On Thursday I had my regular three monthly appointment in the Renal Clinic. I’m not quite sure what to make of it but here goes….
First of all, I decided to walk the 5 mile round trip. I’ve done that many times before and it reminds me that although things aren’t exactly perfect inside me, I can still have a lengthy brisk walk. A highlight was bumping into Ross W, taking his new baby (Florence, I think?) for a walk. Actually she was fast asleep in a modern high tech looking pram thing.
Rachel met me at the hospital and I checked into the waiting room. I got called for my weight (okay) and blood pressure (not okay) and then it was straight into see a consultant. This was a different consultant, a smart, very friendly Asian lady. These are the main points….
- my creatinine and eGFR blood tests improved slightly
- other tests for minerals etc seem okay
- my blood pressure is too high but this is a consequence of my kidney damage
- a urine sample was sent for analysis to see if I have an infection and if so, what type
- I relayed the urology concern about the possibility of one kidney-bladder tube needing a stent and this was simply noted
- next appointment in two months
Then we were ambushed by a Dietician!
As we were walking along the corridor on our way out when a tall, slender young lady approached us asking “are you Mr Hook, could I have a minute of your time?”
The consultant heard all of this in the corridor and with a cheeky smile she said the ideal diet is simple. You simply give up everything you enjoy – smoking, alcohol and sex!
From the hilarious corridor conversation we got talking with the dietician. Somehow it had been noted on my file about wanting to see a Dietician. I explained I’d seen one via my Doctor. As she seemed so pleasant and she had the time, another conversation seemed alright and what was there to lose?
I outlined my challenge for the NHS. I have messed up kidneys but I’d like to live for another 40 years because I love life. I’m happy to do everything I can do although I might need a bit of help from the NHS. She smiled and thought I was funny and had exactly the right attitude. She wished her boyfriend was like me, he apparently only wants to live until he’s 75.
We chatted and it became apparent she had seen all my blood tests and so on. I relayed a few points I could remember from before such as avoiding salt and processed food. Plus some tips such as having porridge for breakfast with fruit – so the presence of the fruit’s vitamin C helps the body to absorb the iron in the porridge.
Being vegetarian is positive but not essential from her point of view as the important thing is not to overload the kidneys with lots of proteins to process. Having the occasional egg is absolutely fine.
She said how I can ask to see her in the clinic again if it would help. Furthermore she implied how she wished more patients would be as proactive as I am in looking after myself. So that was very encouraging and cheered me up as I walked home.
Related: the maverick consultant the dainty dietician health news (august 2018)