This sounds like good news to me...

[kellyt]

I went in for my bi-weekly EPO shot this morning and while I was there I got a copy of my latest lab work done on Sept 19th.    In late June my Creatinine Serum was 8.82.  On July 22nd it was 8.35 (that was when he said it might be time for me to start) and on July 31st it came down to 7.72.  Because it came down ever so slightly Doc said we could hold off.  Creatinine Serum in Aug was 6.72 (even better).  My most recent lab done Sept 19th shows my Creatinine Serum at 6.43!

My GFR was as low as 5 in June, went up to 7 in August,  and remains at 7 today.

I have decided that I'm going to beat this!  I'm slowly going to get my kidney function back and I'm going to stay off dialysis.  Who's with me?  We must believe to achieve!!!!!


(can you tell I just watched The Secret?

I also believe I'm going to bring home more money than I take to VEGAS!!!!!!!!!!                                        ok, I almost typed that with a straight face...

[peleroja]

I wish you the best of luck, both with your creatinine and in Vegas!  In the words of Galaxy Quest, "never give up, never surrender!" 

[Sunny]

I wish you luck. Maybe think about anything in your diet or meds that might have brought about the improvment, then keep it up and you might succeed in eking out more time with your kidneys.On the other hand, don't feel bad should your kidneys give out on you. All you can do is your best efforts to stay healthy. My lab results fluctuate too, and I'm not willing to give up yet either.

[paris]

Kelly, I am with you!        Good news about the labs.  Now we just need to get you that kidney and skip the dialysis part.     I also like the taking home money from Vegas part!  Hey, we can dream, can't we 

[devon]

In the "for what it's worth" department,  I went through a similar experience this last summer.  I thought I could put it off indefinitely too.  My doctor went along for most of the time but then he pointed out that it's not just the creatinine levels.  The BUN of 100+ is also a significant indicator.  Since it had been over 100 for nearly six months, he encouraged me to start dialysis before it became an emergency issue.  I did and generally, I'm glad I did. 

The issue is that your kidneys are not performing the cleaning as they should.  Your blood is filled with toxins that continue to accumulate and do subtle damage over time.  The more the toxins remain, the more damage that's done to other organs.  For example, the pericardium surrounding the heart can get filled with toxins and give you heart problems and damage the heart muscles. 

So, long story short, you may not be doing good for yourself by postponing the inevitable.

On the other hand, I totally understand your motivations and intentions!  I just don't want you to do any more damage to yourself that will complicate things in the future!

-Devon

[paris]

Kelly, I assume your neph (like mine) goes over all the lab numbers with you.  BUN, Pth,phosphorus, etc,ect.  You seem to have a good relationship with your doctor and are working as a team.   

[donnia]

I'm with you Kelly!  Good Luck putting off dialysis!!!