Hypertension or High Blood Pressure, as it is more commonly known, is one of the silent killers that plagues the general population. It owes its lethal efficiency to the fact that it goes on undetected for months, and even for years, up until a point where significant damage has already been done. Such as it was in my case, where I neglected and took it for granted, in spite of being aware of its past devastation on our family’s medical history. But that’s all in the past, and as I have always told myself, regret is one of the most futile and unproductive of all human emotions. So there’s really nosense in trying to undo what’s already been done.

What about you? Are you also suffering from Hypertension? You know you might be, and worse, you’re not even aware of it. This is a common enough scenario, especially for the population’s poorer class who’s financial capability to seek medical attention is virtually non-existent. Nobody could really blame these people the tendency to take for granted the sensibility of early detection through screening. But if you’ll ask me, however, this should not be an excuse.

Why is high blood pressure dangerous?

The higher the blood pressure, the harder the heart has to work to keep on pumping against increasing resistance. If, in the course of time, the heart muscles tires, it could eventually lead to heart failure. Because of the enormous burden it puts on the arteries, high blood pressure adds to their wear and tear, especially in the target organs, the brain, coronary and kidney vessels. Stroke and Myocardial Infarction (heart attack) are frequent and dangerous consequences of untreated hypertension.

Recognizing high blood pressure

High blood pressure is a Silent Killer simply because it doesn’t show typical symptoms that might serve as early warning signals. In fact, in certain cases, many people feel well and energetic despite their high blood pressure. There is only one way of finding out whether or not you have hypertension and that is to have your blood pressure checked. Measurements must be repeated at least once a year. If an elevated pressure is detected in time, early treatment can help prevent the possible fatal consequences.

Prevention of complications from high blood pressure

Bringing the pressure down relieves the strain on the heart and arteries; this lessen and often eliminates the dangerous consequences of elevated pressure. With proper treatment, high blood pressure can be normalized, or at least brought down to a tolerable level. The treatment does not call for any heroic measures; regular checking of the blood pressure, a few generally painless changes in one’s eating and living habits, and taking the prescribed medication everyday. If detected and treated in time, hypertension should not stop you in leading a normal and productive life. All that is required is determination and close doctor-patient cooperation.

Protect yourself against high blood pressure

A genetic predisposition is a frequent cause of hypertension. It “runs in the family”. Caution is advised if you have a family history of high blood pressure. Your way of living could have an important bearing on whether or when you will develop hypertension. If you are overweight, has a high sodium intake on your diet, under psychological stress, agitated and hyperactive, you’re more likely a candidate, or can exacerbate an existing tendency. Losing weight, cutting down on salt in the diet, and avoiding stress are useful precaution to help you keep your pressure down.

Protect your health why you still can and when you still can. As always, being well-informed is being well-prepared.

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It has been quite a rough week for me in terms of health and nutrition. I have been eating and drinking liberally these past few days, for the simple reason that I just felt I had to satisfy my urge to do so, and paid quite rather painfully when my treatment session came. I’m just thankful enough that my neglect on fluid intake didn’t lead to cramps, though the days before the treatment were quite a challenge for my tolerance. Like I said before, too much fluid intake would lead to inconvenient consequences for patients. Although I really don’t blame those who forget their drinking discipline, for I myself tends to neglect them every once in a while. But let me reiterate once again the importance of a patient’s self-discipline when it comes to fluid intake: If you want to experience minimal inconvenience during dialysis treatment, you have to be wise on your eating and drinking habits.

Another factor that brings inconvenience up til now is my recurrent flu-like symptoms. In this post, I have described why dialysis patients are susceptible to various diseases, and the importance of prevention. In my case, I have been experiencing recurrent flu-like symptoms these past few days. If I hadn’t known better, I might think I am going down with Flu, or much worse. But with my past experiences, along with my doctor’s recent opinion, mine is but a simple case of Allergic Rhinitis, an allergic reaction to pollen, dander, and in my case, dust. I said simple simply because it’s more tolerable and less alarming compared to the more serious types, like the current Swine Flu Virus.

But in spite of this knowledge, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to continue to be vigilant and careful than ever before. I have temporarily isolated myself from other household members, for everybody’s sake and as a precaution as well. I’m also thinking of going again to my doctor if ever these flu-like symptoms escalate.

All in all, my recent treatment was just the usual routine, and no untoward incident really happened. Except for the fact that it went a bit harder than usual because of my bigger weight gain, which, I pointed out earlier, was my own fault, it’s still usual, on a dialysis patient’s perspective, at least.

My fight against kidney failure and dialysis goes on. Just as life goes on for the people around me, so must mine go on too. With considerable amount of undurance, coping, and determination to overcome all obstacles, I’m still able to live as normal as I possibly can.

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3. Food Considerations For Dialysis Patients

Diet and nutrition are two important things a dialysis patient must consider. Food gives you energy and helps your body repair itself Your blood picks up nutrients from your food and carries them to all your body cells. These cells take nutrients from your blood and put waste products back into the bloodstream.

Good nutrition is the key to good health for everyone. It is especailly important for people with kidney disease. Even with the help of artificial kidney (dialysis), you cannot get rid of all the wastes and fluids that build up in your body from what you eat and drink. When your kidneys were healthy, they worked around the clock to remove wastes from your blood. Now that your kidneys have stopped working, Dialysis removes wastes from your blood, but between sessions, wastes can build up and make you sick. You can reduce the amount of wastes by watching waht you eat and drink.

If you’re currently undergoing dialysis treatment and is concerned about diet and nutrition, I strongly recommend consulting with your Nephrologist and Renal Dietitian. A Nephrologist is a doctor that especiallizes on kidney diseases and a Renal Dietitian is a dietitian with special training in care for kidney health. They are the people that could help you with your diet concerns and it is imperative that you consult with them first before implementing a meal plan.

This is for the simple reason that every patient has a unique dietary need that should be considered first before proposing an appropriate meal plan. It would also depend on your kidney’s remaining functions. A patient in the earlier stages of kidney failure would have a more restricted diet compared to those who are on the latter stages. This is because they’re already going through dialysis and the machines helps in eliminating excess waste. In my case, I was given a 50-gram protein/ day diet plan. Protein, being an essential mineral that your body needs and produces the most waste as well, will be your doctor’s primary consideration. Along with other minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium, this is where your diet would revolve.

With sensible food choices and smart eating habits, dialysis patients are more likely to stay healthy throughout their treatment. It also minimizes the need for hospitalization, if not totally eliminate it. Together with exercise, a patient has the means to keep kidney failure at bay. One only needs sensibility, discipline, and the determination to abide by the laws that govern their wellness.

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Dialysis patients have to maintain a certain ideal weight that is established by their clinic’s medical staff. This is called Dry Weight. The excess weight you accumulate in between dialysis sessions would be your Weight Gain and that’s what will be removed from you during treatment in order to attain your Goal or dry weight. Simply said, it’s your actual weight at the time of treatment minus (-) your dry weight equals (=) your Goal.

There are many ways to manage your weight while on dialysis. One is a strict discipline and sensible choices on diet and nutrition. Another is exercise to maintain your weight gains to more tolerable levels.

The National Kidney Foundation couldn’t have said it better:

Physical fitness is very important in today’s world. Everyone is enjoying the benefits of greater strength and feeling better. Exercise keeps your body strong and healthy.

With exercise, it becomes easier to get around, do your necessary tasks and still have some energy left over for other activities you enjoy.

In addition to increased energy, other benefits from exercise may include:

• improved muscle physical functioning
• better blood pressure control
• improved muscle strength
• lowered level of blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides)
• better sleep
• better control of body weight.

But before going through any exercise regiments or programs, a dialysis patient must first consult his/her doctor in order to have a better understanding on these things to consider:

• type of exercise
• length of time you spend exercising
• how often you exercise
• how hard you work while exercising.

Exercise has many benefits, not just for patients, but also for anyone endeavoring to lead a healthy life. Seeking your doctor’s advice would be the first thing in order, and after acquiring his permission and guidelines, the rest would very much depend on your better judgment. Try to read books about the subject matter and I recommend visiting the National Kidney Foundation for further education.

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