Thread: Kidney issues

Hi Bob

you have my very best wishes for your continued good health.

Some potentially interrelated issues that might be worth exploring are your weight, high blood pressure, single kidney and the water works issues.
If as you advised above, losing 10kg would be as, if not more, effective than the increased dose of your BP medication, would losing 10 kg (with "20kg would be better") be effective in addressing your water works issues?

I ask because you and I are around the same age, we have both recently retired (which in my case resulted in a substantial reduction in stress and increase in rest), and, also in my case, I was considering a CPAC machine but the medical advice was losing at least 10kg would remove the need to resort to a CPAC. I've lost at least 10kg since the middle of last year and my wife reports that my snoring is greatly diminished.

Originally Posted by BobL

Next problem to deal with is the old water works which get me up every two hours at night.

Might be an idea to get checked for sleep apnea Bob. I was getting up every hour or so as well. Wife told the doctor I stopped breathing and when they checked I actually was stopping 12 to 18 times per hour. That's actually what was waking me. Got a CPAP machine and now sleep 8 - 9 hours at night without waking and no more getting up to go to bathroom.
If anyone else out there is looking at a CPAP I would insist on the mask that covers both the nose and mouth. My son got one that only covers the nose and every so often he exhales through his mouth and all the pressure that was holding his throat open is gone so he stops breathing again until the pressure is built back up. Now he has to go back and get the other mask at additional expense. Not sure what people with only the nose mask do when they get a cold and can't breathe through the nose.

Hi BobL,
Further to our comments of the 3rd April I have just had the result of my latest kidney function test. For the first time the test showed a bit protein. I was diagnosed with diabetes about five years ago but most likely had it well before that.

I did a bit of searching on the web at Livestrong and Australian Kidney Health and it seems that the consensus is that protein intake should be reduced in this situation. The unfortunate thing is that there is any number of theories put forward about diet and health so the whole thing is very confusing as to what is the best approach.

Did you see the Dr. Michael Moseley program on SBS last night? He had some blood taken before eating a fatty meal of(I think) eggs and bacon. His blood looked thin and the plasma on top in the test tube was quite clear. However, the test after eating showed that the blood was thicker and the plasma was a murky brown and I always thought that thin blood was needed to avoid strokes and heart attacks.

So to sum up I reckon that the whole deal is anyones guess.
..

Originally Posted by safari

Hi BobL,
Further to our comments of the 3rd April I have just had the result of my latest kidney function test. For the first time the test showed a bit protein. I was diagnosed with diabetes about five years ago but most likely had it well before that.

Sounds familiar.

I did a bit of searching on the web at Livestrong and Australian Kidney Health and it seems that the consensus is that protein intake should be reduced in this situation. The unfortunate thing is that there is any number of theories put forward about diet and health so the whole thing is very confusing as to what is the best approach.

I agree it's confusing/

Did you see the Dr. Michael Moseley program on SBS last night? He had some blood taken before eating a fatty meal of(I think) eggs and bacon. His blood looked thin and the plasma on top in the test tube was quite clear. However, the test after eating showed that the blood was thicker and the plasma was a murky brown and I always thought that thin blood was needed to avoid strokes and heart attacks.

I have seen this first hand at the Red Cross during blood/plasma donation. While donating a nurse walked past pushing a cart containing bags of plasma donations and she stopped to look at the machine drawing plasma from me. I noticed one of the bags on the cart had a brown tinge and a massive fatty layer on the top. I asked if there was something wrong with it and the nurse said the donor probably just ate a Kentucky Fried chicken meal before donating. My plasma OTOH has always been like a light pee colour - "good as gold" as the nurse put it

Now that you know you have only one kidney you will be able to remind your doctor in the future to double check blood test results. Because your one kidney doesn't always process as well as two. That in itself is not usually a big problem.
I had to have a blood re-test last week pre opp because it indicated a possible kidney issue.
I had my left kidney removed due to cancer(size of a golfball and I don't play golf). The first blood test afterwards the.young Technician said "you have kidney failure"
After recovering from the shock I said are you sure, I have only one left.
Oh dear " that's what skewed the results"