Today we ask everyone to think about the wonderful, amazing job their "body's computer"-the kidney does. It controls your fluids, wastes, electrolytes, red blood cell production and blood pressure-to name just a few of it's functions. Sadly, most of us NEVER give it a thought until it malfunctions. What can we do to LOVE our kidneys? We can: keep a stable weight. If you have diabetes, keep a tight control of your blood sugars. Keep our blood pressure in the range our doctor recommends for us. Watch your salt intake carefully! If you take blood pressure medication, take it faithfully. Keep well hydrated. Be careful with all medications-even over the counter ones-that are hard on the kidney. If in doubt, ask us if a medication is safe to take for you kidneys, or perhaps a dosage adjustment is needed. If you do have chronic kidney disease, make sure ALL of your health care providers know-even your dentist. And all of us should know what are kidney function is-our BUN, our creatinine and our GFR. These numbers are every bit as vital as knowing your blood pressure or your cholesterol level. So ask your doctor to discuss yours.
When you have your labs done, talk these numbers over with your health care provider, and if they fall into the "abnormal" range, request to see a nephrologist. And don't take NO for an answer. Even if you do have chronic kidney disease, there is alot that can be done to slow down and in some cases, halt, it's progression.
If someone you love has kidney disease, join in support of organizations that work to cure kidney disease or work to unravel genetic casues of kidney disease or organizations to help folks with the disease.(You can see the list of such organizations on our Kidney Group website) Learn about kidney donation and how it can help save lives.
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter, where we promise to help you keep up to date on all the news that can help you to have HEALTHIER KIDNEYS! Happy kidneys = happy you!
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