| I finally visited a well known kidney specialist doctor at Stanford today. Well known, experienced doctors are kind and considerate and very humble. Mostly old too. I guess it takes many years to experience to gain the name and fame.
His appointments are tough to get. I had to cancel the first appointment I got in January because of an important meeting . The next available appointment was today in March. It was another bad day, with a VP review. I attended the meeting on the phone while driving, and also had a backup to cover for me. Still this was an important one to skip. The appointment was at 3 and the doc was running behind by an hour. I had considered asking DH to pick up dotter but decided to manage on my own which was a mistake. When I left the hospital it was 5:20. DH also had his VP meetings in the evening, what are the odds, and scrambled to reach before 6 and did not succeed. He called and told the school that dotter will be picked up late. I know schools are usually anal about late pick ups. Since this as our first time we were left with a warning ;--S
These are the things the doc and his attending fellow had to say - - no extreme sports like mountain biking where there is a high chance of falling down and breaking ribs. Basically it is important I don't lose my kidneys, even one. Skiing running hiking are okay. No issues there. - he was involved in the studies they have on the potential medication to stop cyst growth in PKD, which has not been approved by FDA yet, but is legal in Japan. He thinks the medication is not safe yet and has lot of side effects. So no medication for me. - he looked at my neck and said I was prone to diabetes and I have insulin resistance. Woah! It doesn't run in my family. I need to understand more about what he said. PKD by itself may not cause me too much trouble but if it gets coupled with other kidney issues from diabetes I may be screwed. - so seven words for me EAT FOOD ( not processed junk) NOT TOO MUCH MOSTLY PLANTS - he also said pregnancy increased likelihood of kidneys deteriorating due to more work they have to do. So may be not have kids. Well that's settled then. I can't have a second child because of 'medical reasons' Phew! - since my mom is close to dialysis at 58, most likely I will be too at that age. It is all in the genes. My maternal grand parents are alive at 80+, so I will be too. There goes my grand plans of sending dotter off to college and roaming around the world. I will live a long life tied to one place? I would rather die doing something I love ( after I have lived life to the fullest!) - he also said I can continue seeing my other doctor who is easier to get an appointment with. I heard it as 'I have other patients who really need me to look after them, you are a boring slow kidney disease patient, a regular kidney doc is enough for you' ;--P which is good I guess.
That's that.
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Hope you beat this disease. who knows what cures might come up in the next decade. So keep up the attitude, be smart about food choices and live your life to the fullest.