Three Beautiful Things 10/11/13: More Details About My Kidney Disease, Sabai, Pumpkin Stout at Sixteen Tons

1.  Here's the deal:  my kidneys are diseased.  My disease is stage 4 which is severe kidney disease.  The kidneys are able to function pretty well, though, even when severely diseased.  The best test to measure kidney function is the GFR or glomerular filtration rate.  GFR is measured on a 1-100 basis.  When one's GFR is between 15 and 29 that's stage 4 or severe kidney disease.  I've been in this range for the last nine or ten years at least.  Through controlling my blood pressure and regular monitoring of my kidney function, my doctors and I hope to maintain a GFR result above 20.  Once the GFR falls below 20, it's time to get things going to plan a transplant.  When I saw my nephrologist in July, my GFR had fallen to around 20 or just below.  He told me that over these several years he'd never seen such slow progress in a kidney disease like mine and that he wanted to wait until my next visit in January and see how things looked.  He didn't see a need to get the transplant wheels turning just yet.  (Renal failure occurs when the GFR falls below 15.)  

I had blood work done this week and my GFR had improved since July, a development I'm very happy about.  It improved to 23.2.  Another measure used to determine kidney function is creatinine levels in the blood.  Healthy kidneys filter out creatinine.  My levels of creatinine had come down.

I attribute this improvement to weight loss.  I've lost weight since I donated my car to the Kidney Foundation and forced myself to walk more.

I also attribute this improvement to having changed to cutting animal protein out of my diet.  I do not eat any animal protein at home, although I drink some milk, but I often enjoy eating meat when I eat in restaurants or am a guest at someone else's home.  

I'm convinced that the reduction of animal protein has helped my kidneys improve.

If you are still reading this, what I've stated here is good news, but within the context of this chronic disease.  My kidneys are severely damaged, but the key to my continuing to live well is stability and I'm happy to say that my visit to the doctor today showed not only that my kidney function is still stable, but that it improved a bit.  

2.  After I was done at the doctor's, I drove to Sabai and ate there for the first time.  I ordered the Fancy Thai Eggplant with tofu and enjoyed the sweetness and the fire of the sauce and the way the vegetables were stir fried lightly, meaning they were not raw, but they had some crunch.  It was kind of a perfect meal to eat while reflecting upon my visit to the doctor.

3.  The Deke and I went to Sixteen Tons after I picked her up from school and enjoyed a pint and a half of Elysian Dark o' the Moon Pumpkin Stout which was gorgeous to look at and delicious to drink.  Its pumpkiny richness was spiced with a touch of cinammon and with a hit of hops it was like drinking a slice of moderately sweet pumpkin pie with a slight bitter bite.  We loved it.  I also went next door and got a couple bbq sandwiches to go from that new place that used to be Dickie Jo's and we enjoyed our food while drinking the last of our pumpkin stout.