Devonviolet Acres

[Devonviolet]

I ended up in ER one summer with dehydration, had to get IV fluids. The Dr told me best thing I could do is eat a banana every day durning summer. Hopefully your husband doesn't shares Bays dislike for them You lose a lot of possum though sweat bananas help replace

One of the biggest dangers, with heat stroke is kidney & liver failure. That's most likely why they gave you IV fluids (probably with electrolytes). I made sure DH drank lots of water, to rehydrate, and kept checking on his kidney output & color - dark brown is bad & time to go to the ER.

Yes, DH does like bananas, and he does eat them. However, the three most important electrolytes are:
Potassium
Magnesium
Calcium

DH was already taking magnesium & calcium several times daily. So, we added a 99mg capsule of potassium every morning, to make sure he has all the electrolytes he needs, to start the day.

Another thing to worry about. Spouse wouldn't know what to do if I passed out from the heat. I have never been a big drinker and had only about 24 ounces of fluid (all water) yesterday.

WOW! 24 oz is not nearly enough water a day! You are in danger of damaging your kidneys, not to mention possibly damaging other organs, drying out your GI tract & increasing your risk of blood clots, which could cause a stroke! As a nurse, That scares me, for your welfare.

Do yourself a favor & set a timer, for every 2 hours and drink 8 oz of filtered water. That will give you 64 oz of water, spread throught the day, which will do a good job of flushing toxins and keeping your organs functioning properly.

If every 2 hours doesn't work, you could set it for every 4 hours and drink 16 oz of filtered water. Spreading it out, evenly, throughout the day is the healthiest way to do it.

BTW, Bottled water isn't good for us. The longer the water stays in a plastic bottle, the more molecules of plastic chemicals leech out into the water. Even if it is BPA Free. Those chemicals are toxic to our organs.

 

[Nyboy]

Bananas are for potassium bad spelling my other post

 

[Smart Red]

Thanks. I know the doctor has been following the results of kidney tests the past year, but he never told me what was wrong or why it might be a problem.

 

[Devonviolet]

Thanks. I know the doctor has been following the results of kidney tests the past year, but he never told me what was wrong or why it might be a problem.

I'm sorry, but that upsets me. The reason for labs is to inform us aboout potential problems, so we can make changes to prevent major medical issues in the future.

IF you are in early stages of kidney disease. He should tell you, and then tell you how to protect your kidneys, by keeping them flushed and avoiding chemicals, in your food (i.e. soda [both sugared & diet] , commercial desserts [which can be loaded with unhealthy chemicals), baked goods, Chinese food [with MSG], etc. A "whole food diet" is a good way to go, because it eliminates aall the chemicals found in commercially produced in grocery stores these days. A good way to avoid those foods is to not shop the center aisles of the grocery store.

Our kidneys are one of two filtering organs (the liver is the other), which can be damaged by filtering too many toxic chemicals.

Another thing to eat less of is protein, because that can be hard on a weak kidneys. You don't need to stop eating meat. Just don't be eating a big serving 7 days a week. Three moderate (say 3-4 oz) servings a week is probably fine.

I am in Stage 3 kidney disease, meaning my eGFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate -which indicates how effeciently our kidneys filter waste particles, from our blood, as it produces urine), is marginally low. Nothing really serious, at this time. But, it usually is a predictor that eventually my kidneys will get less effective at filtering, and I could eventually go into kidney failure. It doesn't mean I will. But, if I am not careful, I could be more likely to. It's very possible you are in Stage 2, which means you are just starting to show decreased filtration rate.

Here is a website, that explains GFR:
https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/gfr/tab/test

Another lab that is done to test kidney function is BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen)

http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/blood-urea-nitrogen

My GFR has been marginally low for years (Stage 2), but my doctor didn't get really concerned until my GFR went into Stage 3 back in 2009. It has only dropped 3 points in 7 years.

Of course, I don't want to tell you what to do, sweet Red. But, if it was me, I would give my doctor a call and ask him why he has been following my kidney labs for the last year and what my lab values have been. It's very possible they are only marginally off. But, I would want to know, so I can make changes to protect my kidneys from future damage.

 

[Smart Red]

I have MY CHART -- a program that connects me with medical issues. Here are the results.

BUN in 2012 was 26 mg/dL. Went to 23, 34, 35, and currently is 42 mg/dL
CFR in 2012 was 41.2 mL/min/1.73.2. Went to 38, 33, 29, and currently is 29 Ml/min/1.73.2.

 

[baymule]

@Devonviolet you are 1,000% right about the heat! It is suffocating. Our nice new porch? Can't stand to be out there! But last summer, that heat was bearing down on the house, so at least the porch blocks heat off the house and it is cooler in here because of the porch.

Just heard Paris (Pyrenees) barking and went to investigate. There was a snake in her plywood cave! DH got the flashlight and I ran for the rake. Paris was having fits! DH pinned the snake's head, we identified it as a rat snake. Paris lunged in, snatched the snake, ran with it, shaking it so quickly and violently that it made loud flapping noises. She slapped me in the leg with the snake as she ran past me! She wanted that snake DEAD! It was funny to watch her stalk it. If it was coiled up, her instinct told her it could strike her and she ran around it snapping her jaws together. DH used the rake to draw it out and she ran in to grab it and shake it. By this time it was dead, and we let her have her fun, protecting her lambs and her cave. Yeah, it was a rat snake and we generally like to keep those alive, but it should have stayed out of Paris's yard! I found a copperhead in the yard that she had killed, but I never watched a dog kill a snake. She grabbed it, tossed it, pounced on it, grabbed it, shook it so hard and so fast that it rivaled an airplane propeller.

Never a dull moment!

I love your idea with the plastic on your garden! Brilliant! It's too hot to go outside and try to dig the grass out, so you came up with solar energy to kill it for you! Use that scorching heat to your advantage! Ya'll can work on the garden in the fall when it is cool and nice outside. Get it ready for spring and you might want to re-wrap it in the plastic to keep any winter weeds from spoiling your hard work!

 

[Devonviolet]

I have MY CHART -- a program that connects me with medical issues. Here are the results.

BUN in 2012 was 26 mg/dL. Went to 23, 34, 35, and currently is 42 mg/dL
CFR in 2012 was 41.2 mL/min/1.73.2. Went to 38, 33, 29, and currently is 29 Ml/min/1.73.2.

You wrote CFR. Can I assume you mean GFR? if so your numbers look concerning to me. I am not a doctor, so I can't make specific comments about your numbers. But, if these were my numbers, I would schedule an appointment to talk to my doctor. If he says he wants to wait and see, like he has been doing. I would schedule an appointment with a Nephrologist (Kidney Specialist). Actually, (depending on how much I trust my doctor) I might be tempted to bypass him and schedule an appointment with a Nephrologist.

 

[Devonviolet]

YIKES, @baymule! You did have excitement on the homestead tonight!

Paris is an amazing LGD! She has done an awesome job taking in the lambs, to protect.

How exciting to be able to see her take on that mean ol' rat snake. Knowing that she could kill it without getting bit, makes me a little less apprehensive about our two Maremma's going after a snake.

When they were just puppies (maybe 7 months old), one night they were barking frantically. So, we went out, to see what the problem was. It turned out to be a rat snake curled up between the chicken coop and the fence. They were running up to it, snapping at the air near it & running back.

They will be 2 years old in three months, so I am hoping that they wouldn't be afraid to (safely) take on a poisonous snake, to protect their goats.

Actually, I'm hoping they never have to take on a snake! But, that is kinda "pie in the sky" thinking, here in Texas, isn't it???

 

[baymule]

I found a dead copperhead in the backyard last summer that Paris killed. I looked all over her to see if she had been bitten, but the only "bite" was the bite Paris gave the copperhead.

 

[Devonviolet]

I found a dead copperhead in the backyard last summer that Paris killed. I looked all over her to see if she had been bitten, but the only "bite" was the bite Paris gave the copperhead.

That's the best kind of bite, when it comes to LGDs and copperheads!