It's been almost a year since some salty cod and a couple of litres of water put me in Hospital, so what's going on with all that then?
If you are interested, the 'intro post' on this subject was written in August last year.
I have no problem admitting that last years health scare knocked me back some. Having been active with sports and fitness for as long as I can remember, it was mentally tough coming to terms with the discovery that my left kidney had been suffering the whole time and was now almost useless.
One of the biggest hurdles to jump over in my mind was that things could have been different. I could and obviously should have visited the doctors again following that single visit when I was 19 and first started feeling pain on my left side. Perhaps I'd have been referred for a scan and had the 'minor' ureter surgery before the kidney wasn't really worth risking infection and further complications for?
However, that may have been one of the outcomes but another could have been surgery and instructions not to play contact sports or take part in activities which risk heavy impact - No skydiving, bungy jumps, paddle-boarding, or 20 years of football each week, for a start. And so my memory of the love and enjoyment of these past actions is what I use to make things OK in my mind when those useless and repetitive 'what if' thoughts start to bubble.
Over the last six months I feel I've made progress in finding out what food and drink is suitable for my body and why, which following hospital last year is much harsher on me when I get things wrong. The type of food/drink, the volume, the time of day, what other foods are on the plate, and have I exercised recently or plan to? These are just some of the factors to think about, 3 times a day at least.
I've mostly avoided the recommended painkillers, and so with increased attention on my part the and sensitivity not dulled it's been possible to figure out what I need to avoid. The process was slower than I expected, mainly because it's tough to be a hungry and thirsty scientist - changing more than one variable at a time never worked out well in class!
Coffee has been one drink I have been troubled by over the past year. There have been times my one cup a day hasn't bothered me, and other occasions where I've suffered the whole day with pain starting less than half an hour after consumption. Trial and error has taught me that this diuretic mixed with sugar, or drank following food containing high sugar/oxalate/purines, or drank on an empty stomach, or drank following exercise, is not good. One cup with no sugar following a light breakfast and prior to exercise is working at present, and it feels good to be able to have a little of something I enjoy without hurting.
There have also been the blood tests over the past year which I've been able to compare against each other and keep tabs on some key markers for kidney function. Namely:
- Urea: routinely measured as part of a “urea and electrolytes” (U&E) screen to assess kidney function
- Creatinine: another waste product that your kidneys remove from your body
- Glucose: Low blood sugar levels are common with Kidney disease
- GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate): Provides an estimate of how well your kidneys are filtering blood
And in true sharing is caring fashion as well as for the love of tables:
| Date | Urea (mg/dl) | Creatinine (mg/dl) | Glucose (mg/dl) | GFR (mL/m/1.73 m^2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-Dec-23 | 37 | .94 | 109 | 96 |
| 13-Apr-24 | 22 | 1.19 | 107 | 73 |
| 30-May-24 | 42 | 1.23 | 87 | 70 |
| 07-Aug-24 | 48 | 1.12 | 80 | 79 |
| 19-Feb-25 | 40 | .93 | 89 | 98 |
For a 46 year old with one kidney functioning at < 30%, none of the results have particularly alarming for the docs. However, my blood sugar was reasonably high when tested prior to my Vasectomy (15-Dec) and following the Cod+Water event in mid April 2024. And the April 2024 reading, as well as May 2024's, showed a high amount of Creatinine and markedly reduced GFR.
As you can see, August 2024's numbers looked improved (Creatinine and Glucose down, GFR up), but I was still suffering at times and it's not been until recently that the daily niggles (despite the odd beer and sugary treat) have become far less frequent. And this shows in the most recent results, with all the readings in range and my Glomerular Filtration Rate scoring higher than it did 15 months ago.
I'm pretty happy with how I feel at present and how these numbers look - it's good to know the changes I've made are improving my days and time.
Good kidney, bad kidney
There's still another niggle though - the one that knows that more beer or sugar or seafood isn't really troubling the right kidney, and if the left one didn't exist I'd not need to be as restrictive on the food and drink I enjoy - you know, the stuff that does generally shorten your life.
It's a bit like having an internal Angel and Devil with me in the middle trying to keep them both happy. I'm getting better at doing so I think, acceptance and understanding has helped a lot.
So for now, all is well and the Spring has arrived - I'll be on my Paddleboard soon enough and be able to brighten my blog up again.
Thanks for stopping by,
Asher