Kidneys, weight loss and a plan….

We interrupt this blog for a post that isn’t directly related to homeschooling……I decided to write about this because the health concerns of a family have an impact on homeschooling.  Anyone who deals with chronic illness will agree when I say that it adds a new ball in juggle in the adventures of homeschooling.  In our house there are two of us who deal with ongoing health issues.  My youngest has been dealing with immune issues since she was born.  Thanks to changing doctors again last year, we have finally found a preventative routine that helps to keep E out of the hospital.  She hasn’t been hospitalized in several months~her longest streak yet….. quick…knock on wood or whatever superstitious rites you believe in.

In the past I have written about the fact that I have polycystic kidney disease (PKD).  According to the PKD Foundation, autosomal dominant PKD (the form that I have) is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases.  ADPKD affects approximately 1 in 500 people.  I inherited the disease from my father and there is a possibility that I passed it on to my children.  The disease causes fluid-filled cysts to grow in my kidneys.

I found out that I had PKD in 1999 when I was pregnant with D.  The disease didn’t really impact my daily life for the first few years.  Going through the process with Dad helped me make decisions in my life that allowed for fewer dietary changes after being diagnosed.  I saw my nephrologist (renal specialist) once a year to monitor things and went about my normal life.

Over the years the effects of the disease started intruding upon my life a bit more….cysts ruptures, increase swelling, chronic pain, more visits to the doctor, more visits to the vampires~I mean more labwork, starting to take daily medication….All of these things were just signs that my kidney function was decreasing.  This was no great surprise to me.  PKD is a progressive disease.  There is currently no way to slow down or stop the progression of the disease.  There are medical studies currently being conducted that will hopefully make it where no family has to deal with this disease.

At the end of June I went to see my nephrologist.  I was placed on additional medication.  This is something that I am still having a hard time dealing with.  My husband sees it as a medication that will hopefully help with the fluid retention.  I see it as becoming more and more dependant upon medical interventions to live.  At that visit we also discussed my weight issues~I need to lose more weight before I reach end-stage.  I have been working on losing weight, but medical issues make it slow going.  Emotional eating my way through the almost four years I helped to care for my father following his stroke and through pregnancy loss/fertility issues has resulted in me needing to lose quite a bit of weight.  I have to visit with my doctor next week to see if the medication that was added is working and discuss the possibility of being placed on more for some other issues.  My visit to the vampires….errr….lab will determine if I have to adjust to being on even more medication.

People who have read my blog for awhile know that I am a member of the BlogHer website.  It is a great resource for women in the blogosphere.  A week after my less than happy visit to the doctor I was visiting the BlogHer site reading information about the upcoming conference I am attending.  One of the conference sponsors were holding a contest that caught my eye.  Healthy Choice was holding a contest to find twenty bloggers to challenge to improve their lifestyle to create a healthier life.  I decided to enter.  Imagine my surprise when I learned that I was one of the bloggers selected to participate in the program!

The challenge is designed to help jumpstart and maintain a healthier lifestyle by replacing just one meal a day with Healthy Choice.  I will have to keep an eye on the sodium content of the meals that I choose, but there are several that I will be able to eat.  All of the winners also receive one-on-one nutrition, fitness and general health and wellness consultations with Tara Gidus aka “The Diet Diva.”  I am looking forward to meeting her in a couple of weeks while I am in New York City.

I am hoping this will be the jump start I need to leave this weight plateau behind me.  I will be blogging about this challenge a few times over the next few weeks.  Be sure to check my weekend Healthy Choice updates to monitor my progress.

Disclosure:  I am participating in the “Better for BlogHer” campaign sponsored by Healthy Choice.  I am receiving coupons from Healthy Choice (ConAgra) for free Healthy Choice entrees, free nutritional consultation and additional compensation in exchange for my participation.