Today K saw the nephrologist. This, of course, is not the original one who diagnosed his kidney problem--HE no longer is here. K was happy with the doctor--said he was very personable and not a 'kid' like the last one. (The last one was fine, he just looked young enough to be our son--and probably WAS!) After a 45 minute visit and the taking of 4 quarts of blood and half a gallon of pee, the doctor said he will see K again in a year as long as the test results come back fine. This, of course, was good news.
Then, of course, we get to the 'oh, oh' part of what K was told. First, he has to start restricting his protein intake. Protein makes the kidneys work too much, so he has to watch it. Of course, he has to restrict his sodium, too. He has to increase his fruits and vegetables and work towards walking 30 minutes a day. Also, he has been put on one baby aspirin per day. Fine--we can work with this. A bit of a change in lifestyle, but doable. Then K told me the 'rest of the story.' The doctor told him that, eventually, he will probably need a kidney transplant. As we get older, our kidneys begin to lose function and considering K has such a low functioning level (only 30%) to begin with, this is a double whammy for him. So, without trying to borrow trouble, we have the possibility of some big-time medical issues in our future. While I won't allow myself to worry about this, it will, nonetheless, be a part of my life from now on. We never know, do we?
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Oh my... I'll have you all in my prayers..
ReplyDeleteMuch, much appreciated, my dear.
ReplyDeleteI always despise (sp) good news mixed with bad news. But in this case, the good news outweighs the bad. Doable is a good thing. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, crap. Sorry to hear this. Will keep holding good thoughts...
ReplyDeleteYes, doable is good. We will continue the good thoughts, but we will NOT let this be what defines us or our lives. We'll keep on keeping on, as usual.
ReplyDeleteI am all too familiar with living with restrictive diets and crazy health issues.
ReplyDeleteMy only advice, is doctors DONT KNOW EVERYTHING .... and, find a nutritionist ASAP.
meleah: I agree on the nutritionist thing--the doctor DID mention it--even though I'm not too sure how much more we CAN change what we are doing already. I did tell K that I want--at the very least--to see one just so I can get NUMBERS! Such as: just HOW MUCH sodium is okay in a day, etc. I'm kind of obsessive-compulsive about numbers! Anyway, he said he has to sort everything out in his mind and then when he sees the internist in December, he'll decide about the nutritionist. (He is VERY stubborn, so I have to take things a bit easy with him.) I just have to tread lightly with ANY aspect of this illness, because he won't TELL me everything if I push too hard--and he isn't very receptive to my going with him to talk to the doctor. This is his first medical problem, so I have to let him handle things his own way. Damn! :)
ReplyDeleteYes doable is good. Sorry to hear about this, cmk but it sounds like you have a good doctor with sound advice. Sending healing vibes your way.
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