The Impossible

 

Original Photo by Author

The experts said it was impossible. But it happened.

As many of you know, I was diagnosed with Stage 3b Chronic Kidney disease in December. It’s not curable. Neither is it reversible.

I went on a low-sodium diet in an effort to control the disease and lose weight, hoping the combination would stop its progression.

My doctor ordered more blood tests last Friday. I worried my GFR count had dropped again, putting me closer to the more serious levels. There are only five. The last being renal failure and death.

I prayed and asked others to pray for me.

Sunday morning, my husband opened the front blinds to a beautiful sunrise. “Sweetheart. Come look. The sunrise looks like a rainbow.”

It did. Bands of alternating colors stretched across the eastern sky. I couldn’t help but smile. God has sent rainbows whenever I faced serious health issues, always preceding a miracle. My health was in God’s hands.

Ten minutes later, an email notification came through stating my lab results were available in my patient portal. With shaky fingers, I logged in and read the results.

I’d prayed for my GFR reading to remain stable. It wasn’t. It rose from 44 to 69. Anything 60 and above is normal or in Stage 2. How did my numbers jump 25 points to the positive? Not possible. But there it was. God’s miracle.

Dear Lord, I will strive to honor you with this new life you have so graciously given me. Amen.  

 

A New Year

 

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay 

A New Year. What challenges and blessings will we encounter? Only God knows.

However, it seems my new year is starting with a mixture already. I’ve been diagnosed with moderate chronic kidney disease. Oh, fun! Thankfully, diet, exercise, and medication changes can stop the progression. So that’s good news.

The diet makeover my doctor and the National Kidney Foundation recommend is The Dash Diet. It’s great for high blood pressure, kidneys, and diabetes, and is overall a good healthy lifestyle.  

I knew I needed to make dietary changes for some time but couldn’t stay motivated. Well, guess what? I’m motivated now.

I never liked much salt, but I’m amazed at how much sodium occurs naturally in so many foods, like honeydew. Never thought a melon would have sodium. Now, that I'm restricted to 1500 mg or less, I’m also thankful for so many no sodium added and low sodium options. The DaVita Kidney website also gave me lists of low sodium restaurant options so my husband and I can still enjoy dining out without jeopardizing my diet.

To keep my sanity and to help navigate this minefield of options, I’m especially thankful for the MyNetDiary app. It has The Dash Diet percentages options in their premium diet plans, and it does all the math for me. I can import recipes and tweak old ones and the app figures out the calories¸ fats, carbs, and sodium per serving. Same for canned, frozen, and packaged foods and restaurant meals. The bar code reader is an added bonus, cutting down on even more math and data input. My job is to be sure I’m eating the same amounts as the app suggests. Thank goodness for a food scale and measuring spoons!

The other surprise, I’m not hungry on this diet, nor do I feel deprived. Then, my motivation may have a big part in that. 😉

Rainbows are already showing up, symbols God has used in the past to encourage me during serious health issues. They have preceded cures from blood poisoning to breast cancer. I only need to follow my health care professionals’ advice and leave the rest in God's hands.  

As for the rest of the year, I expect other challenges, but they will be mixed with blessings, just like this one. Isn’t that life? One thing I can be sure of, with God, all things work toward my good.

How has your new year started out so far?