Dec Updates

As a follow up from last post, my frequent urination went away after few days. I asked the doctor and he said it could be a UTI infection. I think that was it.

Since the last post I have lost around 2 kgs. I am following a good diet -  mostly vegan, with occasional dairy in tea in the afternoon. I have almost cut down on alcohol. Only at couple of social occasions, I drank a sparkling wine. One evening I drank a pint of beer. I don't miss the drinking.

I also have cut down on sugars. I rarely have desserts and avoid processed sugar.

Overall I am feeling healthy but I am paranoid, on what could happen in the future. My blood pressure has actually have been really good in the last month. I have started taking Algae based Omega - 3 and hopefully that is contributing to keeping my blood pressure low.

I have been in west coast since Christmas and I have this weird feeling in my mouth. I feel like as if I have ulcers in my mouth. I have been drinking a lot of water to keep me hydrated and change this feeling in my mouth. Nothing has changed yet. Lets see how it unfolds.

Btw, I have been reading up on the Lee Hull book to educate myself on the kidney disease. Couple of my take aways are

1. Keep the right PH balance for the body. This helps strain on the kidneys. Kidneys control the PH balance of the body by secreting ammonia. I realized that my diet has been predominantly acidic. My goal is to keep my body PH levels to be alkaline. I will do this by eating more greens - greens are alkaline in nature. I am also considering taking a daily dose of baking soda to keep my body alkaline. There are many studies that have shown that daily dose of baking soda slows down kidney disease.
2. Inflammation is a probable cause of kidney disease. My BP is already in control so if the protein in the urine keeps on increasing then most likely inflammation is the cause. I need to find if there is inflammation in the body and what is causing it. Taking animal products out of my diet should help in decreasing inflammation if it existed. 
3. I am going to reduce peanuts and other nuts to reduce my exposure to oxalate. Oxalate form crystals in kidney and for many people, they manifest as kidney stones. I want to rule out that possibility.

Game plan for next 30 days is to get blood work done and see where my numbers stand. I am also considering getting a Kidney biopsy. That might uncover what is happening in the kidney.

Sleepless nights

Last two nights have been sleepless. I woke up every 2-3 hours to pee and drink water. This all has made me worried on the situation of my kidneys.

Today I have also started feeling pain in the back just below the rib cage. Lets see how the next few days unfold.

Current Status

Last year in April, during a routine lab test, it was found that I have protein in my urine. Initially, the thought was that this is just false reading, but after repeat tests it was confirmed that protein was indeed leaking in my urine. I met a Nephrologist and he kept track of my test. He started me on a Losartan in Sep 18. Blood pressure has been in control since then. As per the lab results, I was also severely low in Vitamin B and Vitamin D. On each visit, I would get a shot for vitamin B and prescription for 12 weeks of Vitamin D.

My protein numbers initially went down from 530 in Oct 18 to 287 in Jan 19 but it again went up to 631 in July 19.  My eGFR number have stayed steady 120+ for the last 18 months

I got my blood work and urine test done in Nov. My eGFR number is good but ACR number has shot up to 991. This is the highest number I had in last 18 months. My cholesterol numbers were high too. This could be related to all the nuts, Croissants, and other fried foods I have been eating in last few months. 

I made few decisions to fix my diet and lets see how it changes overall numbers. The changes I am making are

• Avoid salt and sugar.
• Stop Coffee, Tea, and Alcohol.
• Avoid any kind of fried processed foods.
• Eat super healthy meals.
• Don't eat any animal products.

From the supplement side, I am going to take Vitamin B12 regularly.