I now have a "nurse for life"! At least thats how I was informed. I went to visit a few people a couple of days ago. One presented herself as my nurse for life. Now that I am on the kidney/pancreas transplant list, she has been assigned to follow me from now until, as she put it, I am beyond waterproof again. This is in reference to the chest catheter I have for dialysis. I seem to be in rather good shape for a diabetic!
Being a long term Type 1 diabetic, I decided to opt for a dual transplant, both a kidney and a pancreas. My reasoning is that if diabetes killed my kidneys, then replace the pancreas. I will be on anti-rejection drugs for the kidneys, so how bad is it to be on drugs for both?
The other person I met with was my new social worker. There were the usual questions. Are you covered by insurance? Do you have a job? Are you depressed?, etc. As it turns out, I'm looking forward to the process. I feel good about it. Money has always been a concern, which is one of the reasons for started my online presence with pdhquick.com and this blog site. I have had it with the regular commute!
I have no idea how long its going to take. When it gets close, I will get a pager and it could happen at any time of the day or night. When it does, typically in the wee hours of the morning, I have a 1 1/2 to 2 hour commute (traffic) to get there. The operation is about 7 hours and the hospital stay is 7 to 10 days. I keep hearing stories about how the kidney list is about 10 years long. Apparently its less than half that for dual transplants. None of that bothers me. This would be a major turning point in my life, akin to winning a lottery!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Keeping Busy
Having both diabetes and kidney disease is time consuming. Up until my kidneys failed, I only had diabetes to deal with, as well the failing kidneys. I had a lot of edema in my legs, but I managed the 45 minute commute each way to work. Now that they have failed, I have neither the health nor interest in repeating the commute. Especially since my employer has moved another 45 minutes away! I have no intention of getting up at 5:30am or earlier so that I can be on the road by 6:30 at the latest for the hour and a half commute! The 3 day a week, 4 hour dialysis sessions aren't helping either. These sessions keep me busy from 6pm until about 10:30pm. I eat my supper AFTER my session and may not actually get to bed until midnight. On those days I would need to leave by 4pm at the latest.
My income is provided by Long Term Disability, but it is not enough (is it ever?) To that extent I have decided to go online. That involves setting up this blog site, as well as an affiliate marketing site: http://pdhquick.com Through it I am offering custom searches for electronics at Amazon and Sony and Satellite TV services. I also point back to this blog. Other links I provide are for FreedomSoft and OLPC. With these I'm hoping that others can cut their PC costs, thus reducing their dependence on proprietary software. I've provided links for more information on these topics as well. As interest in my ventures grow, I am happy to discuss these topics.
My income is provided by Long Term Disability, but it is not enough (is it ever?) To that extent I have decided to go online. That involves setting up this blog site, as well as an affiliate marketing site: http://pdhquick.com Through it I am offering custom searches for electronics at Amazon and Sony and Satellite TV services. I also point back to this blog. Other links I provide are for FreedomSoft and OLPC. With these I'm hoping that others can cut their PC costs, thus reducing their dependence on proprietary software. I've provided links for more information on these topics as well. As interest in my ventures grow, I am happy to discuss these topics.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Chronic kidney Disease
The Diet
Diabetes makes one focus on diet and exercise. The diet should make you conscious of caloric intake and carbohydrates. Carbs come in many forms. There are simple carbs like sugars, ie. corn syrup, sugar, and honey, and there are complex carbs, such as pasta, flour, and pastries. The difference is in how quickly they metabolize. When you take your blood glucose and you find it low, take the simple carbs; they will raise your glucose faster.
I count my carbs and base my insulin dosage on how many carbs I eat. I take two forms of insulin, Lantus and Humalog. Lantus has an approximate duration of 24 hours, so it provides a steady level all day. The humalog dosage is adjusted and added with each meal. After many months of adjusting the Lantus so that overnight I don't plummet, balance is achieved. As long as I don't go overboard on the carbs, I'm stable.
The diabetic diet should focus on a good balance of protein, carbs, and dietary fibre. Veggies are good as they can help fill you up with minimal carbs. There are still carbs in veggies, so keep that in mind. When choosing carbs, select whole grains and less processed foods.
Then along comes CKD. Kidney disease throws another wrench into the mix. A failing kidney means that the body can no longer process whole grains and fibre. Potassium, sodium, and phosphorus are important dietary concerns. One begins to wonder about food manufacturers, as they dump more than a day's allocation of sodium into a single serving! I'm allowed about 650mg of sodium per meal. A single A&W Uncle burger has 1300 mg! A packaged serving of black bean noodles can have 2300mg. I have found that many low-sodium prepared foods are substituting potassium for the sodium. Phosphorus can be found in diet colas. How many diet drinks are available in restaurants, other than diet cola? There is always water. Even soda water ahas sodium, duh!
I have to limit my consumption of potatoes (high potassium). I eat a lot of plain white rice (brown is higher in fibre). All bread has higher sodium levels than I like (white has about 170mg per slice). Have you ever tried to buy breakfast cereal without fibre? Don't get me wrong, everyone should be eating fibre, but it sure limits my selection when I should be avoiding fibre. I am allowed to get fibre supplements from Benefibre.
As part of the kidney diet, I need a certain amount of protein. Shrimps are good as they are low in sodium. Why is it that a fresh steak or hamburger has no sodium indications on the lable, yet once frozen, a burger patty can have 330mg? Throw in a bun for the burger and the sodium level rises to 1300 (see above for the uncle Burger).
Snacking is a bitch! First it has to be a healthy snack, ie no salt added. Candies are out, save them for low glucose levels. Watch the carbs! Fruits and veggies are often the safest, although an apple can have 25 milligrams of carbs. That's almost enough to warrant another insulin shot!
Disclaimer:
Although I am NOT a doctor or dietician, I am talking about real-world experience for over 38 years. Please consult a professional before taking my advice.
Diabetes makes one focus on diet and exercise. The diet should make you conscious of caloric intake and carbohydrates. Carbs come in many forms. There are simple carbs like sugars, ie. corn syrup, sugar, and honey, and there are complex carbs, such as pasta, flour, and pastries. The difference is in how quickly they metabolize. When you take your blood glucose and you find it low, take the simple carbs; they will raise your glucose faster.
I count my carbs and base my insulin dosage on how many carbs I eat. I take two forms of insulin, Lantus and Humalog. Lantus has an approximate duration of 24 hours, so it provides a steady level all day. The humalog dosage is adjusted and added with each meal. After many months of adjusting the Lantus so that overnight I don't plummet, balance is achieved. As long as I don't go overboard on the carbs, I'm stable.
The diabetic diet should focus on a good balance of protein, carbs, and dietary fibre. Veggies are good as they can help fill you up with minimal carbs. There are still carbs in veggies, so keep that in mind. When choosing carbs, select whole grains and less processed foods.
Then along comes CKD. Kidney disease throws another wrench into the mix. A failing kidney means that the body can no longer process whole grains and fibre. Potassium, sodium, and phosphorus are important dietary concerns. One begins to wonder about food manufacturers, as they dump more than a day's allocation of sodium into a single serving! I'm allowed about 650mg of sodium per meal. A single A&W Uncle burger has 1300 mg! A packaged serving of black bean noodles can have 2300mg. I have found that many low-sodium prepared foods are substituting potassium for the sodium. Phosphorus can be found in diet colas. How many diet drinks are available in restaurants, other than diet cola? There is always water. Even soda water ahas sodium, duh!
I have to limit my consumption of potatoes (high potassium). I eat a lot of plain white rice (brown is higher in fibre). All bread has higher sodium levels than I like (white has about 170mg per slice). Have you ever tried to buy breakfast cereal without fibre? Don't get me wrong, everyone should be eating fibre, but it sure limits my selection when I should be avoiding fibre. I am allowed to get fibre supplements from Benefibre.
As part of the kidney diet, I need a certain amount of protein. Shrimps are good as they are low in sodium. Why is it that a fresh steak or hamburger has no sodium indications on the lable, yet once frozen, a burger patty can have 330mg? Throw in a bun for the burger and the sodium level rises to 1300 (see above for the uncle Burger).
Snacking is a bitch! First it has to be a healthy snack, ie no salt added. Candies are out, save them for low glucose levels. Watch the carbs! Fruits and veggies are often the safest, although an apple can have 25 milligrams of carbs. That's almost enough to warrant another insulin shot!
Disclaimer:
Although I am NOT a doctor or dietician, I am talking about real-world experience for over 38 years. Please consult a professional before taking my advice.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Chronic kidney Disease
When it strikes, there really is nothing to prepare you for the actuality. I had been seeing a Nefrologist (internal specialist on kidney problems) for about 2 years One day, I decided to apply for disability from work, so I could put some more effort in getting healthy. I had been a diabetic for 35+ years and I was just getting weary of the whole process.
Within 2 days of filing for disability, I was down and out. I managed to get to a clinic and it was determined that my kidneys had failed and my lungs were filling with fluid. I got checked into the local hospital. Over the next few days, they administered a urinary catheter (ouch) and massive diuretics via IV. Then I got a hemo catheter inserted into a vein near my upper right collar bone.
That was almost a year ago. Since then, I've been visiting the local Dialysis Clinic, 3 times a week in the evenings for 4 hour sessions. My whole life no revolves around these sessions. I can no longer travel as I need these treatments, every other day.
There is nothing to be upset about, Its just another speed bump in life's highway. It is what it is.
The challenge now is how to proceed. I've developed an intense desire to adopt a healthy lifestyle. This involves getting the exercise I need, despite physical limitations, and trying to eat healthy. The eating part is the most fun.
As a diabetic, dietary focus should be on high fibre foods with low carb, low fat, and low sugar. As a CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) patient, the new focus is on low fibre, low sodium, low phosphorus, low potassium foods. A lot of times these are in conflict. On the one side, wild or brown rice is good and on the other, it is plain white rice. This is my journey, find the best recipes to balance both needs.
Within 2 days of filing for disability, I was down and out. I managed to get to a clinic and it was determined that my kidneys had failed and my lungs were filling with fluid. I got checked into the local hospital. Over the next few days, they administered a urinary catheter (ouch) and massive diuretics via IV. Then I got a hemo catheter inserted into a vein near my upper right collar bone.
That was almost a year ago. Since then, I've been visiting the local Dialysis Clinic, 3 times a week in the evenings for 4 hour sessions. My whole life no revolves around these sessions. I can no longer travel as I need these treatments, every other day.
There is nothing to be upset about, Its just another speed bump in life's highway. It is what it is.
The challenge now is how to proceed. I've developed an intense desire to adopt a healthy lifestyle. This involves getting the exercise I need, despite physical limitations, and trying to eat healthy. The eating part is the most fun.
As a diabetic, dietary focus should be on high fibre foods with low carb, low fat, and low sugar. As a CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) patient, the new focus is on low fibre, low sodium, low phosphorus, low potassium foods. A lot of times these are in conflict. On the one side, wild or brown rice is good and on the other, it is plain white rice. This is my journey, find the best recipes to balance both needs.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)