison) that consists of a series of doors or gates

Oh, now I got it. I immediately thought of Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island where I took my little children to Civil War reenactments. There were scary, dank areas between the port and the base which were enclosed between large old gates at either end. No sun got in and it echoed in there. It was a place of fascination and fear for my little ones. What did that have to do with our kidneys?

Then I thought of having visited the friend I’d written about in the hospital when his bipolar medications needed immediate adjustment. One door was unlocked for me, I entered. That door was relocked behind me and another unlocked in front of me. That was a sally port, too.

Our gaggle of grown children has told us enough about ‘Orange is the New Black’ that our interest was piqued. Then Bear read my Hunter College Alumni News Letter and saw that Dascha Polanco – a major character in the series – also graduated from Hunter, although not exactly the same year I did. Those seemed like good enough reasons to give the series a try. It was set in a prison with a series of sally ports to enter or exit.

Now it was more than clear. A sally port is a security feature to guard entry and exit. Good, one half of the renal sally port secret revealed. Now, do our kidneys have sally ports?

This is the structure of your kidney. It’s clear there are three ways in or out of the kidney: the veins, the arteries, and the ureters. Let’s take a look at each to see which, if any, is a sally port.  

In What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, it was explained that the renal (kidney) artery brings the unfiltered blood into the kidney:

“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.  The glomerulus is connected to a renal tubule, something so small that it is microscopic. The renal tubule is attached to a collection area.  The blood is filtered. Then the waste goes through the tubules to have water and chemicals balanced according to the body’s present needs. Finally, the waste is voided via your urine to the tune of 50 gallons of fluid filtered by the kidneys DAILY.  The renal vein uses blood vessels to take most of the blood back into the body.”

Well, what about the renal vein? Here’s how I explained it in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2:

“If you look at a picture of your kidney, you’ll see that blood with wastes in it is brought to the kidneys by the renal artery and clean blood is exited from the kidneys by the renal vein.  Your kidneys are already compromised which means they are not doing such a great job of filtering your blood.”

Well, if the renal artery is the sally port for the blood entering your kidneys, the renal vein sounds like the more important renal sally port since it’s allowing that poorly filtered blood back into your blood stream.

Oh wait, we forgot the ureter.   There’s an explanation from the presently-being-published SlowItDownCKD 2015 about that.

Many thanks to the ever reliable MedicineNet at http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2472 for the following.

“A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste from the blood and produce urine, which enters the bladder through two tubes, called ureters. Urine leaves the bladder through another tube, the urethra. In women, the urethra is a short tube that opens just in front of the vagina. In men, it is longer, passing through the prostate gland and then the penis. Also known as urinary bladder and vesical.”

Uh, no, there’s nothing in that description that indicates the urethra is a sally port.

So… the renal vein then.  How does this poor excuse for allowing filtered blood back into our blood stream affect us? (I do admit that it seems it’s more the fault of the damaged glomeruli than the renal vein acting as a sally port.)

For one thing, we become one of the one-in-three at risk for Chronic Kidney Disease … and that’s only in America. For another, our bodily functions differently as do our minds. I included this not-so-pleasing information from EurekAlert! in a 2012 post in The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1:

Decreased kidney function leads to decreased cognitive functioning

“Decreased kidney function is associated with decreased cognitive functioning in areas such as global cognitive ability, abstract reasoning and verbal memory, according to a study led by Temple University. This is the first study describing change in multiple domains of cognitive functioning in order to determine which specific abilities are most affected in individuals with impaired renal function.”

But there’s more. According to the National Kidney Foundation at https://www.kidney.org/news/newsroom/factsheets/FastFacts, this is what is our kidneys are NOT doing for us as well as they should since we have CKD:

• Regulate the body’s fluid levels
• Filter wastes and toxins from the blood
• Release a hormone that regulates blood pressure
• Activate Vitamin D to maintain healthy bones
• Release the hormone that directs production of red blood cells
• Keep blood minerals in balance (sodium, phosphorus, potassium)

I’m glad I got the term renal sally port out of my system, but I wish the news had been better.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Still Getting Birthday Gifts… like OAB

Bear has just spoiled me and spoiled me for this birthday. It was not a special birthday, just a birthday. His reasoning, “I’m celebrating being with you for another year.” Which, of course, made me think. My first thought? I realized how much I liked being adored by the man I love.

My second?  Time changes things.  Your weight changes.  Your hair color changes.  Even your height changes. There are those that say aging is a problem. I say if you’re aging, you’re alive so it’s not a problem, but rather something to which you need to adapt.

Part of the birthday celebration was an overnight at The Desert Rose Bed and Breakfast in Cottonwood. The place was unique. They house animals they’ve rescued: llamas, cats, chickens. I thought the llamas were the most picture worthy, but then I’d never seen the kind of fluffed out rooster they had. Up the hill was a goat farm. For a city woman like me, this was heaven.

Except – there was this – there were no hand rails on the steep path from the house to the animals. Nor were there steps. The runoff from a recent hose cleaning of some apparatus near the house caused the loose gravel covered road to be slick. So we took teeny little ‘old person’ steps while the owner, a young woman possibly in her thirties, practically scampered. We got to see the animals, but we had to adapt how we got to them due to our age related capabilities.

The private bath was another eye opener for me. Bear opted for the room with the spa. It was so relaxing and could have even been romantic except that there were no grab rails. We slipped, we fell, we worried if Bear broke his foot.  But it was supposed to be romantic!

Oh well. There was also the kind of shower I’d only seen in magazines.  You know the kind that could easily fit six people (uh, not my style) with two separate shower heads – one on each end of the shower. This was a new toy for me, until the floor got wet. Again, no grab rails. There was no safety mat on the shower floor, either. So we tried to hold on to the walls. Hah! They were tile that was just as slippery.

You get the point?  This was a beautiful, romantic, upscale bathroom… and wasted on us because there were no safety features to accommodate our gifts from aging. Of course, not everyone would have felt this way, but we each have neuropathy which can make balancing difficult.

In addition to grab bars in our at home bathrooms, we have no area rugs anywhere in the house. This is to cut down on the possibility of tripping. When our primary care doctor suggested ways to prevent injuring ourselves, we listened. Bear’s time flat on his back after his foot surgery convinced us we never wanted to go through that again. For me, with my ‘age related’ macular degeneration, we also use ultra-bright LED bulbs throughout the house.

Okay, so where am I going with this? I’m circling in on the kidneys via urination. Remember the kidneys produce urine which is stored in the bladder.  I wanted to know what was usual for people ‘our age’ and why. After all, I’d made the bathrooms as safe as possible understanding that one or the other of us was going to get up during the night to urinate.

I turned to The Cleveland Clinic at http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/12/stop-full-bladder-killing-sleep/ for some help.

“If you’re urinating more than eight times in 24 hours, that’s too much. A lot depends on your age. And if you’re between age 65-70 and going more than twice a night, you should make an appointment with your doctor. Also, see a doctor if you are getting up more than once a night if you are between age 60-65, and more than three times each night if you are age 70 or older. While your bladder’s capacity does not necessarily decrease with age, the prevalence of overactive bladder increases with age.”

Apparently, an overactive bladder may also lead to increased falls. Not fair! We’re already dealing with the neuropathy to avoid this. Oh, right. “…if you’re aging, you’re alive so it’s not a problem, but rather something to which you need to adapt.”

I wonder if aging is a factor because the detrusor (bladder muscle) ages right along with the rest of you.  A long time ago, I explained that my Chronic Kidney Disease was caused by nothing more than growing older. I hate to admit it, but it does make sense. All of you ages when you age, not just certain parts.

Birthday giveaway for What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease! All you have to do to win is be one of the first three people to enter the contest and follow SlowItDownCKD on Twitter. Here’s link to enter for a chance to win: https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/542abbec7a52e10a#ln-fo

I hope you’re keeping an eye on P2P’s Chronic Illness Buy and Sell’s contest. I’ll be gifting a copy of one of my Chronic Kidney Disease Books to three different winners.  Each winner will receive a different book. This one started February 1^st and runs until St. Valentine’s Day.  Here’s the address: http://www.facebook.com/groups/P2PBuy.Sell. You do need to be a member of the group, tag yourself in a comment below the announcement of the contest, and be involved with kidney disease as a patient or caretaker.

My accountant (Yep, working on those this week.) thinks I’m nuts to be part of so many giveaways and contests, but my mission… no, my passion… is to get information about Chronic Kidney Disease out to as many people as I can, in as many ways as I can, for as long as I can.

To that end, Phoenix area readers, please let me know if you are interested in joining Team SlowItDownCKD for this year’s kidney walk at Chase Stadium on Sunday, April 17.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

Blood and Thunder, Without the Thunder

I’ve been thinking a lot about blood lately and realize it’s time for a refresher about blood and CKD. It’s been doctor-visits-week for me and each one of them wanted to talk about blood test numbers… because I have Chronic Kidney Disease and my numbers are the worst they’ve been in seven years.

This made me realize how very little I remember when it comes to how CKD affects your blood.  Soooo, I’m going right back to the very beginning. According to National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-communication-programs/nkdep/a-z/kidney-disease-mean-for-me/Pages/default.aspx, this is how:

“CKD means that your kidneys are damaged and can’t filter blood like they should. This damage can cause wastes to build up in your body. It can also cause other problems that can harm your health.”

By the way, this is a reader friendly page with visuals that the organization freely shares. You’ve seen them in my books and blogs. There is no medicalese here, nor is there any paternalism.  I like their style.

The National Kidney Foundation at https://www.kidney.org/kidneydisease/aboutckd explains in more detail.

“If kidney disease gets worse, wastes can build to high levels in your blood and make you feel sick. You may develop complications like high blood pressure, anemia (low blood count), weak bones, poor nutritional health and nerve damage. Also, kidney disease increases your risk of having heart and blood vessel disease. These problems may happen slowly over a long period of time.”

Maybe seven years is that ‘long period of time’, not that I have heart or blood vessel disease that I know of. But I do have high blood pressure which may have contributed to the development of the CKD. Circular, isn’t it? High blood pressure may cause CKD, but CKD may also cause high blood pressure.  Or is it possible that the two together can cause ever spiraling high blood pressure and worsening CKD?

I’m going to go back to What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease here for some basic definitions that may be helpful in understanding today’s blog.

Albumin:   Water soluble protein in the blood.

Chronic Kidney Disease:  Damage to the kidneys for more than three months, which cannot be reversed but may be slowed.

Hypertension: A possible cause of CKD, 140/90 mm Hg is currently considered hypertension, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, too. (New guidelines say these numbers are for CKD patients.)

Nephrons: The part of the kidney that actually purifies and filters the blood.

Let’s take a detour to see how sodium can affect high blood pressure which can affect so many other conditions.  This is a quote from Healthline.com at http://www.healthline.com/health/fast-food-effects-on-body which appeared The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2.

“Too much sodium helps to retain water, so it can cause general bloating and puffiness. Sodium can contribute to high blood pressure {Which, as we know, is the second leading cause of CKD} or enlarged heart muscle. If you have congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, or KIDNEY DISEASE {My bolding and capitalization in this paragraph.}, too much salt can contribute to a dangerous build-up of fluid. Excess sodium may also increase risk for kidney stones, KIDNEY DISEASE, and stomach cancer.

High cholesterol and high blood pressure are among the top risk factors for heart disease and stroke.”

Oh my! Sodium, high blood pressure, enlarged heart muscle, stroke, heart disease, dangerous fluid build-up. They all can be inter-related. And that’s the problem with CKD:  your blood is not being filtered as it should be. There’s waste buildup in your blood now.

It’s that same not well filtered blood that flows through your body possibly causing hearing problems, as was discussed in a previous blog.  It’s that same not well filtered blood that flows through your body possibly causing your high blood pressure. It’s that same not well filtered blood that flows through your body possibly causing “swelling in your ankles, vomiting, weakness, poor sleep, and shortness of breath.” (Thank you WebMD at http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-kidney-disease-basic-information for that last quote.)

I’m sorry to say this all makes sense.  All these conditions are inter-related and they may be caused by CKD, or high blood pressure which causes CKD, or both.

I see something I’ve ignored here. I have high blood pressure and I have CKD… and a lot of microalbumin in my urine.  This is new, and it’s a bit scary. Oh, all right, a lot scary.  I write about it so I have to research it and therefore, allay my fear by learning about it.

What did I learn about microalbumin, you ask? The MayoClinic at http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/microalbumin/basics/definition/prc-20012767 says it in the simplest manner.

“A urine microalbumin test is a test to detect very small levels of a blood protein (albumin) in your urine. A microalbumin test is used to detect early signs of kidney damage in people who have a risk of kidney disease.

Healthy kidneys filter waste from your blood and keep the healthy components, such as proteins like albumin. Kidney damage can cause proteins to leak through your kidneys and leave your body in your urine. Albumin (al-BYOO-min) is one of the first proteins to leak when kidneys become damaged.”

At first, I laughed it off; I already know I have CKD. Until I saw the results for this test, but I’ve requested what we used to call a do-over when we were kids and my doctor saw the value in that.

Ready for some good news?

Both The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1 and The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 2 have indexes now. I promised them before Christmas and Kwanzaa and I delivered. Sort of, that is.  Amazon came through right away; B&N.com will take another five weeks or so.

Happy, happy holidays to all of you.  I’ll see you once more before 2016. Talk about time flying!

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

I Saw It!

I am so excited!  I watched my kidneys produce urine in live time.  

I know, I know: slow down.  Here’s the back story. Remember I wrote about having a bladder infection for the first time in about five years? During consultation with my primary care physician (PCP) about which antibiotic was safe for me, she pointed out that I had taken Ciprofloxacin before with no ill effects and that it was kidney safe. This is a  medication used to kill the bacteria causing an infection.

Okay, I felt comfortable taking it again without speaking to my nephrologist.  However, the 250 mg. twice a day I ingested for five days didn’t do the trick. I waited one day after finishing the prescription and then tested my urine with the same test strips I wrote about in May 25th’s post…and got the same positive results for leukocytes: elevated, which meant infection.

Back to my PCP for more testing. After an in office urine test also showed leukocytes, Dr. Zhao ordered the urine sample be sent to the lab to be cultured, and both a renal and a bladder ultrasound for me. Both the ultrasounds came back normal. She is a very thorough doctor, especially when it comes to my Chronic Kidney Disease or anything that might affect it.  It is possible for infection to move up to the kidneys from the bladder. Luckily, that didn’t happen in my case. Here are the urine culture results from the lab which arrived well into my second regiment of Cipro:

Culture shows less than 10,000 colony forming units of bacteria per milliliter of urine. This colony count is not generally considered to be clinically significant.

Okay, so here I was taking 500 mg. twice a day for my second regiment of antibiotics.  This time I had checked with my nephrologist because of the doubled dosage and taking the second regiment so soon after the first. He gave his approval.

Cipro, like most other drugs, may have side effects.  I hadn’t realized why I was so restless and anxious.  Those are two of the not-so-often-encountered side effects, but I have nothing else to pin these strange (for me) feelings on. My uncustomarily anxiety was causing dissention in the family and interfering with my enjoyment of the life I usually love. After digging deep into possible side effects, I see why.  The funny thing is that all I had to do was read about these possible, but not likely, side effects to feel less anxious and restless.  I had a reason for these feelings; they would soon dissipate. I could live with that time limited discomfort.

Before taking the ultrasounds, I needed to drink 40 oz. of water – yep, almost two thirds of my daily allowance – and hold it in my bladder for an hour. I started joking with Wendy, the ultrasound technician, as soon as I got into the room.  You know, the usual: Hurry up before I float away, I can’t cross my knees any tighter, that sort of thing.

She was a lovely person who responded with kindness. When she realized I was super interested in what was on the screen, she started explaining what I was seeing to me and turned the screen so I could see what she was seeing. The bladder ultrasound was interesting… and colorful.

But the kidney ultrasound was magic!  I watched as my kidneys produced urine and the urine traveled down to the bladder.  This was real.  This was happening inside my body. And I was watching it in real time.

In What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, I discuss one of the jobs of the kidneys:

They filter as many as 200 quarts of blood per day to rid us of roughly two quarts of waste and extra water.

I was watching the extra water move from my kidneys to my bladder!  I was probably watching the blood being filtered in the kidneys, too, but that was not as clear to me.

Well, what do you know?  It seems the National Kidney Foundation is running a campaign to make the public aware of that, too.  This is what the foundation has to say about the campaign.

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has launched a cheeky campaign to promote kidney health and motivate people to get their urine screened.

EverybodyPees is an irreverent, educational animated music video plus a website (www.everybodypees.org) that focuses on the places people pee. The number one goal of the campaign is to link one of the kidneys’ primary functions — the production of urine — to overall kidney health. Pee is important because urine testing can reveal the earliest signs of kidney damage.

“Our research has shown that half of Americans don’t understand that healthy kidneys are responsible for creating urine,” said Kevin Longino, interim CEO of the National Kidney Foundation. “Urine also happens to hold the key to catching kidney disease, especially among the 73 million Americans who are at risk. The message may be unconventional, but it is educational and actionable – get your urine checked for kidney health.”

Kidney disease is at an alarming proportion in the United States. Over 26 million American adults have kidney disease and most don’t know it.  More than 40% of people who go into kidney failure each year fail to see a nephrologist before starting dialysis — a key indicator that kidney disease isn’t being identified in its earliest stages.

“People aren’t getting the message that they can easily identify kidney disease through inexpensive, simple tests,” said Jeffrey Berns, MD, President of the National Kidney Foundation. “Keeping kidneys top-of-mind in the restroom will hopefully remind people that they should be asking about their kidneys when they visit their healthcare professional, especially if they have diabetes, high blood pressure, a family history of kidney failure, or are over age 60.”

EverybodyPees is NKF’s first attempt to tackle a serious national health problem from a relatable, consumer angle. The campaign was produced in collaboration with Publicis LifeBrands Medicus.

“We are flipping public health education messaging on its head –using humor to get our message across and foregoing scare tactic messaging” Longino said. “We’re going out on a limb with our core message on urine testing, but we need to take risks if we’re going to alter the course of kidney disease in this country.”

Being who I am, I prefer ‘urine’ to ‘pee,’ but that wouldn’t be half as catchy, would it?

Consider The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Parts 1 and 2 as bathroom reading while you’re urinating – uh, peeing – so we can get some more reviews. And always, let us know about any new CKD books you discover.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

 

A Cautionary Tale

Today is Memorial Day here in the U.S. It’s a celebration of our fallen warriors, the ones who fought for us so we wouldn’t have to fight for ourselves… and it began as a celebration of freed slaves honoring those who fought for their freedom way back in 1865. As Time.com at http://time.com/3894406/who-invented-memorial-day/ phrases it:

On May 1, 1865, freed slaves gathered in Charleston, South Carolina to commemorate the death of Union soldiers and the end of the American Civil War. Three years later, General John Logan issued a special order that May 30, 1868 be observed as Decoration Day, the first Memorial Day.

I married a retired military man. Memorial Day has had more meaning for me in the last eight years than ever before in my life.  It’s been a revelation, as our wedding invitation stated:

The Retired Lieutenant Colonel

Paul Arthur Garwood

and

The Former Wannabe Hippie

Gail Rae

Invite you to our wedding reception

Thank you again to all those who gave their lives so I wouldn’t have to.

Being a bit dramatic here, I also sort of saved my own life last week by saving my kidneys from further damage.  I know, I know. There’s no comparison, but it sure is a good way to get into today’s topic.

I wrote about dreaming about my bladder last week.  Well, I decided I needed to take that dream a bit more seriously. Off I went to my local pharmacy for an over the counter (OTC) urinary tract infection (UTI) kit.

I chose the Azo Brand because it is

the same urinary tract infection test used in many doctor’s offices, to determine if the bacteria that cause a UTI are present. {The description continues.} Then call your doctor with the results. The most reliable, over-the-counter UTI home test available, AZO Test Strips offer two UTI tests in one – including both Leukocyte (white blood cells) and Nitrite tests – which makes them more reliable than nitrite-only tests. (Doctors look for Leukocytes as well as Nitrites in diagnosing UTIs.)

Leukocytes are higher when you are fighting an infection. Unfortunately, that’s any infection. So what about nitrites?

When the urinary tract is infected by harmful bacteria then it leads to the development of nitrites as a byproduct. The kidneys are responsible for filtering the blood and for the elimination of unwanted waste materials from the body. However, they are incapable of filtering out the nitrites. The nitrites can however travel from the kidneys into the bladder and get stored there. They are then passed out along with the urine. Therefore the presence of nitrites in urine is generally an indication of the presence of a urinary tract infection.

Thank you for that information, Diseases List at http://diseaseslist.org/nitrites-in-urine/  Notice our kidneys are NOT at fault for once.

So far, so good.  I mean bad.  You take the test by urinating on a dipstick.  First you urinate for a second or two, then hold the dipstick under the urine stream, and then sort of mop up the excess urine.  Pay attention when you do this or it can get messy.

There were three test strips with accompanying color charts in the box.  I took all three. (Did I ever tell you about a family member who took the same OTC pregnancy test a dozen times just to be sure?  This doubt must run in the family.) You guessed it. All three were not just positive for UTI, but highly positive.

As you know, doctors don’t prescribe medication over the phone so I tried to make an appointment with my primary care doctor.  She is much sought after and had no openings that week, much less that day. She is part of a practice so I took an appointment with another doctor in the practice, one I had seen a time or two before under the same circumstances.

He had my chart in front of him.  I was wearing a medical alert bracelet. I told him three times I had Chronic Kidney Disease. In addition to ordering ciprofloxacin 250 mg. – which is safe for certain stages of CKD for certain periods of time at certain dosages – he ordered phenazopyridine 200 mg. for the pain. He kept talking about not being alarmed when it changed the color of my urine.

I didn’t feel like he’d heard a word I said.  I wasn’t too worried, because I always check with the pharmacist before taking any new medication.  She was alarmed, told me not to buy this medication, and that she would be contacting this doctor to tell him prescribing phenazopyridine for anyone with CKD was inappropriate.  This is the second time this has happened since I was diagnosed with CKD.

The National Institutes of Health warn that you tell your doctor if you’ve had kidney problems should he/she prescribe this drug.  I did… a minimum of three times. This is what Drugs.com at http://www.drugs.com/mtm/phenazopyridine.html had to say about this pain reliever.

What is the most important information I should know about phenazopyridine?

You should not use phenazopyridine if you have kidney disease.

Okay, beating a dead horse here (I’m just so damned annoyed!), so let’s see if we can figure out why CKD patients should not be using this drug. Uh-oh, MedicineNet at http://www.medicinenet.com/phenazopyridine-oral/article.htm tells us

Although the exact mechanism of action is unknown, phenazopyridine is thought to provide relief of symptoms of UTIs by acting as a local anesthetic on the lining of the urinary tract.

All right, let’s try this another way then.  Why shouldn’t CKD patients take this drug? After looking at Wikipedia – even taking into account that anyone can edit these entries – I’m wondering why anyone would take it at all. It’s a form of Azo dye.

Less frequently it can cause a pigment change in the skin or eyes, to a noticeable yellowish color. This is due to a depressed excretion via the kidneys causing a buildup of the drug in the skin, and normally indicates a need to discontinue usage.

What! Exits via the kidneys? Excretion can be depressed?  Nope, not for me, not for you either. Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenazopyridine

Here’s the caution: sure we trust our doctors and those doctors they trust, but check with your pharmacist, too.

Hey, where are the weirdest places to read my CKD books entries?  We got some really weird ones, but we want to see yours.  The contest runs until the end of the month.  That’s plenty of time to snap a picture and post it. Not on FB?  Include it as a comment on the blog or email it.  You can even post it on Twitter.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!

What a Weird Dream

I woke up today realizing I’d been dreaming about my bladder.  Sometimes that’s a somatic clue to wake up and empty it, but I’d done that already. Hmmm, was I being told to look into the different aspects of the bladder?  Oh, maybe the dream was pointing toward the connection between Chronic Kidney Disease and the bladder. By now, you’ve probably realized everything in my world points to CKD.

To my way of thinking, if I were going to dream of anything CKD related, I should have been dreaming about the photos of you reading one of my books in a weird place that you’ve posted on SlowItDownCKD’s Facebook page to win a free copy of The Book of Blogs: Moderate Stage Chronic Kidney Disease, Part 1. That would make sense, wouldn’t it?

But, no.  It was the bladder.  Okay, then, let’s take a look at the bladder. As usual, we’ll start at the beginning with a definition. Many thanks to the ever reliable MedicineNet at http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2472 for the following:

A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste from the blood and produce urine, which enters the bladder through two tubes, called ureters. Urine leaves the bladder through another tube, the urethra. In women, the urethra is a short tube that opens just in front of the vagina. In men, it is longer, passing through the prostate gland and then the penis. Also known as urinary bladder and vesical.

Notice the mention of the kidneys. Notice also the urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder, not vice versa.  Doesn’t help much to explain the dream.  I wonder if a bladder infection might explain more.

Another standby, WebMD, at http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-bladder-infections-basic-information explains:

Bladder infections are known as cystitis or inflammation of the bladder. They are common in women, but very rare in men. More than half of all women get at least one bladder infection at some time in their lives. However, a man’s chance of getting cystitis increases as he ages, due to in part to an increase in prostate size….

Bladder infections are not serious if treated right away. But they tend to come back in some people. Rarely, this can lead to kidney infections, which are more serious and may result in permanent kidney damage. So it’s very important to treat the underlying causes of a bladder infection and to take preventive steps to keep them from coming back.

Oh, so repeated bladder infections can lead to kidney infections, although rarely.  Maybe we’d better take a look at the symptoms of bladder infections… just in case, you understand.

This was the point in my research that I once again appreciated how user friendly, yet detailed, the Mayo Clinic is. The following information may be found at http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-tract-infection/basics/symptoms/con-20037892

Part of urinary tract affected      Signs and symptoms

Kidneys (acute pyelonephritis)   Upper back and side (flank) pain

High fever

Shaking and chills

Nausea

Vomiting

Bladder (cystitis)                            Pelvic pressure

Lower abdomen discomfort

Frequent, painful urination

Blood in urine

Urethra (urethritis)                        Burning with urination

Let’s change direction here and take a look at pyelonephritis since that involves the kidneys.

at http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/kidney-disease/pyelonephritis-kidney-infection/Pages/index.aspx has this information.

Pyelonephritis is caused by a bacterium or virus infecting the kidneys. Though many bacteria and viruses can cause pyelonephritis, the bacterium Escherichia coli is often the cause. Bacteria and viruses can move to the kidneys from the bladder or can be carried through the bloodstream from other parts of the body. A UTI in the bladder that does not move to the kidneys is called cystitis.

However, the site carefully explains that a bladder infection or a structural abnormality that causes urine to flow back into the kidneys are the two most usual causes.  So we’re back to looking at bladder infections after this little detour.

For information about what might cause a bladder infection, I shot over to Healthline at http://www.healthline.com/health/bladder-infection#Overview1

Bladder infections are caused by germs or bacteria that enter through the urethra and travel into the bladder. Normally, the body is able to remove the bacteria by clearing it out during urination. Sometimes, however, the bacteria attach to the walls of the bladder and multiply quickly, overwhelming the body’s ability to destroy them, resulting in a bladder infection.

Simple, direct, and to the point. Here we are knowing what a bladder infection is, what the symptoms are, and how we might have developed one.  But, what do we do about it?

First of all, verify that you have UTI or urinary tract infection since the kidneys, the urethra, and the bladder are part of this system. OTC or over the counter test strips for this purpose are available, although I seem to remember they are not effective if you’ve passed menopause.  That was seven years ago when I had my first and last bladder infection, so things may have changed.  You can also make an appointment with your doctor to verify. Usually, a high white blood cell count will indicate you’re fighting some sort of infection.

All right, let’s say you home test and see you’re fighting an infection. Now what? Well, you can try the usual home remedies of cranberry juice and uber hydration, but you have CKD.  You have to act fast before a UTI becomes a bladder infection which may lead to a kidney infection.

My advice?  Call your doctor.  He or she may prescribe an antibiotic which will hopefully clear up the infection in just a few days.  A bladder infection does not have to lead to a kidney infection or be serious… unless you ignore it.

I have spent every day of the last eight years working diligently to protect my kidneys, slow down the progress of Chronic Kidney Disease, and raise my GFR when I can.  I, for one, am not willing to jeopardize my kidney function because I didn’t jump on what I thought might be a UTI.  Won’t you join me in taking immediate action should you have the symptoms?  Remember the connections between the urethra, the bladder, and the kidneys.

Until next week,

Keep living your life!