The Waiting Room of Old People

Yesterday, I had my 6 month check-up with my nephrologist. I felt very out of place sitting in a waiting room with grandpas using walkers and barley able to hear. I looked the healthiest by far of anyone in there, but still, there I was sitting with the old people. Old people have a smell, have you ever noticed it? No offense to any "seasoned" person reading this. I'm sure if your reading this you're hip enough to have a computer and so you probable don't have the old people smell.

Enough of what the waiting room looked like, I'm sure you want to hear the results.

Everything either remained the same since my last appointment or got better! That's great news! Since I started the GAPS diet in April my protein spill has decreased a lot. It's really bad for kidneys to spill protein and it makes pregnancy even harder, but I'm so glad it has come down. I was spilling about 1.5 grams but now I'm only spilling about 300 mg. I've often been told to limit my protein by doctors and nutritionist but since I started GAPS I have been eating a normal amount and I saw improvement doing that. I also feel better when I eat a normal amount. That was the best news of the day.

My cholesterol also improved a lot since starting the GAPS and I have lost 20 pounds. Another amazing thing is that I have been able to completely stop taking a bp medicine. I wrote a post about how cutting out sugar helped bring it down enough to stop taking 1 but I had to go back up to half the dose because it was not low enough all the time and it sometimes would spike. I started using 2 essential oils last week and that's what has helped it come down. I used some before I left for the appointment and even though it was slightly high while there (130/90) it is normally even higher.

I was also given the green light to get pregnant again. He said I will still be high risk and I will have appointments every 2 months and more lab work but whenever we are ready he is supportive. That is going to mean a WHOLE bunch of doctor appointments because I already see the OB or MFM at least every week. I'm going to need a lot of babysitters. He also mentioned that he thinks my kidney function is very stable and does not think it will decline any more over the next year.

I'm going to be completely honest and say that even though the results were great I went in really hoping to see some improvement in my kidney function.   I'll just keep praying that God keeps me healthy so I don't ever have to worry about dialysis or a kidney transplant. God is my sustainer.

Why I Don't Want A New Kidney

I had a friend ask me why I can’t go ahead and get my family tested to see if anyone is a match for a kidney transplant. It’s a great question and one that I have been asked before so I thought that I would answer it on my blog today.

Scar from kidney transplant. Check out this cute blog, she has lupus like me too.

Check out her blog here:FlowonLupus

The quick answer is that while it sounds like a great solution, it’s really a double edged sword. Once I get a donor kidney, I will have to start taking anti-rejection meds for the rest of my life. These meds are no walk in the park and have serious side effects. Also, the kidney does not last the lifetime of the recipient, I know of one person that has had her kidney for 20 years now, but the average is much less.

A lot of people find it interesting to learn that the diseased kidneys are not even removed during the transplant; the new kidney just gets placed (normally in a different location) and the old ones are left. The reason for this is that even if they are only functioning at 5% they are still helping filter blood. As they die and stop working completely the body just reabsorbs them. The surgery to remove the kidneys would also be very invasive.

Currently, my kidney function is around 25% which means that for a person with healthy kidneys their blood is filtered through the kidneys about 8 times an hour and so for me it’s a lot less. In order to be considered for a transplant, my kidneys would have to be in failure, and I would likely have to start dialysis while the search begins. Sometimes, I wonder if my kidneys even know they are sick because most days I don’t feel like I have a serious disease. They are just down there doing their thing at a much slower pace.

The procedure is really tough, requires a long stay in the hospital, and is something I hope I can post pone for as long as possible. In fact, I’m waiting for advancements that will reduce the anti-rejection meds, and who knows how long that will be. Lastly, I'm praying for complete healing.