Tuesday 6 May 2008

A new word… nephrologist

I only got to know what that means last week. It is the term used to refer to kidney specialist.

My body’s birthday present to me for my imminent 30th birthday is a kidney condition. Of course, I shouldn’t blame my body because I have not been keeping it well for the last 30 years. Well, some say I did take good care but I guess the situation is that, I didn’t take good care enough. Or, perhaps God has a different plan for me.

The last weekend has been one of the most mentally torturous weekends ever in my life. The time spent waiting for the results and then after the results are out. The urologist referred me to a nephrologist and then I have to find one who is available as I really wanted to know what is wrong with me. Oh yeah, nephrologist is really not easy to find.

I thank God that my friend, Simon, managed to get hold of a very good nephrologist for me and we had a very good time chatting about the condition and life this afternoon. My blood pressure has been high over the last few days but after speaking to him, it went down to 117/73 and he measured it not once but twice! Guess one good news is that I don’t have hypertension.

Anyway, yeah, I have a kidney condition, something which I am still learning to pronounce. There is nothing I can do about it except to monitor my health now and pray hard that God will have mercy on my soul and keep my kidney healthy for the longest time. I hope He will give me the chance to live a good life and stay healthy at least till my first grandchild. That’s my hope really.
For the rest, thank you for your prayers and well wishes. I truly appreciate them. I was really struggling as to whether I should blog about this but I think I should. Besides, it is something I must live with and I must accept the fact that I have it.

For those who have a persistent pain or you feel something is not right, better get it checked properly. In this day and age, though technology has improved the quality of our healthcare, it has actually deteriorated the quality of our health.

And don’t need to say you’re sorry to hear it, I think I appreciate more life now. More than anything.

76 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want." -Mark 14:36-

Zewt, we are not always going to like what life has to offer us, and we fight it. But in the end, in the midst of the mystery of God's plan, we ultimately have to pray that our wills become somehow conformed to the will of God.

Anyway, I'm glad you blogged about it. As a Swedish proverb goes "Shared joy is double joy. Shared sorrow is half sorrow."

You & Jules will always be in my prayers.

God Bless.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you're looking at things quite positively...and you should. After all, any negative response such as moaning and groaning, mopping around, worrying and feeling sorry for yourself, would not help one bit; in fact, it will only make things worse for u mentally! Take care!

Anonymous said...

My prayers are with you, bro... Keep the faith, things always turn out brighter if we look for the silver lining.

*hugs*

beetrice said...

Keeping you in my prayers - have faith, everything will work out. :)

Anonymous said...

I won't say I'm sorry to hear it since you're positive about things.

I'll just say, get better and stay better :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Zewt,

Good to hear you're taking things positively...prayers with yourself n Jules :)
Take care!

Anonymous said...

As long as it's not cancer.....

I must admit that I was rather skeptical the first time u blogged about your hematuria; how the first test came out as a false alarm when the second test proved you're alright.

Do consider to invest in a good water purifier (I'm not a member, but the one from Elk*n is good) so that your kidneys are not overworked to remove the nonsense in our regular drinking water. And diets...can't stress enough of this. Kill and heal they can, so eat wisely. Take care!!

(Sorry la a bit cheong hei coz health & nutrition are related to my job)

Anonymous said...

hey zewt,

you are young, you are strong. I'm sure you will be able to live a good and healthy life - esp the latter for it is within your control. Take care my friend.

Dan-yel said...

Hey Zewt,

I remembered reading news a few years back about increasing cases of kidney failure and our dialysis facilities not able to catch up then.

My mom is suffering from chronic kidney failure now and is under regular dialysis treatment, so I know how it'd be like if things gone to several levels up.

Please take good care of yourself, drink loads of water, and think long, preserve your health and not for work expediency, though I have the same trouble myself.

Have the kind of life you wanted, don't put yourself under too much stress lest your immune system at risk.

Be positive and believe, surely this what makes heroes out of people in their health lives. So take care ya, I know I may sound like your grandma now.

Tata

Anonymous said...

Glad that u found out about it early. At least u r aware of it now. It's better than later in life when it gets worst.

Take care of urself. U have another half to think about now.

rainbow angeles said...

take care... all the best... hope things will turn out well... be happy :-)

Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing. i appreciate the courage for doing so...

will this affect grassyland migration?

but hey, stay positive... life's all about equal and opposite reactions..
be thankful of all the other things that you've got in life when others don't...

God bless

My Rantings said...

I understand what you have - my granny suffered from kidney problem too. At least you discovered it early.

Nevertheless, be strong & positive. Live each day to the fullest. God has a purpose for this, so just stay in His will & He will reveal it to you in due time.

Take care & God bless! :)

me said...

the doc must be really good! he can bring down your high blood pressure by merely counselling you!!! don't give yourself stress lah. it'll worsen the situation. learn about it, be active in controlling it. don't make yourself crazy and start imagining all sorts.

CK said...

ur last paragraph in ur post. shows you ok.
appreciate life.
be happy, healthy with your loved ones.

take k.

Huei said...

sigh..yeah i will take ur advice

and good for blogging it out, will help pray for your good health =)

drink more water..eat something more "ching". actually i have no idea what u're suffering, but i guess drinking more water does help with the kidney

take care okies!! =)

Sharon said...

i'm soooo sorry to hear bout this. it must be hard and though offering words of encouragement may not take the pain away, i do believe it'll keep you strong.

I hope everything gets well soon! God bless~ :)

missironic said...

hope your condition will be better soon. I'm glad that you're looking positively now.well, that's the attitude to have when deal with such situation. Do take care there! I wish u best in getting ur health in tip top condition again. =)

myop101 said...

zewt,

Here's a prayer for you from me.

Dear Father, I fear Lord but you told me about sharing each other's burden. I am not great, neither am I strong but Lord, as your servant, please let me share Zewt's burden.

Father, I do this in faith and trust you are my Lord God and you will take care of us. Father, if the time has come and even if it is now, to die is to gain, to live is for Christ.

But till then, let me share Zewt's burden.

In Jesus name.

Amen.

Terra Shield said...

Your positive outlook on this issue is very inspiring. Wishing you all the best, Zewt.

Arena Green said...

*thinking of u* & *hugs*

Anonymous said...

Hey friend...glad you shared it with us. Baring your soul does a it a lot of good, really.

I don't know the details but looks like many folks have given you good advice about drinking lots of water, cut down on salty/processed foods to ease the load on your kidneys.

If the doctor encourages it, do throw in some light exercise when you can. Water going in and toxin going out does everyone a lot of good.

I've got a tag for you for Mother's Day - do it if you're in the mood, ok? Keep that chin up!

sc said...

with such a positive mindset, half the battle is already won! take care of yourself and drink lots of water!

Anonymous said...

hey zewt,

hope ur better now. detecting early on kidney problem isnt such a bad thing at all. at least, u actually know what's going on in ur body. am a nurse, reading ur blog for 1 year now. hope can help u if u need anything.

Kiersten said...

I'm sorry to read about this, but I pray that you get well soon. *hugs*

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

just read this and although u say not to say sorry about hearing this..thats probably the 1st reaction..

2nd reaction..how does that affect ur aussie plans? hope it will be all under control and hey..at least its better to discover it in ur 20s..not 40s..dont worry u will have plenty of years to live..

Anonymous said...

medicine, diet, control and faith. i believe your best advice has come from the doctors. take care you. and keeping you in my prayers.

PabloPabla said...

I am sure God has good plans for you despite all this. Use every situation for His glory and tell the world about His faithfulness :D

Nine3 Nine3 said...

what a great Youth you are !!
Salute your far sighted view
Keep up bruder!!

Anonymous said...

well, i learned that word two months ago, before hubby, baby and i headed off to singapore to consult a paediatric nephrologist.

Jun said...

hey zewt is ur email zewt@gmail.com? cos i sent u an email but it got bounced back...

suanie said...

hey. i am sorry to hear of your condition. i hope you get better. what kind of symptoms did you have?

Seaqueen said...

Yes. Monitoring of health as well as food and stress level is compulsory, especially living in the city where people tend to get too stressed out as well as enjoy to the max.

zewt said...

Jemima - thanks Jem. I really appreciate the prayers, particularly in times like these. I can only look unto him and ask Him for protection and mercy.

suituapui - not easy, and i am just trying to psyche myself. no other way.

Kenny Mah - thanks bro. shall look for the silver.

beetrice - thanks. faith is indeed a gem now.

Klaw - i hope i will. i shall continue to hope and have faith.

Vino - thanks for the prayers. really appreciate them.

zewt said...

sooi sooi - Thank God, that has been ruled out. For now, I just hope God will keep my kidneys in good shape. yeah, shall look after the water i drink. in fact, i need to look after everything!

Jomel - it's a struggle but with God and Jules, I am sure I can do it.

Dan-yel - sorry to hear about your mom. I guess in this day and age, health is always something we have to consistently look at. i will certainly look after myself. God willing, I should be able to live as long as He wants me to live.

adrian - yeah, it is a blessing in disguise.

rainbow angeles - i will :)

pavlova - yeah, this will affect grassland plan. dunno if it will still work out but I hope it will.

zewt said...

dancing queen - yeah, I am beginnnig to really feel that God really has a plan amidst all these. I shall wait for Him to further reveal His plan.

me - yeah, he is a really really good doc. but since his clinic doesnt look like one who will accept GL, i have to continue to go to the referred one.

CK Tan - well, i am trying to be. hopefully no more bad news. I hope God will give me good news from now on :)

huei - yeah, eat a lot of ching stuff... no more malaysian food for me...

Sharon - hey... dont be. there are many ppl far worse than me and they can be even younger.

missironic - thank you... hope all will turn out well from now on.

myop101 - words cannot express the appreciation i have for you, to have such a close bro in the Lord. I do not know if it is good to share my burden but if it is God's will, then let it be. Otherwise, we all have our own burden. thanks anyway. God bless you richly.

zewt said...

Terra Shield - hope i can continue to inspire ppl :)

Anak Merdeka - thanks :)

KittyKat - yup... those are the things I will have to do. and loads of exercise too. i shall try to do that tag :)

sc - i hope to win the whole war :)

anon @ 7/5 2.42pm - hey there. thanks for your offer. If i do need anything, i will surely voice it out.

lil' ms pinky - thanks for yoru prayers. God bless.

constant craver joe - well, i still dunno. I guess i must continue to have faith. as for you... go easy on the food galore my friend.

zewt said...

imp - yes... faith, the best ingredient :) and thanks for the prayer.

pablopabla - He has given me a lovely wife and great marriage, I am very sure He will not just take it away just like that. Faith is what i need. Great is thy faithfulness.

Nine3 Nin3 - thanks... hope i can keep it up.

siew - hope everything is ok with your child.

Jun - sent a mail to you already. from my personal e-mail.

suanie - blood in urine was the first indication.

seaqueen - yeah, my boss already told me to take it easy. :)

Anonymous said...

Zewt, still have you in prayers.

"Come to me, all you who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest."

Keep believing!

TH said...

Think of it this way. You inspire all of us to embrace life, and that's a good thing.

There's always a better plan ahead of us.

izpuri said...

Every cloud has a silver lining,ok.
Glad to hear you're taking this positively. Take care.

QMG_Maegen said...

we saw a news in NTV7 pass few week ... and they reported that starfruit are not encouraged to take by those ppl whoever have the problem with kidney .. i'm not sure how many % it's true .. anyhow it's no harm to avoid it ...

take k and all the best !!

Krystal said...

Good to hear abt your far sightedness, but first, have a baby :)

Anonymous said...

hey zewt.
it's great that u went to look for a doctor early...and know what is going on at an early.

will keep u in prayers!
just want to share something short with u about power of the cross...erm...I believe that things will get better for u!

Cherry Popcorn said...

Good luck Zewt, problems and obstacles are here to make us strong and grow. We wont know the meaning of happiness if we don't know what is suffering!!! Take care ya and all the best! Keep us posted!

Jacss said...

still have to say sorry lor....
anyhow, just hope that the condition is not that severe & it's still good that u r now valueing life+health more than anything!!
good luck & take care!!

sharlydia said...

Dont feel too bad about it, be positive! Hubby said u'll be alright if u control ur diet well, exercise and all...I'm sure God loves u like He loves all of us, so keep that hope in u, for He will grant u what u hope for...just keep praying, ok?

ClaudiaMom said...

take care, hope everything will be ok, u in my prayer

Anonymous said...

Keep well and many best wishes :)

day-dreamer said...

Hope everything turns out fine for you. Stay strong!

Tine said...

Oh dear. Would Jules be going back to Malaysia? Anyways, more importantly, I hope you get well soon :)

zewt said...

drumsticks - thanks. i really appreciate it. and indeed, i need rest... loads of it. have not been sleeping. more like... cant sleep.

twisted heels - i hope i can hang on... not easy.

sipuri - i have no choice but to be happy. and happiness is everything now.

maegen - yeah, i will never eat starfruit :) no more starfruit for me.

Krystal - hey! good to have you here. yeah... i will work om that soon enough :)

Lynnwei - yeah, it's a blessing that i found out about it early. shall read that later.

zewt said...

Princess shin - yeah, i has certainly grown a lot in the last 2 weeks, though my weight has been dropping like flies due to much anxiety.

Jacss - thanks Jacss... life will never be the same again. I just hope everything will get better from now on.

sharlydia - yeah, i cant eat like i used to eat anymore. must really thank your husband for arranging the appt.

ClaudiaMom - thanks for the prayers... really.

anon @ 8/5 4.25pm - thanks :)

day-dreamer - thank you.

Tine - well, we are still working on it. she will be calling you soon. :)

Anonymous said...

contrary to beliefs.. a renal failure can happen to anyone regarding of age and health...pump also can rosak..

sad to hear bout your condition.. may you get it fixed soon and get well again ^^

Daphne Ling said...

Hey Zewt,

The best thing to have during times like this is a positive attitude...I know it's easier said than done and sounds darn cliche, but it does do wonders...

So keep it up! And hope you have the strength to continue seeing this through...=)

SpikeySpikey said...

Zewt, you are my inspriration to continue blogging after I got de-motivated. You are in my prayers. Take care k...

frostee said...

Guess it sometimes reminds us how fragile we are. Take care of yourself buddy.

Spot on about your advice in getting a check up if things are abnormal. We can never be too sure.

~aSstHa~ said...

hmmm... per your request no words of comfort... jz this short note...

we can't control anything that happens to us in life although we sometimes like to kid ourselves that there's certain things that we could... know only this, every one has a story to tell and everyone has to walk the paths mapped out for them... and that everything happens for a reason...

i always think u are one of those who truly appreciates life for all it's trials and sorrows babe... but mayb there's certain areas u noticed now which u didn't earlier.. *argh*... dunno if i'm making any sense... half-awake.. =.=

imma not gonna lie n say u'll b in my prayers as i'm not the type who prays... but you'll b in my tots and that you will get through this, one way or the other... *hugs*

Helen said...

I don't know what to say. But then I'm just glad to know you're taking everything in stride and looking at life in a positive light. :-)

You're be in my prayers.

zewt said...

-=Sin=- - yeah, i guess i am blessed to have it detected early. thanks man.

Daphne Ling - definitely, and thanks to you too.

SpikeySpikey - thanks for the prayers.

frostee - yes, we should not ignore what our bodies are trying to tell us.

aSstHa - thanks, as always, it's the thought that counts. yes, it's time to cherish life and let the less important things take secondary place.

Helen - not easy and sometimes, i can be quite down but i am holding on... to Him.

WY said...

zewt,

Just noted that you re back, and the reasons for you being away.

Sorry to hear that mate. Life is a gift from God, and surely, it takes a lot of us to appreciate that it may end in the next min or hour.

Take care mate.

tomatoinc

Anonymous said...

When you talk about kidneys, I was reminded of my friend's testimony of how his whole family came to know Christ. His dad had kidney failure with unknown causes.. he had transplant not once but twice! But His grace is always sufficient. I am very touched by his story, that's why you mention your nephropathy, I find think of this friend of mine.

sooky said...

zewt, have faith and all will be well. Sending lots of well wishes your way.

zewt said...

lynnx01 - wow... that is a powerful testimony.... and soon, I know I will be one too!

sooky - thanks... really appreciate that.

Cherry Popcorn said...

You're loosing weight? Oh dear.. Do take care!!! Don't stress so much!!! *breath* and smile!!! =)

At least you'll be slim! ^.^

zewt said...

princess shin - hahaha... slim... ya, that's the good part.

Anonymous said...

Take care.

zewt said...

jam - thanks... will do :)

neno said...

persistent pain at lower back??hmmm..i get them too..am worried bout my kidneys too..

zewt said...

neno - well... not all backpain are kidney related ler... :) dont worry too much.

Anonymous said...

Zewt,
Sorry I have not visited your site for a while.
I will pray for you.
Since I am in medical field, when you mention about hematuria, I kind of have the bulk part of what you have.
It is very rare to have kidney CA.
I work with multi system organ and most of us would think brain and heart are the more important organ for us to function, well those 2 organs put us to heaven immdiately with our God but kidney problem will let us live our hell life on earth.

Most of us who are not in medical field do not understand how powerful is our kidney to our well being. It is a waste filter center , without it, we are living with toxic in our body.

Take good care of yourself, having renal failure is like living hell on this earth and for someone who is going to start a new family, this is not what you want.

So, beside prayer, I suggest you take a consciouses effort to stay healthy !

In Christ.
Jamy

zewt said...

jamy - thanks for your prayer. i definitely need them. as for now, i will believe that God will sustain me.

Mummy said...

hi zewt,

just came to your blog after my hols to read this entry. am please that you got things sorted out with a nephrologist. am not sure if you in msia or oz - if in the latter, make sure you are under someone's regular follow-up.

zewt said...

mummy - yeah, i certainly will. am glad in a way that i know what exactly is wrong with me. better than being left in the dark.

Susu Kacang said...

hi zewt, hang on there. you will be alright. you have got plenty of good advices there. not sure what you think but have you considered alternative treatment such as breathing techniques, tai-chi and qigong exercises? it will probably help to revitalize your body. for me, i try to play badminton regularly. it can be an addictive game.

zewt said...

susu kacang - yeah, i guess staying positive is all i can do now. and have faith in Him... :)