Daily Chats and Encouragements
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Amen on the picture, Bren.
Been working a lot today on my Pastor's Blog posts. I've moved them from his blog site onto my word processor and am working on editing out the formatting and extraneous stuff so it's just the blog post itself. I have all of them up to June 3, 2022 on the word processor, now just to get them all edited and reined. Then we are going to put them on memory sticks for each of the families in our Church. There will be enough room on the disc to add stuff later, like videos and sermon notes. A great study tool! It's a task I really enjoy doing too and I get to learn a lot along the way! I can't say it's been good for my walking tough, just 538 steps so far today - hmmm, better get up and move around a bit!
Bren, did you ask your PCP if she had any suggestions on how to eat balancing all of these different problems? You've been doing really well with your eating, but the juggling of what is good and bad between what is wrong has been a chore. And then trying to get exercise in when you are in so much pain has been difficult as well. I pray it all works out for you, sister!
Hi, Marilyn. Are you still on track? Silly question, of course you are! Hope all is going well with you.
Love y'all.0 -
Only with my PCP which all my group would agree with I am sure. 1200 calories, low carb....30 minutes exercise 1-2 times daily. Nothing about how to push past the pain, manage when I can't walk etc. No meal plan but all that can be found online. Absolutely no guidance on how to balance all the issues involved or things I should limit or avoid. Oh well.
Today has been pretty awful! I got up with extreme pain in my back and it's been an all day thing so far. I shuffled about, bent over, unable to stand straight for the most part. May be some kidney thing going on. It's helped with the meal plan thing since I can hardly stand! I've had 2 naps and even laying down is truly painful. Praying for recovery...head to feet!
Meal 1...I did a can of soup and applesauce...easy but high sodium, natural sugar/carb, meal 2 was egg beaters with diced pepper, bacon bits and cheese and 2 light toast. Yummy! I hadn't had the beaters in about a year...and like the bananas and milk, are something I really enjoy. I had more applesauce with meal 2. Debating on dinner....will be fast and easy, no fruit.
In my searching...meds wise...I found that my insurance does cover Tresiba so I will talk to my Dr. about a script for that to try. Don't know why it showed up last year as a no go. Who knows why the insurance companies do what they do and one can't get straight answers most of the time. I'll see what difference there is on performance. There is a generic for Novolog but they don't cover that.
That's awesome! It takes patience for a task like that and I'm glad you enjoy it and always have.
I'm going to go watch NewsNation a bit and contemplate dinner. I took my pain pills already (second time today) and wishing they actually worked! Have a good evening!0 -
Update: It's 9:20 and my back has eased up about 40% and I am so thankful. I did have fruit again for dinner....I won't fuss at me too much as it's rare for me to have it. I had a can of NS added peaches with cottage cheese and a SF Jello cup. It was really good.
After looking at the sodium on one of my soup cans, I went back and deleted all the soup from my pick up order! One can (2 servings) has 1550 mg sodium. That's the chicken corn chowder. You'd think you could actually TASTE the salt but I don't! I just know I need to knock it off my list and find things not so damaging.0 -
Oh, my friend, I am so sorry! I wish I could take it all for you! Are you drinking enough liquids? If it is the kidneys that may help. I know that 100% cranberry juice has helped to keep me out of the bathroom in the middle of the night, but I have to drink it in my smoothie with milk and other stuff so it won't bother my stomach. Cranberry juice helps to fight bacteria and helps with inflammation. I do about 8 oz. five or so days a week.
Lots of rain last night. Hope the garden is doing well this morning. I haven't taken the time to go and check, but we are going to town shortly and we park the cars right by the garden, so I'll take a look then. The blueberries are finished, and the figs are getting ready - lots and lots of those - now to figure out how to store them! LOL! Last year they pretty much just got eaten as people passed the bushes (trees?). I'm not a big fan of them.
Well, I need to get myself ready to go. Love y'all.0 -
Before I add another motivational picture/saying thought I would update a little.
I believe I shared that I know have Chronic Kidney Disease, Stage 3 which mean my GFR is at 34. This is not good news as it means I am heading to kidney failure rather fast. SOOOOO things have changed for the whole family as to what we are eating.
Three things the doctor said I had to change immediately
1) 8 8 oz glasses of water every day
2)ABSOLUTELY NO SUGAR/SODIUM - get enough from the fresh food we eat and there is also sodium in our meat without adding to it. So that meant we had to through out all foods in the pantry that had a label (soups, sauces, ect) And that was somewhat difficult as we like our sauces of our food. But things are changing
3) Animal protein has to be 2 oz per day - so no more having 4 oz of protein at lunch and 4 oz of protein at dinner. My protein is mainly coming from whole foods, lentils, beans. Have deleted red meat from my diet and now should I want 'animal protein' I have 2 oz of chicken and/or fish. But both are over the top expensive so am working on having more vegetarian type meals each week.
I have also deleted dairy - no more eggs (to much cholesterol) and cheese is high to. Biggest change with respect to tracking is my cholesterol numbers. I have brought the tracking of cholesterol from 450 - 600 mg in one day down to 35 mg in one day. So am sure when I have my overall blood work done in August there should be an improvement there. And honestly I don't miss the eggs or cheese. I am not a milk or yogurt person so those were easy to give up. Only time I would have had milk was on oatmeal but when I have oatmeal now for breakfast (I weight out 4 oz exactly for breakfast) I just add a fruit - usually blueberries (frozen) and stir it in let it sit for a couple of minutes allowing the berries to thaw some and tastes so good. Have also had a banana mixed into the oatmeal or 2 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce. The applesauce is a good on but though they say it is unsweetened am sure there is some and could be some salt so I am going to be getting a flat of apples and boil them up to make my own applesauce not adding sugar or salt. Used to do this when the kids were little but haven't for years but going back to the basics in many ways.
Bren you mentioned soups and how much was in the soup you had. That one you shared is what a person who has kidney problems should have in one day or less actually. I am getting around 600 mg of sodium now that I am working on it. Best to avoid all canned soups. I have a recipe for 1 serving of tomato soup - if you would like it let me know and I will post it. But it is a good thing to just make your own soup - little bit of broth watching for the sodium in it and then lots of water with lots of vegetables you like. Tastes so much better.
I have a kitchen scale (digital) which I weigh all my food on. We are learning to love different veggys and it is interesting to see how much my husband is enjoying them now. Here is an example of what we have been having the last week that we have discovered we love
We cut up zucchini, yellow onion, cucumber, baby bok choy, tomato, celery, green pepper and some baby spinach. We put this into our wok with 1 - 2 oz of olive oil (only oil we will use as it is the healthiest) and then stir fry it. I usually have 6 oz of this when it is cooked but find it difficult to track on MFP as I need to track the individual amounts. So starting today when we cut up the vegetables with each vegetable (except the tomato) I put 2 - 3 oz in a bowl of each of these vegetables than 1 tomato then this will be cooked in a pan just for me so that I know the actual total of what I am having (when it is all cooked I will measure again to get a total. The rest hubby will do up in another wok for him and daughter. Usually with this we have minute brown rice with me having 2/3 of a cup. And for protein I have been having 2 oz of baked chicken (cooked in the air fryer). When we do our big grocery shopping at the end of the month we will be purchasing some lentils and other beans to use for protein rather than the chicken. We are a work in progress.
I have all of this as this coming week I see the doctor again to get results of blood work just on my kidneys ( will have the blood work done tomorrow morning) - this will show what 1 month of change has done to help the kidneys. It we see a positive change then I can wait to get the next blood work done in August when all will be checked
Making these changes are so important and am thinking 'why didn't I listen and make them before" but no I kept thinking all of the damage they tell me wont happen to me - now my life depends on it.
One other update:
May 8 2022 my weight was 263.1 - decided it was time to get serious
June 7 2022 at my TOPS meeting - weigh was 251.6 This is a loss of 11.5 in one month = all done with changing up the food to have no salt, keeping the cholesterol below 300 mg. Love it!!!
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Thanks for the giggle Marilyn....and the update. That's awesome! Yep...I "know" all those things....but knowing and doing are conflicting issues, considering the chronic pain, instability and mobility problems. I need to push myself out of the box and get with the program.
Thanks Kim! Oh Honey...you have your own load to bear! But you can sure pray for this old girl. That's a burden bearing exercise!
I have some electrolyte drink mix and have been trying to up my water intake. Most days i do not get enough. This onset was so sudden and severe, I do think it's kidney related. My last GFR was 46. I'll get labs done Monday or Tuesday. When I go out for that, I need to run up to Firestone and check my tires. It still shows low pressure after having them checked at Avis 2 weeks ago.
My FBS was 158 this morning after behaving myself. I need to do that consistently. Rest well ladies....I am up to play for awhile.0 -
Marilyn, you are doing so well in managing your physical needs! It's very encouraging to see.
I don't have the results of my bloodwork yet, hopefully by Monday.
Getting some housework done today, so hope that will burn off some calories.
Still going up and down with that same pound. I was at 236.6 this morning.0 -
@Bren - you mentioned your GFR was 46 - mine was that a couple of years ago and now has really dropped. Please I would so encourage you to do the following otherwise you could end up in the stage I am so here is what I was told to do
1) drink your water - I was told 8 8x glasses and he said that means water not tea or things added to it but just plain good old water. This will really help the kidneys by helping flush out any toxins that the kidneys are having trouble getting rid of
2) absolutely no added salt which means getting rid of all processed foods - anything that has a label has to be removed from your eating plan - this is hard to do but can be done - I am proof that it can be done as my palate likes just a few foods and most are not all that healthy but I have drastically changed in the last 2 weeks.
3) 2 oz of animal protein per day - all other protein should come from whole food and things like lentils and beans.
I know you have many issues your dealing with that might be hard to make some of these changes, but start slowly with even making just one - you could bring that kidney function back up some and for sure you will stop the process of it going down but as long as you (and me) keep eating foods that have labels as they have lots of sodium (use the tracker here and track everything) you will continue to damage your kidneys.
What I did over a few days (and I must admit am still doing it) is going to the food tracker and put in an item of food to get the nutrients to decide if I want t keep it on the list of food that I will eat. I decided three things (1) how much does one serving have of cholesterol (2) how much sodium does one serving have (3) how much potassium does it have. I do this with everything I eat and I don't eat it until I have checked it out, Keep your limits of these down to what is accessible if you have low kidney function which you do with a reading of 46.
By the way I do have a group - a new one due to what I am now dealing with - I do have a new group that deals with this and if you would like to join me there I would be pleased to encourage you there - rather than duplicating the information there to here. The group is private so when you come to have a look I would approve you. It is small think there is now 5 but so far I am the only one posting but others will be doing that shortly. Would love to have you there
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Thank you for your concern, encouragement and support.
I don't add salt to my food, but know there's more than enough in just about everything. My kidney Dr. told me that "management is necessary because improvement is unlikely"....tho I have seen improvement in my GFR twice now. Once, up to 64 so I still have hope!
I see my endocrinologist the 15th and it will be after August 25 when I see my kidney Dr. again. I'm on a couple of meds that affect kidney function and the Actos I was on for 2 plus years did some damage before it went off the market.
My back is SO much better. I'm walking upright with less assistance so that's a good thing. I've been pushing the water...aiming for good hydration. That was a rough 2.5 days!0 -
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Thank you so much for the information, Marilyn. I hope that you are able to help others through your other team, it's so vital.
I am still waiting to get my test results. I've requested the results from Quest, so we will see if they come in. If I haven't heard from Quest by Thursday, I'll call the PA's office and see if he has them. He's a small country office so he doesn't have a way to post them to the internet, but I think that he would e-mail them to me if I requested it.
Well, I am starving, so y'all have an awesome day in Christ. Love you0 -
Our turn around on lab reports is very quick. I'll have mine done tomorrow. I always pray they get in and out quickly and don't hurt me! I have some orders from 2 doctors so they draw more.
Since I will be out in the morning for lab work, I did a pick up order from HEB and will get my tires checked. I had a portable air compressor and gave it away along with my windshield cover things since with my pain and mobility issues I would use neither again. I have Triple A should I need a flat changed or a tow to a shop. It's money well spent for the rare occasions I need assistance.0 -
Had blood work taken this morning just for my kidney function. Might be able to get the results tomorrow by logging onto the website for the lab but otherwise will wait till I see the doctor on Wednesday. I go for a full blood work up in August which will really tell overall (especially cholesterol) how I am doing
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Hope you get a good report Marilyn. My cholesterol has actually been low for the last year...but I've been on statins for maybe 10 years? The triglycerides are what run awfully high for me due to the diabetes being out of control.0
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My new mousepad I got today. I love it!
Got these too, more portion control tools...I have 3 of the plates...these are "trays"....
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Oh my goodness! That wind! It almost blew this old girl down, leaving the lab...45 MPH gusts and I was weak and wobbly. So glad to be done tho. She had to stick me 3 times. Wahh! I quit asking them to donate to the cause because nobody ever would.
I have my endo appt. tomorrow afternoon. I picked up my HEB order on the way home and got that stuffed away so will now get back in my gown and hunker down. I had a really restless night...woke myself up saying "my turtle is eating my shoe, Donald!" (my brother)
For some reason I had adopted a big old knobby turtle, a bunny and some unidentifiable something with a mouth smaller than the size of of a USB port...Now what would I feed them all?
A nap will be very welcome.0 -
Oh, Bren, that is so funny! I wish I woke with those kinds of dreams. The ones that wake me are usually kind of scary - or I need to go to the bathroom and can't find anywhere to go! Gotta wake up from those cause they are trying to tell me something! LOL! Can you take fish oil, Bren. I was told that I would need to take 4,000 units of whatever is in them for it to make a difference in my numbers. I take 1200 a day right now. Ick, one of the capsules broke in one of my pill keepers and I ended up having to throw it away, I couldn't get that terrible fishy smell out of it. I'll know if I need to take two more a day after I get the results back. I sent a request into Quest yesterday and they are working on getting my test results posted. I've been looking at the at home hormone tests one can buy. I really need to know where my hormones are at. I did just that one test 2 or so years ago and never did another one (we moved away) to see if I had any improvement. I'm pretty sure my cortisone is back to where it is supposed to be because I sleep well at night, all though I am still tired all day as well even though I get 8 or more hours of sleep!
Hope your tests come back improved!
Marilyn, hope all goes well and your reports are improved this time!
Trying to figure out some healthy snacks to get from Amazon or Sam's. I found a different veggie chip than the ones I had been buying. The cane sugar is farther down on the list of ingredients and there is just .6 oz in a bag rather than one ounce. I looked at coconut chips too. They have more fat than other fruit chips, but they also have protein and a lot less carbs. I'd rather have fat than carbs. I do have a bag of coconut flakes in the fridge!
Well, y'all have a good day. Take care of yourselves.0 -
Yep, that was some wild stuff. Thinking I should return the turtle. I hate those scary dreams.
I got my lab results already. woohoo....A1C still 8.2 but GFR is at 57.2...up a hair. The micro-blah blah that's been over 1400 is at 799....(protein spillage) He didn't have the triglycerides run this time. My sodium and potassium are good.
I was so weak and exhausted...finally got a nap, feeling better...just achy. Both arms. Feet are better tho...yay0
