  Writing about my health to me seems sometimes a negative effort. I have little time for a negative unless it has a positive attached. When I read anything in the New Testament though I see struggle as a double edged point. Someone told me that when he feels down because he is sick or has another problem and wants to die he looks at my life and feels better. I am so glad I can be encouragement for someone. I start injections today. Shots. Needles. These injections contain EPO. Short name for a big medicine. Those of us with end stage renal failure do this because our kidneys are less than 50%.
After this comes dialysis. From what I read of dialysis it may help my health though. I talk to IU about a kidney transplant soon. If it is God's Will I can accept the promise of a longer life and claim it for Christ. Some poeple have not interpreted an earlier message as I intended. Today is a Good Day to Die for the Lord. This doesn't mean I want to die or I am giving up. I am here.
I am ready to serve. I hurt every day. I can't see well enough to do what I want or need to do. It is a struggle to walk, to think, to do even the most common of tasks. I am a child for my wife to take care of. I have a mind, not so far gone I cannot use it. I can still think about questions of importance and relevance, things of God. If my body fails, if my eyesight leaves, I will still be able to think and by God's Grace, will still be able to act on these thoughts, even though they are limited by my body. I have been asking for prayer. I know God heals all diseases and that you can do anything with God. For those who are in the process of praying, and for my family, please read about kidney disease. Life is a struggle. I know of no person who has lived an "easy" life. We have mountains and valleys we need to pass through our life.
Sitting and never taking the journey does is of no benefit, or simply is of no use. Like all men I sometimes refuse to look at the road map and accept I am lost. Accepting that you are lost, looking at the map, or asking for directions, is the key. If you are willing to submit, or willing to accept that you are lost, this is the first step. Acceptance and submission. God gives you the road map in his Holy Word, The Bible. God gives you the Word made flesh in His Son Jesus Christ. Directions are from the Holy Spirit. Have you given your life to God and accepted His plan for your life?
If you need to pray for salvation please call me, anytime. (317) 467-1062. You can also go to the website www.wjcfradio.org and click the link to becoming a Christian. It was pointed out to me last week that the act of Baptism is given much importance in this description of how to find Christ. Christ accepted the sinner on the cross and he is in heaven. There are two forms of baptism - water and holy spirit.
When you accept Christ and invite the Holy Spirit to come into your heart you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, many beleive, and so do I. Anemia in Kidney Disease and Dialysis If your blood is low in red blood cells, you have anemia. Red blood cells carry oxygen (O2) to tissues and organs throughout your body and enable them to use the energy from food. Without oxygen, these tissues and organs--particularly the heart and brain--may not do their jobs as well as they should. For this reason, if you have anemia, you may tire easily and look pale. Anemia may also contribute to heart problems. Anemia is common in people with kidney disease. Healthy kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin, or EPO, which stimulates the bone marrow to produce the proper number of red blood cells needed to carry oxygen to vital organs. Diseased kidneys, however, often don't make enough EPO. As a result, the bone marrow makes fewer red blood cells. Other common causes of anemia include loss of blood from hemodialysis and low levels of iron and folic acid. These nutrients from food help young red blood cells make hemoglobin (Hgb), their main oxygen-carrying protein. Healthy kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin, or EPO, which stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells needed to carry oxygen (O2) throughout the body.
Diseased kidneys don't make enough EPO, and bone marrow then makes fewer red blood cells. Laboratory Tests A complete blood count (CBC), a laboratory test performed on a sample of your blood, includes a determination of your hematocrit (Hct), the percentage of the blood that consists of red blood cells. The CBC also measures the amount of Hgb in your blood. The range of normal Hct and Hgb in women who menstruate is slightly lower than for healthy men or healthy postmenopausal women.
The Hgb is usually about one-third the value of the Hct. When Anemia Begins Anemia may begin to develop in the early stages of kidney disease, when you still have 20 percent to 50 percent of your normal kidney function. This partial loss of kidney function is often called chronic renal insufficiency. Anemia tends to worsen as kidney disease progresses. End-stage kidney failure, the point at which dialysis or kidney transplantation becomes necessary, doesn't occur until you have only about 10 percent of your kidney function remaining. Nearly everyone with end-stage kidney failure has anemia. Diagnosis If you have lost at least half of normal kidney function (serum creatinine greater than 2 mg/dL) and have a low Hct, the most likely cause of anemia is decreased EPO production.
The National Kidney Foundation's Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative (DOQI) recommends that doctors begin a detailed evaluation of anemia in men and postmenopausal women on dialysis when the Hct value falls below 37 percent. For women of childbearing age, evaluation should begin when the Hct falls below 33 percent. The evaluation will include tests for iron deficiency and blood loss in the stool to be certain there are no other reasons for the anemia. When to Evaluate Dialysis Patients for Anemia Hematocrit (Hct) Hemoglobin (Hgb) Women who menstruate less than 33% less than 11 g/dL All men and postmenopausal women less than 37% less than 12 g/dL Source: The National Kidney Foundation's Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative.
Treatment EPO If no other cause for EPO deficiency is found, it can be treated with a genetically engineered form of the hormone, which is usually injected under the skin two or three times a week. Hemodialysis patients who can't tolerate EPO shots may receive the hormone intravenously during treatment, but this method requires a larger, more expensive dose and may not be as effective. DOQI recommends that patients treated with EPO therapy should achieve a target Hgb of 11 to 12 g/dL. Iron Many people with kidney disease need both EPO and iron supplements to raise their Hct to a satisfactory level. If your iron levels are too low, EPO won't help and you'll continue to experience the effects of anemia. You may be able to take an iron pill, but many studies show that iron pills don't work as well in people with kidney failure as iron given intravenously. Iron is injected directly into an arm or into the tube that returns blood to your body during hemodialysis. A nurse or doctor will give you a test dose because a very small number of people (less than 1 percent) have a bad reaction to iron injections. If you begin to wheeze or have trouble breathing, your health care provider can administer epinephrine or corticosteroids to counter the reaction. Even though the risk is small, you'll be asked to sign a form stating that you understand the possible reaction and that you agree to have the treatment. Talk with your health care provider if you have any questions. In addition to measuring your Hct and Hgb, your tests will also include two measurements to show whether you have enough iron.
Your ferritin level indicates the amount of iron stored in your body. According to DOQI guidelines, your ferritin score should be no less than 100 micrograms per liter (mcg/L) and no more than 800 mcg/L. TSAT stands for transferrin saturation, a score that indicates how much iron is available to make red blood cells. DOQI guidelines call for a TSAT score between 20 percent and 50 percent. Other Causes of Anemia In addition to EPO and iron, a few people may also need vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements.
If EPO, iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid all fail, your doctor should look for other causes such as sickle cell disease or an inflammatory problem. At one time, aluminum poisoning contributed to anemia in people with kidney failure because many phosphate binders used to treat bone disease caused by kidney failure were antacids that contained aluminum. But aluminum-free alternatives are now widely available. Be sure your phosphate binder and your other drugs are free of aluminum. Anemia keeps many people with kidney disease from feeling their best. But EPO treatments help most patients raise their Hgb, feel better, live longer, and have more energy. Hope Through Research The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), through its Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases, supports several programs and studies devoted to improving treatment for patients with progressive kidney disease and end-stage kidney failure (sometimes called end-stage renal disease, or ESRD), including patients on hemodialysis: The End-Stage Renal Disease Program. This program promotes research to reduce medical problems from bone, blood, nervous system, metabolic, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and endocrine abnormalities in end-stage kidney failure and to improve the effectiveness of dialysis and transplantation. The research focuses on reuse of hemodialysis membranes and on using alternative dialyzer sterilization methods; on devising more efficient, biocompatible membranes; on refining high-flux hemodialysis; and on developing criteria for dialysis adequacy. The program also seeks to increase kidney graft and patient survival and to maximize quality of life. 
