Kidney Update....
Sep. 15th, 2010 11:53 amWondering how I treat it? Well, first of all, LOTS of fluid, which I've been doing ever since May. But I also have to get my acid levels up. If I wanted to do that organically, as in using food sources, I'd have to drink a GALLON of orange juice a day. I could probably do it, except for the fact that that would put a humongous amount of calories in my diet and also a ton of sugar. Like, to the point of making me diabetic probably, since I already have blood sugar issues that I've been able to control with just cutting down on sugary drinks. So instead of a gallon of OJ a day, I get to take pills. I have to take potassium-citrate twice a day. I'll start on one pill twice a day and then if it doesn't cause tummy issues, I'll move up to two pills twice a day. And also because it's potassium-citrate (you need the potassium to absorb the citrate correctly, like with calcium you need the vitamin D) I have to have blood work every so many months to make sure my potassium levels aren't too high. Yay, more needles! /sarcasm
But at least now I know why I get these stupid things and I can try to prevent them. As the doctor said, the treatment isn't 100%. There's no guarantee that I'll never have another kidney stone, but this makes it less likely that I'll have them. But the good thing is, I have a very mild case --aka my kidneys are mildly screwed up-- so I'm less likely to have more stones with the treatment than someone who has a severe case. The doc was like, I know it didn't seem mild to you, but it's definitely a mild case. It's like my Crohn's Disease. When I was diagnosed I basically thought I was dying my symptoms were so severe. Turns out I only have a moderate case of it. When I found that out, I had said to my mom, If my case is moderate, I can't imagine what people with a severe case go through.
So all in all, even though I have to take MORE meds (because we all know I don't take enough already) I'm pretty lucky. As far as what I eat, it doesn't matter because the stones aren't caused by anything I eat. They're caused by having screwed up kidneys. So that is definitely a good thing especially since I have so many restrictions from the Crohn's.
Next up for me today, Physical Therapy. The first one of my last four.... at least I'm hoping.
Hope everyone is having a good day today! =)
Love,
amanda: jaclyn's twin sister