Humbled

“Organ donors are the real heroes. I'm here today because of one. I'm forever grateful, forever humbled by that.”  (Chris King)

According to the National Kidney Foundation, 30 million Americans are estimated to have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). It is a progressive loss in kidney function over a period of months or years. To have damage to your kidneys means that they can’t do their intended job of being sophisticated trash collectors. Without proper treatment, which may include dialysis, one may go into kidney failure, which can be life threatening.

While this condition can affect anyone at any age, it’s more common in African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and South Asians (people from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, or Pakistan), and people age 60 and older. Women are more likely to have CKD than men. In the early stages of CKD, you may not have any symptoms. On the other hand, some people notice that they:

• Feel more tired and lack energy
• Have a poor appetite
• Have trouble concentrating
• Have trouble sleeping
• Have dry, itchy skin
• Have swollen feet and ankles
• Have muscle cramping
• Need to urinate more than usual
• Have pink or dark urine

If you have been diagnosed with kidney disease or kidney cancer, you face a serious chronic health issue that threatens not only your quality of life. Both diabetes and high blood pressure can lead to CKD, which make up to two-thirds of all CKD cases.

People with diabetes are more likely to have high blood pressure and kidney disease than people without diabetes. Glomerulonephritis, a condition that includes inflammation and damage to the kidneys; lupus, a type of autoimmune disease; polycystic kidney disease; kidney stones; kidney tumors; frequent urinary tract infections; and malformations can also lead to CKD.

“Individuals with kidney disease who are able to obtain treatment early experience a higher quality of life and are able to maintain more of their day-to-day activities, including keeping their jobs.” (Xavier Becerra)[i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “Chronic Kidney Disease” by National Kidney Center

·         “Ten Things to Know About Kidney Disease” by Amy Campbel

·        “Your Kidneys and How They Work” by WebMD
 

The topic for this post was suggested by my wife, Bobbi.

For further assistance with CKD see the book, Cooking for David: A Culinary Dialysis Cookbook by Dorothy Gordon and Sara Colman.