The "I Think I've Adjusted to My Renal Diet", edition.

iPod shuffled to "I Don't Need It", Jamie Foxx. Even though he's not one of my favorites, he is very talented.  He is classically trained in piano and attended Julliard.  I think we've adjusted to my renal diet.  I get a "report card" every month in center which tracks my potassium, phosporus, calcium, among other things.  Everything has been in the normal range except the phosphours. I hit good numbers in February.  Then I made red beans and rice for Dad and Brian. I had ONE bowl. My number skyrocketed ;-(   Just got it back down mid July.

So what happens when phosphorus is too high, or you have to much in your body....like your body can't get rid of it because your kidneys don't work?  "Spread My Wings", Troop. Anyone remember them or this song?  It affects the bones, fatigue, breathing difficulties, bone pain, mobility issues, itching and problems with blood vessels and the heart....just to name few.  So I've established that my body cannot process phosphorus and I've listed things that happen when the phosphorus is not processed. For the record, that bone pain, itching and mobility issues were major symptoms I experienced before the diagnosis of End Stage Kidney Disease - Level 5 (ESRD-5).  How do I manage the phosphorus?  I take some tablets called phosphorus binders. 

"Mystic Voyage", Roy Ayers.  This song hits  several notes for me (no pun intended - lol ). First, this was the song my Ivy line ( Supreme Serene 13 ) performed to, when I was pledging the sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.  Second, I got the most pleasant shock when I saw on the album that the drummer was the guy we hung out with over the summer, Ricky Lawson. :-). Lol. I ran him into a ditch on our little Hondas and I have witnesses. :-D.   Back to phosphorus binders. These are some big pills. They are about the size of those massive iron pills we all took when we were pregnant.  Except I have to take 4 of them with EVERY meal and 3 with EVERY snack.  These pills are 800 milligrams. I'm taking 24mgs with each meal. When I get a refill, I  get 1000 pills - roflmao!!!  I carry about 20 with me in my purse. Look, it took me months to reliably take these things.  I'd just plain forget.  And you only have a small window to take them. A half hour after you eat is too late. ;-(   How does the binder work?  It works like a sponge and soaks up the phosphorus from the food and sends it to the digestive tract for elimination. 

What foods are high in phosphorus?  Chocolate (sigh), cheese, milk, ice cream (sigh), beans - black, baked, kidney (ironic,huh?), pinto, edamame, and nuts - pistachio, cashews, etc. (sigh).  Now for full disclosure, I've had a bit of chocolate and cheese in moderation and my numbers are good, but the beans. The beans. I can't do them. I like beans. However, I like being more mobile than I have been in about 3 years. I like not itching. I got enough going on, I don't  need to add extra stress on my heart.  

So there you have it. I was gonna talk about some of our meals, but I guess I needed to preface it with some explanations. Photo of my big ole binder. I got the Photo Sync working again. The issue with the app was caused by replacing the iPad. I sent in a help ticket and the developer responded within 2 hours with the solution. I was duly impressed. :).  Signing off with "Saturday In The Park", Chicago.  Lol. Sounds like a good idea. :-)