Does anyone wear any form of kidney protection?

[kristina]

Does anyone wear any form of kidney protection
like angora thermal garments etc., to protect the kidneys
from cold in the winter and draft in the summer,
either:

a) before dialysis?

b) whilst on dialysis?

c) after a transplant?

Thank you very much for your thoughts
kind regards from Kristina.

[Des]

I am pre-dialysis - I do not wear any protection.

I dress warm when it is cold and ensure that I take enough fluid when its warm, but thats it. 

[RichardMEL]

umm.. err... I only wear protection umm... well where it is needed and WHEN it is needed!    (sadly not enough lately :p )

[Rerun]

There is no such thing as a stupid question.

                     

[KICKSTART]

No never bothered, although i did think about it when i was riding but i used a back protector for that !

[keefbeer]

My only protection is a good set of headphones to escape from a noisy housebound alcoholic who sleeps all day and spends the whole night trying to talk to everyone on the Unit or failing that starts to sing show tunes.

[okarol]

I have read this:
Angora wool improves blood circulation, giving natural benefit to the wearer. Research in Germany has demonstrated that angora wool is up to 8 times warmer than sheep's wool.  This warmth-giving therapeutic effect is particularly beneficial for people with cold painful joints, sciatica, arthritis, muscle tension, kidney ailments, rheumatics, chilblains, circulatory disorders etc.

It might be warmer but it doesn't make any sense why it would be beneficial for "kidney ailments"... whatever those are. 

[MandaMe1986]

umm.. err... I only wear protection umm... well where it is needed and WHEN it is needed!    (sadly not enough lately :p )

 

[kristina]

The reason why I asked this question was because I was told a long while ago,
by a doctor, when I was recovering from my first renal failure in 1971,
that because the kidneys have little bodily protection like other organs,
they are more vulnerable, and so they would benefit from artificial protection,
like angora, when they are in a fragile state. I followed the doctors advice and
wore angora garments next to my kidneys. After my kidneys had recovered and settled down
to a function of approx. 45% I didn't need to wear the angora so often,
but I nevertheless, at the very least, kept my kidneys always well protected.
Doctors have never been able to explain why I have experienced bouts of coldness
and pain in the kidney region. It may very well be down to the
SLE/MCTD or the chronic proliferative glomerulonephritis.
Prior to the diagnosis of end-stage-renal-failure in 2006 I began to experience
greater coldness and pain in the kidney region and so I once again started to wear
angora garments to protect my kidneys. Since I have been wearing them again
I  have lost that feeling of coldness and the pain has subsided.
I cannot say whether the benefits are down to wearing angora garments,
because I have also made changes to my diet etc., so an answer cannot be
totally clear, whether it improves my health physically or not,
but at the very least it gives me
a better feeling of well-being, which is a plus
and it may very well be a small contributing factor
to help me physically.

[Hanify]

My only protection is a good set of headphones to escape from a noisy housebound alcoholic who sleeps all day and spends the whole night trying to talk to everyone on the Unit or failing that starts to sing show tunes.

Hey Keef - are you in Dan's centre? 

[kellyt]

My husband and I have been talking about inventing something that you could Velcro or slide of the lap portion of your seatbelt to protect your new kidney after transplant..  I mean, the seatbelt cuts right across my new kidney.  It's scary.

Anyone know of something like this already?  It would same me some time. 

[kristina]

Hallo, Kelly,
Why not use a very small cushion
and put it over the vulnerable kidneys before
you put the seat-belt on?
Alternatively, they used to produce something
which went over a golf-bag-carrying-strap
so the strap would not be such a burden
on the shoulder when carrying a golf bag.
Perhaps you could put one of these thick ones around your seat-belt
where it bothers your kidneys? You could find out from the Pro-shop.
I just thought as I am writing  how about something made of a pliable plastic
that could be attached to the seat-belt so the plastic formed round
where the kidneys are and protected the area from the seat belt.
I have no doubt you have given this a great deal of thought
and perhaps my suggestions don't quite answer the
particular problem you have, but I write them all the same.
Best of luck from Kristina.

[kellyt]

Thanks for the input.  I'll have to go to a golf shop to check that out.

After transplant I was given a little kidney shaped pillow and I would tuck that under my lap belt for a while, but don't anymore because I feel that if I were in an accident, even a small one, the pillow would fly out.  So I need something a little more like the golf strap thing.  I'll check it out.

I kind of envision a gel type pad sort of like the wrist thing you can buy for in front of your computer keyboard.  Do you know what I'm talking about?  Or maybe it should be more fluffy like a pillow. 

[pamster42000]

When my daughter played softball  (1994- 1998 ) I looked all over for something to cover the area where her transplanted kidney was. Actually store clerks never could quite figure out what I wanted. I could never find anything. Nothing ever happened but I sure was nervous while she played, but then again she always said I worried too much about things. I remember her team was in the final tournament one year. It was hot and she was the pitcher. I kept worrying she would get overheated, but then again nothing happened..she kept herself hydrated.

[kellyt]

That's great!  I'll bet it's so hard going through that as a teenager when you have so much you want to do, like softball.  I was so active back then that I don't know how kidney disease would have affected me.  Crazy!

[Jean]

Well, the angora sounds good, but, doesn't it itch?? I remember having an angora sweater when I was a kid, and God help me if I got too warm.

[kristina]

With regards to angora causing itching,
I am well aware that people can be
affected by different materials, not
to mention soaps and skin cream etc.,
All we can do is try something out
and see whether it is of any benefit.
I have had sometimes had to discard
something which has not suited me or to
which I am allergic to, so, all we
can do is just keep trying things.
May be the angora you were wearing
was a different type, perhaps with colouring
added and maybe other chemicals, who knows?
Good luck, Kristina.

[Jean]

Coloring, yes. ( sigh, it was a light blue to match my eyes ) Who would have thought of that. Good for you Kristina.