He’s Knocking on My Door

Tag: Kidneys

  • Daily Journal #22 — Good Numbers, an Encouraging Kidney Appointment, and MRI Monday

    Daily Journal #22 — Good Numbers, an Encouraging Kidney Appointment, and MRI Monday

    This morning’s health numbers were good.

    Actually, they were all pretty much spot on.

    My blood pressure looked good.

    My heart rate looked good.

    My glucose looked good.

    And I even dropped a little more weight.

    After all of the ups and downs lately, I’ll take a morning like that without complaint.

    Nephrologist Appointment Today

    I had my nephrology appointment today, and it was very encouraging.

    He examined me and didn’t see any signs of fluid retention.

    That is definitely a plus.

    After the recent weight fluctuations, swelling, and concern about whether I was holding onto fluid again, hearing that was reassuring.

    We also talked about the MRI I have scheduled for Monday.

    I’ve obviously been anxious about it.

    He reviewed my kidney ultrasound again and told me not to sweat it.

    His explanation actually helped.

    He compared the ultrasound to looking at something from a distance.

    You can see the general picture, but you can’t necessarily see all of the fine details.

    The MRI is more like getting up close.

    It will allow them to look at everything in much greater detail and hopefully answer the remaining questions.

    That made the whole thing feel a little less ominous.

    It sounds like the MRI is really about making sure they have the clearest possible picture.

    Either way, I get it done Monday.

    Hopefully, after that, we can finally start putting this whole AKI episode behind me.

    I Want to Write More About the AKI

    Once I get through all of this, I’m planning to write a full article about my acute kidney injury.

    Not because I think everyone’s experience will be the same as mine.

    It won’t.

    But I think there is value in explaining what happened to me, how quickly my kidney numbers changed, what contributed to it, what my doctors looked for, and what I learned from the experience.

    Before this happened, I knew what an AKI was in general terms.

    I didn’t really understand how quickly it could happen or how something being used to help one medical condition could potentially create a problem somewhere else.

    That balancing act has probably been one of the biggest lessons of this entire experience.

    The Radiology Instructions

    The radiology department also called with instructions for Monday.

    One of the instructions is that I need to drink 32 ounces of water about 30 minutes before the MRI.

    That kind of sucks.

    With the fluid limit I normally follow, 32 ounces is a huge chunk of my daily allowance.

    It’s a little over 60 percent of what I normally drink in an entire day.

    So I’m going to have to plan around that.

    This isn’t me deciding to suddenly increase my fluid intake. These are the instructions I was given for the test, and I’ll follow the instructions from the people taking care of me.

    At this point, I just want to get the MRI done and get some answers.

    Anxious and Optimistic

    Even with a very reassuring appointment today, I’m still anxious.

    I think that is probably going to be there until the MRI is finished and someone tells me exactly what they see.

    But I’m also optimistic.

    My health numbers were good this morning.

    My weight is still moving in the right direction.

    My nephrologist didn’t see any signs of fluid retention.

    And he didn’t seem overly concerned about what he saw on the ultrasound.

    Those are all positives.

    So Monday is the next hurdle.

    Get the MRI.

    Get the results.

    And hopefully put one more medical scare in the rearview mirror.

    Medical Disclaimer

    This journal reflects my personal health experience and the treatment and testing plan developed specifically for me by my healthcare providers. Nothing in this article should be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or a recommendation to change your medications, fluid intake, sodium intake, testing, or treatment. Instructions for imaging studies, including how much fluid to drink before an MRI or other procedure, may vary depending on the test and the individual patient. Always follow the instructions provided by your own healthcare team and radiology department. Acute kidney injury, fluid retention, changes in kidney function, and related symptoms can have many different causes and should be evaluated by qualified healthcare professionals.

  • Daily Journal #18: The Numbers Are Good. My Mind Has Other Ideas.

    Daily Journal #18: The Numbers Are Good. My Mind Has Other Ideas.

    My morning health checks were good again today.

    My weight was right where I wanted it. My glucose was 85. My blood pressure was a little higher than usual, but still acceptable.

    Most importantly, no swelling in my feet.

    After the fluid retention I was dealing with recently, I finally feel like I’m back in a place where I’m comfortable with what I’m seeing.

    That’s the good news.

    Unfortunately, my brain apparently didn’t get the memo.

    Another Night With Almost No Sleep

    I got maybe three hours of sleep last night.

    Again.

    My hip certainly isn’t helping. It’s still hurting quite a bit, and finding a comfortable position has been difficult.

    But I don’t think the hip deserves all the blame this time.

    Anxiety does.

    I have blood work coming up and then an MRI of my kidneys.

    And apparently my brain has decided that 2:00 in the morning is the perfect time to explore every possible outcome.

    Waiting Is Sometimes the Hardest Part

    I’ve already been told there are problems with my right kidney. Then the ultrasound found something that needs a closer look on the other kidney.

    That’s about all I actually know right now.

    But that’s not where my mind stops.

    My mind immediately jumps ahead:

    What if something is seriously wrong with the other kidney?

    What if my kidney function gets worse?

    What if someday I need dialysis?

    Then I start thinking about my other chronic illnesses, my age and whether I’d ever even be a candidate for something like a kidney transplant.

    Before long, I’ve gone from:

    “I have an MRI scheduled.”

    to:

    “I’m going to end up on dialysis.”

    That’s quite a leap.

    And I know that.

    The reality is much simpler.

    I don’t have those answers yet.

    I don’t know what the MRI is going to show. I don’t know what the upcoming blood work will show. And I certainly don’t know that dialysis or a transplant is anywhere in my future.

    Those are fears.

    They aren’t test results.

    Sometimes I need to remind myself of the difference.

    There’s Nothing I Can Do About It Today

    This might be the hardest part for me.

    I like problems I can fix.

    If something breaks around the house, figure out what’s wrong and fix it.

    If there’s a problem with the website, troubleshoot it.

    Health doesn’t always work that way.

    Right now, my job is pretty simple:

    Get the blood work.

    Get the MRI.

    Meet with my doctors.

    Wait for the actual information.

    Worrying about it at three in the morning isn’t going to change what that MRI shows.

    It’s just going to make me exhausted when morning arrives.

    Much easier said than done.

    The Heat Isn’t Helping Either

    It’s still ridiculously hot here in Southwest Florida.

    We’ve had what seems like one heat warning after another lately, so I’m continuing to be careful about how much I do outside.

    I’ve had enough episodes of getting lightheaded and feeling like I might pass out with exertion and heat that I’m not interested in pushing my luck.

    That doesn’t mean I want to sit around all day, though.

    I Still Want to Move

    Even with my hip hurting, I’d like to get some walking in.

    The hospital gave me some exercises to work on before my hip surgery. They’re intentionally pretty mild and don’t require a huge amount of exertion.

    I’d also like to walk a little when I can.

    Nothing heroic.

    I’m certainly not heading outside in a heat warning and trying to set a personal record.

    I just don’t want to completely stop moving because my hip hurts.

    There’s a balance there too.

    Apparently my entire life has become one giant balancing act.

    ❤️ Greg’s Take

    Physically, this morning started pretty well.

    Weight looks good.

    Glucose was 85.

    Blood pressure was acceptable.

    No swelling.

    Those are all wins.

    Mentally?

    That’s a different story.

    I’m tired, my hip hurts, and I’m worried about what we’re going to find with my kidneys.

    I can come up with a hundred terrible possibilities if I give myself enough time.

    But none of them are facts.

    The facts will come from the blood work, the MRI and my doctors.

    Until then, worrying myself into another sleepless night accomplishes absolutely nothing.

    I know that.

    Now I just need to convince my brain.

    Medical Disclaimer

    This daily journal documents my personal experiences living with chronic illness, anxiety about medical testing, pain and ongoing treatment. It is not medical advice. Everyone’s medical situation is different, and decisions about kidney disease, exercise, medications or other treatments should be made with your own healthcare professionals.

  • Daily Journal #16: Good Numbers, More Tests Ahead

    Daily Journal #16: Good Numbers, More Tests Ahead

    My morning health checks were good again today.

    Everything was pretty consistent with yesterday.

    My weight is behaving. My blood pressure looks good. No new signs of fluid retention.

    Basically, nothing exciting happened.

    And when it comes to my morning health checks, boring is exactly what I want.

    I’m Still Hesitant About Food and Water

    Even though everything has settled back down, I’m still a little hesitant about eating and drinking normally after the fluid retention I had earlier this week.

    Truthfully, I probably didn’t drink enough water yesterday.

    That’s the balancing act I’m still trying to figure out.

    I don’t want to drink too much and end up retaining fluid.

    But I also can’t go too far in the opposite direction and not give my body—and especially my kidneys—what it needs.

    Logically, I understand that.

    Convincing my brain is another matter.

    The good news is that my morning numbers continue to tell me things are moving in the right direction.

    So I’ll keep monitoring.

    A Few New Helpful Finds Are Coming

    I also spent some time working on a few new products for the Helpful Finds section of the website.

    I’ve accumulated quite a few things that have made living with all of this a little easier.

    Some are health related.

    Some help with cooking and eating low sodium.

    Others are just things that make everyday life easier when you aren’t as mobile as you used to be.

    I’ll be posting more of those soon.

    Here Come the Appointments

    The calendar is starting to fill up again.

    Monday is blood-draw day.

    And apparently everybody wants a piece of me.

    I have a bunch of labs ordered, including testing from both my nephrologist and urologist. I’m sure some of those tests overlap, but either way they’re getting plenty of blood.

    After that, I have a follow-up appointment with my nephrologist.

    Then the following week comes the bigger one:

    An MRI of my kidneys.

    Trying to Figure Out What’s Going On With My Kidneys

    I had an ultrasound a few weeks ago that raised some additional questions.

    There are concerns about how well my right kidney is functioning, and the ultrasound also noted a cyst and described the left kidney as having a nodular contour.

    I’m not going to pretend I completely understand what all of that means.

    That’s what the additional testing and doctors are for.

    I’ve learned enough through this whole medical adventure to know that reading a few words on a test result and immediately heading to Google isn’t always the greatest idea.

    A medical report can make something sound absolutely terrifying when you don’t understand the context.

    So for now, I’m trying not to get ahead of myself.

    Blood work first.

    Nephrologist follow-up.

    MRI.

    Then we’ll see what the doctors have to say when they have more information.

    More to come.

    ❤️ Greg’s Take

    Today was another good health-check day.

    I’ll take it.

    After the fluid-retention scare earlier this week, seeing several days of stable numbers helps.

    I’m still working on trusting those numbers enough to stop being afraid of eating and drinking normally, but I suppose that’s going to take some time.

    Meanwhile, we’re moving on to the next medical mystery.

    My kidneys.

    Blood work Monday.

    Nephrologist follow-up.

    Kidney MRI the following week.

    I don’t know what we’re going to find.

    And for once, I’m going to try something I’m historically not very good at:

    Waiting until I actually have the information before worrying about it.

    We’ll see how that goes.

    Medical Disclaimer

    This journal describes my personal experiences with chronic illness, health monitoring and medical testing. It is not medical advice. My fluid intake, diet, medications, testing and treatment decisions are based on guidance from my own healthcare team. If you’re dealing with kidney, heart or other health problems, work with your healthcare professionals to determine what’s appropriate for you.