Update #7 ~ Peptide Therapy, round 2
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Lorrie's Journey
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Lorrie's Journey
Hello to all! I hope this update finds you and your family well in this warm month of June.
I've been eager to start my second month of Peptide therapy which I finally did last week. My IV infusion went well as did the IM shot I received 4 days later. I repeat this pattern weekly.
I will not be taking a week off to see how my kidneys are tolerating it this time. I had to remind myself that this journey is about combatting the cancer and "trusting God" with the outcome of my kidneys as well as with the cancer.
It's my understanding that I will be tested towards the end of the month for various cancer tumor markers amongst other things. This will provide a baseline for moving forward. It will be time for another kidney blood draw as well.
I'll share the results of those tests in my next update.
Picking up where I last left off on my kidney journey... I was living my life believing all was well with my kidneys since my corrective surgery at the age of 20. At that time my GFR was at stage 2 and the doctor had no concerns.
I married in my late 20s and eventually God blessed us with 2 beautiful, healthy children. Life's activities and responsibilities certainly pick up when you are working and raising children. I ate a fairly healthy diet and drank "high protein" shakes to keep my energy level up.
Fast forward with me now to my mid forties and a visit to my primary doctor for an annual check up. After having blood work done in preparation for the visit, a couple of areas of concern were pointed out. One was that my GFR had now dropped to Stage 3B at 44.
I was told I needed to see a nephrologist.
GFR is a measured parameter that indicates how well the kidneys are filtering the blood. Declining GFR levels indicate increasing kidney damage.
Stage 1 >90, Stage 2 89-60, Stage 3A 59-45, Stage 3B 44-30,
Stage 4 29 -15 and Stage 5 <15 (end stage renal failure).
After meeting with a nephrologist, my kidney journey began. Learning that damaged kidneys tend to fail more quickly than healthy kidneys, I asked to be put on a renal diet. I was told that with a GFR of 44 it was not necessary to be on a diet yet. I responded with, "Why would I want to wait." Having 2 children at home with lots of growing yet to do, I wanted to be actively involved in their lives.
Please backtrack with me for a moment to my early 20's. I had graduated from college with a respiratory therapy degree and was working as a respiratory therapist in a hospital. A small dialysis unit happened to be next to our respiratory department. Because there was a doorway from our storage room into their treatment room, there were periodic moments where one could observe people dialyzing. This left a lasting impression on me of never wanting to do dialysis.
Back to my mid 40's now. I met with a renal dietitian and learned that as a kidney patient it was best to eat a low protein diet to help slow the progression of the disease. Excessive protein can overburden the kidneys making it harder for them to filter waste products. Yikes! All those high protein shakes in my 30's. Did I help in my own decline?
I also learned that it was important to watch my potassium, phosphorus and sodium intake. Damaged kidneys cannot effectively filter as normal kidneys do and so over time these minerals can get out of balance causing other serious medical issues to develop.
And so my diet began. For a good while I was educating myself further on kidney disease as to what foods were safe for me to eat along with what portion size and what foods were not kidney friendly.
To help me in the area of discipline and commitment I kept my "why" etched in my mind as to why I was doing this.
As I shared earlier, I wanted my children to have a mom who could be actively involved in their growing years to adulthood and, I didn't want to reach dialysis any time too soon.
Well, that's it for now until my next update. :)
Thank you again for sharing in my journey with your prayers and support making it possible for me to move forward with these treatments!!
God bless you all!
Lorrie
I've been eager to start my second month of Peptide therapy which I finally did last week. My IV infusion went well as did the IM shot I received 4 days later. I repeat this pattern weekly.
I will not be taking a week off to see how my kidneys are tolerating it this time. I had to remind myself that this journey is about combatting the cancer and "trusting God" with the outcome of my kidneys as well as with the cancer.
It's my understanding that I will be tested towards the end of the month for various cancer tumor markers amongst other things. This will provide a baseline for moving forward. It will be time for another kidney blood draw as well.
I'll share the results of those tests in my next update.
Picking up where I last left off on my kidney journey... I was living my life believing all was well with my kidneys since my corrective surgery at the age of 20. At that time my GFR was at stage 2 and the doctor had no concerns.
I married in my late 20s and eventually God blessed us with 2 beautiful, healthy children. Life's activities and responsibilities certainly pick up when you are working and raising children. I ate a fairly healthy diet and drank "high protein" shakes to keep my energy level up.
Fast forward with me now to my mid forties and a visit to my primary doctor for an annual check up. After having blood work done in preparation for the visit, a couple of areas of concern were pointed out. One was that my GFR had now dropped to Stage 3B at 44.
I was told I needed to see a nephrologist.
GFR is a measured parameter that indicates how well the kidneys are filtering the blood. Declining GFR levels indicate increasing kidney damage.
Stage 1 >90, Stage 2 89-60, Stage 3A 59-45, Stage 3B 44-30,
Stage 4 29 -15 and Stage 5 <15 (end stage renal failure).
After meeting with a nephrologist, my kidney journey began. Learning that damaged kidneys tend to fail more quickly than healthy kidneys, I asked to be put on a renal diet. I was told that with a GFR of 44 it was not necessary to be on a diet yet. I responded with, "Why would I want to wait." Having 2 children at home with lots of growing yet to do, I wanted to be actively involved in their lives.
Please backtrack with me for a moment to my early 20's. I had graduated from college with a respiratory therapy degree and was working as a respiratory therapist in a hospital. A small dialysis unit happened to be next to our respiratory department. Because there was a doorway from our storage room into their treatment room, there were periodic moments where one could observe people dialyzing. This left a lasting impression on me of never wanting to do dialysis.
Back to my mid 40's now. I met with a renal dietitian and learned that as a kidney patient it was best to eat a low protein diet to help slow the progression of the disease. Excessive protein can overburden the kidneys making it harder for them to filter waste products. Yikes! All those high protein shakes in my 30's. Did I help in my own decline?
I also learned that it was important to watch my potassium, phosphorus and sodium intake. Damaged kidneys cannot effectively filter as normal kidneys do and so over time these minerals can get out of balance causing other serious medical issues to develop.
And so my diet began. For a good while I was educating myself further on kidney disease as to what foods were safe for me to eat along with what portion size and what foods were not kidney friendly.
To help me in the area of discipline and commitment I kept my "why" etched in my mind as to why I was doing this.
As I shared earlier, I wanted my children to have a mom who could be actively involved in their growing years to adulthood and, I didn't want to reach dialysis any time too soon.
Well, that's it for now until my next update. :)
Thank you again for sharing in my journey with your prayers and support making it possible for me to move forward with these treatments!!
God bless you all!
Lorrie
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Ann Marie Killough
Heather Hiserote