My kidney...

Bomby · 08-30-2010, 12:59 AM

... is on its last straw right now. One more infection and it's off to dialysis land I go. Dialysis is not ****ing cool. At least my dad and sister are potential donors. But I'm really worried right now. This is going to make my life a lot more difficult...

Dizzy · 08-30-2010, 01:04 AM

Oh, dude, that's heavy. Well, feel free to come to us when these things are troubling you late at night.

I'm sorry, I'm doing the best I can, but I honestly suck at advice. I do feel for you though.

***Cosmonautical*** · 08-30-2010, 01:20 AM

Oh ****, really? Keep a line open to us about your status, man, we care about you.

CuccoLady · 08-30-2010, 01:24 AM

Oh no. That's awful. D}:

I'll never understand why crap like this happens to people. I'm sorry you have to go through all this. Like AI said, keep us updated so we know how you're doing.

Hoping for the best.

Jailbreaker · 08-30-2010, 07:56 AM

I'll bet you love that kidney. I'll bet you've had it for as long as you can rememeber.

Bomby · 08-30-2010, 02:29 PM

Ugh, my urologist is crazy skull and bones about everything, and every time I meet him he seems like he's not quite all there in his head. Today I had to give him a record of my fluid intake and output (yes, that means exactly what you think it means), and dude wasn't even there, even though he specifically told me that he wanted it today.

My nephrologist seems a bit less pessimistic, saying that so long as I keep myself healthy that this kidney could still last me quite a while, though he didn't leave out the possibility of things inevitably getting worse on their own. My creatinine level was 2.5 last time we checked, which indicates about 35% functionality, though at the beginning of August I was at 1.8, which is closer to 45%. I get the feeling that the problem was that the nephrostomy tube in my back (which was supposed to have been taken out by now) came a bit loose and was moving around until I taped it down a few days ago. That could have been irritating the kidney and therefore decreasing functionality. The thing is, a kidney can bounce back from lower functionality to higher functionality. I wouldn't be surprised if the next time I got my blood drawn my creatinine went down to 2.1 or 2.0, but I guess only time will tell.

I don't know. I don't feel particularly weak right now, so I'm hoping that this is a good sign, but if my kidney is just failing, then it's going to be a complete bitch to deal with. At this point I've decided just to live my life as normally as possible but be cautious about monitoring myself and seek help immediately if things start to look awry. I don't drink, smoke or do any recreational drugs, and the only caffeine I ever intake is from tea, which doesn't have that much anyway.

My other problem is that this constant monitoring of my kidney function might prevent me from teaching English in South Korea like I've been planning to do. Thankfully they do have universal health care there, but I'm not sure how good the care is, especially since they're actually ranked below the US, which isn't ranked that well in and of itself.

Vgfian · 08-30-2010, 02:41 PM

Prayin' for you, dude. Hope things get better.

**Cravdraa** · 08-30-2010, 06:42 PM

I feel for you, man. That's some scary stuff. I'll be hoping for you.

**Crazyswordsman** · 08-30-2010, 08:48 PM

I'm so sorry to hear about your kidney, Bomby. I'm praying for you. -CSM

**Valigarmander** · 08-30-2010, 08:59 PM

That really sucks, and I hope things work out okay for you. Keep us updated on everything new.

Rainbow Dash · 08-30-2010, 10:01 PM

I might have a kidney for you.

On an unrelated note, Val, want to go ice fishing?

CuccoLady · 08-30-2010, 11:24 PM

Oh man, I hope you're able to go to South Korea. Best of luck with the kidney, and once more, keep us posted.

We're all pulling for ya!

Bomby · 08-31-2010, 01:43 PM

Had my blood drawn again today. I'm feeling pretty healthy right now, so hopefully my kidney function is better than it was last week.

Jere · 08-31-2010, 05:07 PM

Keep it up man, i don't think we need to expand the memorial fourms just yet.

Random User · 08-31-2010, 10:48 PM

That sucks, hope everything ends up okay in the end.

Vgfian · 09-01-2010, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Had my blood drawn again today. I'm feeling pretty healthy right now, so hopefully my kidney function is better than it was last week.

Glad to hear you're doing better, dude.

Bomby · 09-01-2010, 01:43 PM

Good news: my creatinine is down to 1.9, which should be about 40-45% functionality.

Better news: my nephrostomy tube is getting removed on Friday.

Vgfian · 09-01-2010, 03:29 PM

That is good news to hear, Bomby.

Bomby · 09-04-2010, 01:38 AM

WATER, FIRE, WIND, DIRT
****ING KIDNEYS, HOW DO THEY WORK?

I'm not sure, but I got quite possibly the best news I've received about my kidney in a long time: It recovers very quickly when I take care of myself better. My urologist deduced this from the aforementioned intake/output diary he made me do and my decreased creatinine level. I dropped from 2.5 to 1.9 in five days, which is pretty fast.

The bad news, however, is that my function also decreases rapidly when I don't take care of myself as well. I guess I have a "sensitive system."

For the curious:

Spoiler Below

The whole problem stems from having a muscular and desensitized bladder. I can't feel as well as most people when my bladder is full, and rather than being "elastic" like normal bladders, it doesn't contract or expand very much. This was caused by posterior urethral valves, or basically, a blockage where my urethra meets the bladder. This made it difficult for me to urinate as a child (I was used to it, though, so I didn't know there was a problem), and caused an infection which completely atrophied my left kidney.

Also, my nephrostomy tube finally got pulled today, after sticking out of my back for three and a half months. I feel so free! I can sit down without having to worry about the damn tube getting tugged on! I can go out and play soccer again! Best of all, the incision no longer itches.

The only thing that really bothers me is that I'm still going to have to be closely monitored for a while, though gradually throughout the year it's going to be more and more self-monitoring, so I might actually get to leave the country in a year or so, you never know.

Now it's almost funny to look back at the beginning of the topic and see how scared my doctor had me just a week ago. If I keep taking care of myself I think I should hopefully be fine. If some serious **** goes down, though, my kidney is probably still on it's last straw and set for complete shutdown. My baseline creatinine level was around 1.3 before my kidney infection in May, but it looks like my baseline is probably going to be settling around 1.7-1.8 for the time being. Once it goes beyond 2.5 it's generally a slippery slope to failure.

Despite everything, I officially declare this a "Happy Thread" for the time being.

***Cosmonautical*** · 09-04-2010, 01:57 AM

That's great news, dude. Hope it all works out for you, and that kidney keeps doing what it does.

08-30-2010, 12:59 AM	#1
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	My kidney... ... is on its last straw right now. One more infection and it's off to dialysis land I go. Dialysis is not **ing cool. At least my dad and sister are potential donors. But I'm really worried right now. This is going to make my life a lot more difficult...

08-30-2010, 01:04 AM	#2
Dizzy Podiaphobe Join Date: Oct 2007 Gender: Posts: 19,359 Thanks: 1,764 Thanked 1,162 Times in 805 Posts Blog Entries: 116	Oh, dude, that's heavy. Well, feel free to come to us when these things are troubling you late at night. I'm sorry, I'm doing the best I can, but I honestly suck at advice. I do feel for you though.

08-30-2010, 01:20 AM	#3
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,102 Thanks: 2,157 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	Oh ****, really? Keep a line open to us about your status, man, we care about you.

08-30-2010, 01:24 AM	#4
CuccoLady Anime and Cartoons Mod Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: THIS LOCATION REMINDS ME OF A PUZZLE, LUKE Gender: Posts: 9,077 Thanks: 2,825 Thanked 1,222 Times in 822 Posts	Oh no. That's awful. D}: I'll never understand why crap like this happens to people. I'm sorry you have to go through all this. Like AI said, keep us updated so we know how you're doing. Hoping for the best.

08-30-2010, 07:56 AM	#5
Jailbreaker Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Not in jail anymore, yay! Gender: Posts: 3,482 Thanks: 1,074 Thanked 185 Times in 118 Posts	I'll bet you love that kidney. I'll bet you've had it for as long as you can rememeber.

08-30-2010, 02:29 PM	#6
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	Ugh, my urologist is crazy skull and bones about everything, and every time I meet him he seems like he's not quite all there in his head. Today I had to give him a record of my fluid intake and output (yes, that means exactly what you think it means), and dude wasn't even there, even though he specifically told me that he wanted it today. My nephrologist seems a bit less pessimistic, saying that so long as I keep myself healthy that this kidney could still last me quite a while, though he didn't leave out the possibility of things inevitably getting worse on their own. My creatinine level was 2.5 last time we checked, which indicates about 35% functionality, though at the beginning of August I was at 1.8, which is closer to 45%. I get the feeling that the problem was that the nephrostomy tube in my back (which was supposed to have been taken out by now) came a bit loose and was moving around until I taped it down a few days ago. That could have been irritating the kidney and therefore decreasing functionality. The thing is, a kidney can bounce back from lower functionality to higher functionality. I wouldn't be surprised if the next time I got my blood drawn my creatinine went down to 2.1 or 2.0, but I guess only time will tell. I don't know. I don't feel particularly weak right now, so I'm hoping that this is a good sign, but if my kidney is just failing, then it's going to be a complete bitch to deal with. At this point I've decided just to live my life as normally as possible but be cautious about monitoring myself and seek help immediately if things start to look awry. I don't drink, smoke or do any recreational drugs, and the only caffeine I ever intake is from tea, which doesn't have that much anyway. My other problem is that this constant monitoring of my kidney function might prevent me from teaching English in South Korea like I've been planning to do. Thankfully they do have universal health care there, but I'm not sure how good the care is, especially since they're actually ranked below the US, which isn't ranked that well in and of itself.

08-30-2010, 02:41 PM	#7
Vgfian Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Listening to Seeking 7 Seven and giving out free hugs. :) Gender: Posts: 6,862 Thanks: 2,433 Thanked 398 Times in 311 Posts	Prayin' for you, dude. Hope things get better.

08-30-2010, 06:42 PM	#8
Cravdraa VGF RPG Mod Join Date: May 2001 Location: It's Round on the sides and high in the middle. Gender: Posts: 8,470 Thanks: 171 Thanked 662 Times in 404 Posts	I feel for you, man. That's some scary stuff. I'll be hoping for you.

08-30-2010, 08:48 PM	#9
Crazyswordsman This key doesn't work. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Booyaville (yeah!) Gender: Posts: 10,791 Thanks: 1,019 Thanked 686 Times in 467 Posts	I'm so sorry to hear about your kidney, Bomby. I'm praying for you. -CSM

08-30-2010, 08:59 PM	#10
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	That really sucks, and I hope things work out okay for you. Keep us updated on everything new.

08-30-2010, 10:01 PM	#11
Rainbow Dash been dreamin', i've been waitin' Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: a bomb-ass cloud house bachelorette pad Gender: Posts: 24,402 Thanks: 173 Thanked 1,179 Times in 716 Posts	I might have a kidney for you. On an unrelated note, Val, want to go ice fishing?

08-30-2010, 11:24 PM	#12
CuccoLady Anime and Cartoons Mod Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: THIS LOCATION REMINDS ME OF A PUZZLE, LUKE Gender: Posts: 9,077 Thanks: 2,825 Thanked 1,222 Times in 822 Posts	Oh man, I hope you're able to go to South Korea. Best of luck with the kidney, and once more, keep us posted. We're all pulling for ya!

08-31-2010, 01:43 PM	#13
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	Had my blood drawn again today. I'm feeling pretty healthy right now, so hopefully my kidney function is better than it was last week.

08-31-2010, 05:07 PM	#14
Jere Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sutme Gender: Posts: 3,650 Thanks: 404 Thanked 331 Times in 256 Posts Blog Entries: 3	Keep it up man, i don't think we need to expand the memorial fourms just yet.

08-31-2010, 10:48 PM	#15
Random User Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Equestrian Republic of Spanglidesh Gender: Posts: 3,562 Thanks: 321 Thanked 195 Times in 143 Posts Blog Entries: 4	That sucks, hope everything ends up okay in the end.

09-01-2010, 01:43 PM	#17
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	Good news: my creatinine is down to 1.9, which should be about 40-45% functionality. Better news: my nephrostomy tube is getting removed on Friday.

09-01-2010, 03:29 PM	#18
Vgfian Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Listening to Seeking 7 Seven and giving out free hugs. :) Gender: Posts: 6,862 Thanks: 2,433 Thanked 398 Times in 311 Posts	That is good news to hear, Bomby.

09-04-2010, 01:38 AM	#19
Bomby You just freaking blew Joe Biden's mind! Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: WHAT?house Gender: Posts: 19,491 Thanks: 513 Thanked 1,449 Times in 849 Posts Blog Entries: 5	WATER, FIRE, WIND, DIRT **ING KIDNEYS, HOW DO THEY WORK? I'm not sure, but I got quite possibly the best news I've received about my kidney in a long time: It recovers very quickly when I take care of myself better. My urologist deduced this from the aforementioned intake/output diary he made me do and my decreased creatinine level. I dropped from 2.5 to 1.9 in five days, which is pretty fast. The bad news, however, is that my function also decreases rapidly when I don't take care of myself as well. I guess I have a "sensitive system." For the curious: Spoiler Below The whole problem stems from having a muscular and desensitized bladder. I can't feel as well as most people when my bladder is full, and rather than being "elastic" like normal bladders, it doesn't contract or expand very much. This was caused by posterior urethral valves, or basically, a blockage where my urethra meets the bladder. This made it difficult for me to urinate as a child (I was used to it, though, so I didn't know there was a problem), and caused an infection which completely atrophied my left kidney. Also, my nephrostomy tube finally got pulled today, after sticking out of my back for three and a half months. I feel so free! I can sit down without having to worry about the damn tube getting tugged on! I can go out and play soccer again! Best of all, the incision no longer itches. The only thing that really bothers me is that I'm still going to have to be closely monitored for a while, though gradually throughout the year it's going to be more and more self-monitoring, so I might actually get to leave the country in a year or so, you never know. Now it's almost funny to look back at the beginning of the topic and see how scared my doctor had me just a week ago. If I keep taking care of myself I think I should hopefully be fine. If some serious ** goes down, though, my kidney is probably still on it's last straw and set for complete shutdown. My baseline creatinine level was around 1.3 before my kidney infection in May, but it looks like my baseline is probably going to be settling around 1.7-1.8 for the time being. Once it goes beyond 2.5 it's generally a slippery slope to failure. Despite everything, I officially declare this a "Happy Thread" for the time being.

09-04-2010, 01:57 AM	#20
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,102 Thanks: 2,157 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	That's great news, dude. Hope it all works out for you, and that kidney keeps doing what it does.