New here but concerned

Ed J said:

I thank you all for your

I thank you all for your replies. I am going in for my first year ct scan next month and am getting all kinds of thoughts in my head whenever I see/feel my left side. 

Someone told me Contrasting Agent is hard on only one kidney. Is this true?  My last Creatinine level reading was 1.6

NanoSecond said:

Creatinine

Most oncologists will not allow CT with contrast if your Creatinine level exceeds 1.4 or 1.5.

However, there are ways to lower your Creatinine starting with making sure you drink lots and lots of water.

Ok, thanks.  How about drinking juice or non-colored soda? I usually take in about 58 oz of fluids per day.

NanoSecond said:

Juice...

Juice is generally even worse than drinking many kinds of soda's.  That is because all the pulp and fiber has been removed leaving only the sugar(s) behind.  That removed fiber would have slowed down the digestive process - thus mitigating the Insulin spike that always accompanies the rush of glucose (sugar is 50% glucose; 50% fructose).  That is why is it recommended to only eat whole fruits - not fruit juices made from them.

If the non-colored soda has little to no sugar(s) added then it should be fine.  But what ones are you referring to? 

Beware of hydrating with products like Gatorade.  They are the worst in terms of added sugars.

The best way to hydrate is with di-hydroxide oxygen, better known as water.

I have a can of diet white grape soda about once a day with lunch.J  I was told cranberry juice is OK.

NanoSecond said:

If there is no fiber any kind of juice is problematic

You were told that cranberry juice is OK. But OK for what?  Most oncologists don't care very much about what you eat or drink because they are mostly focused on making sure you maintain your weight.

But if you dig a bit deeper...

You will discover that every version of RCC is considered an example of a "metabolic disease".  And this means that your diet can influence the progression of your disease and/or how you respond to various therapies.

Sugars and refined carbs should be considered an enemy for cancer sufferers because they can lead to rapid spikes in Insulin level.  The ingestion of high levels of these kinds of carbohydrates will turn on epigenetic switches of inflammation while stimulating rapid insulin release.  In turn these insulin spikes can promote the release of the hormone IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor-1), which then stimulates all cells (including tumor cells) to grow.  These insulin spikes can simultaneously decrease the amount of another hormone, IGFBP-3 (Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3). This hormone normally works to prevent unregulated tissue growth by inducing apoptosis (cellular death) in cancer cells.

 

The bottom line is this: High carbohydrate induced insulin spikes can provoke indiscriminate cell growth while simultaneously working to prevent cancer cell death.

I will certainly watch my diet more carefully.  One more thing: my last GFR was 42.5 Seems low. Usually 50.0 Thanks for your response.

Ed J

icemantoo said:

GFR

EdJ,

 

Being over 70 (your bio says only 70-79) negatively effects your GFR as does only having 1 Kidney and probably a Creatine level above normal. It appears that all of us in our 70's with 1 kidney have similar GFR's (myself included) which translates into Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease. The bark (its name) is worse than the bite. Of utmost importance is to watch your weight and blood pressure, both of which negatively effect your remaining kidney. Stage 3 CKD is initally more of a risk to your heart than causing kidney failure. Follow these thoughts up with a good GP or preferably a Nephrologist.

 

Icemantoo

Thanks for the info.  What you say makes sense to me.   And, wow: some of the people on this site sound like doctors or want-to-be-doctors. 

NanoSecond said:

If there is no fiber any kind of juice is problematic

You were told that cranberry juice is OK. But OK for what?  Most oncologists don't care very much about what you eat or drink because they are mostly focused on making sure you maintain your weight.

But if you dig a bit deeper...

You will discover that every version of RCC is considered an example of a "metabolic disease".  And this means that your diet can influence the progression of your disease and/or how you respond to various therapies.

Sugars and refined carbs should be considered an enemy for cancer sufferers because they can lead to rapid spikes in Insulin level.  The ingestion of high levels of these kinds of carbohydrates will turn on epigenetic switches of inflammation while stimulating rapid insulin release.  In turn these insulin spikes can promote the release of the hormone IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor-1), which then stimulates all cells (including tumor cells) to grow.  These insulin spikes can simultaneously decrease the amount of another hormone, IGFBP-3 (Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3). This hormone normally works to prevent unregulated tissue growth by inducing apoptosis (cellular death) in cancer cells.

 

The bottom line is this: High carbohydrate induced insulin spikes can provoke indiscriminate cell growth while simultaneously working to prevent cancer cell death.

Cranberry juice is full of health-promoting nutrients. In addition to playing a role in cancer prevention and heart health, cranberry juice is particularly beneficial for keeping your kidneys healthy. Not only does cranberry juice help to treat and prevent urinary tract infections via its antibacterial properties, but it also helps prevent the formation of painful kidney stones.