My Autobiography: David Balleza K(C)atague: High Blood Potassium Levels and Chronic Kidney Disease

Saturday, December 9, 2023

High Blood Potassium Levels and Chronic Kidney Disease

My Blood Test Results came in the other day. My nephrologist call me early this morning, that my blood Potassium level is on the high side. 5.9 mmol/L. She immediately prescribed pills that should lower my K level and advise me to eat food with low K. I did some search on how serious is when your K level is high. She told me to take the pill right away and have a blood test in the next 2 weeks to monitor my K levels and hopefully with the pill my Potassium would fall on the Normal Range of 3.5 to 5.5 mmol/L.

I called immediately CVS for my prescription and I was told my insurance has not authorized the pills and is waiting from my insurance approval which could take a couple of days. In the meantime, I have started monitoring my diet so I can avoid food with High Potassium.

Good Bye Bananas and Avocados, my favorite lentil soup and fresh oranges for breakfast.

Here are the results of my search. High levels Potassium in your Blood is known as Hyperkalemia. Hyperkalemia occurs when potassium levels go above 5.5 mmol/L. A potassium level above 6.5 mmol/L can cause heart problems that require immediate medical attention.

Chronic kidney disease can decrease the kidneys’ ability to remove excess potassium from the body. High potassium levels can causeTrusted Source

serious symptoms, including irregular heart function and muscle cramping.

Medications used to treat kidney disease can also raise potassium levels. One possible way to help manage potassium levels is by making dietary changes. This may mean limiting your intake of potassium and making substitutions with some lower-potassium foods.

This article discusses common high-potassium foods that people may wish to limit in their diet.

nuts
salt substitutes containing potassium chloride
oranges and orange juice
prunes
raisins
beans and legumes
potatoes and sweet potatoes
bananas
many dairy products
avocados
spinach
tomatoes
salmon

Dietary restrictions may help slow the progression of chronic kidney disease, but more research is needed.

Lower-potassium foods include:

apples, apple juice, and applesauce
most berries, including blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries
grapes and grape juice
pineapple and pineapple juice
watermelon
asparagus
broccoli
carrots
kale
cabbage
cucumbers
zucchini and yellow squash

There are plenty of foods that are lower in potassium. For these foods, a half cup is the recommended serving size.

What is CKD? Chronic Kidney Disease

According to the National Kidney Foundation, CKD affects over 37 million Americans and is the result of a gradual loss of kidney function over time. Causes of CKD include high blood pressure and diabetes.

CKD can worsen over time, and kidneys can stop working completely, but this is rare.

There is no cure for CKD, but treatment can manage symptoms and keep the kidneys functioning. Most people manage their disease with a healthy lifestyle, management of underlying conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, and medications to treat symptoms.

In the early stages of kidney disease, a person may not experience any symptoms. As CKD progresses, it may cause:

fatigue and tiredness
swollen ankles and feet
shortness of breath
feeling nauseated
blood in urine

Because CKD is a lifelong condition, it is vital to have regular check-ups to monitor kidney function.

People with CKD have an increased risk for cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke. Regular checkups can help discover problems early and prevent complications. Read for more details the reference below:

https://www.cdc.gov/kidneydisease/basics.html#:~:text=CKD%20is%20a%20condition%20in,as%20heart%20disease%20and%20stroke.

Here are 5 Drugs You May Need to Avoid or Adjust if You Have Kidney Disease

Cholesterol medications. The dosing of certain cholesterol medications, known as "statins", may need to be adjusted if you have chronic kidney disease.
Pain medications. ...
Anti-microbial meds. ...
Diabetes medications. ...
Upset stomach/antacid medications.
Meanwhile enjoy my potted Poinsettia here at THD-my Gilded Cage

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Highlights of My Professional Career

In my more than 40 years of professional career, I have experienced both working rank and file, as well as supervising the work of subordinates. I have worked in four private firms and the Federal Government, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where I retired. I enjoyed the challenges and difficulties of both types of job situations. This is the highlights of my work experience story.

My first job after completing my doctorate degree was a Chemist for Chemagro Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation, a German conglomerate. I worked for the analytical chemistry department comprised of about fifty people; half that number was either chemists or biologists. My specific task was to develop analytical methods for the detection of pesticide residues in plant and animal tissues. I worked on my own, similar to six other bench chemists, and we all reported to the same supervisor.

The firm sponsored my visa conversion from a student to a permanent resident, and I was able to legally work and reside in the United States with my family. The company generously took care of its employees. At the end of each successful year, everyone received a 13th month salary bonus. The employees and their families celebrated wonderful annual Christmas parties in a downtown Kansas City hotel, with dancing and free drinks for the whole night.

Inasmuch as I enjoyed and loved working for Chemagro for five years, I found a new job which offered a substantially higher pay. Due to my exemplary work performance, my supervisor preferred and lobbied for me to stay with the company. I had to turn him down because they could not match the package presented by my new employer. It was also a chance for me and my family to move and live in the US west coast, where the mild winter climate is bearable compared to the Midwest.

My next job was at the agricultural research division of Shell Development Company in Modesto, California. I was a Research Chemist, and again I worked individually, same as five other chemists who all reported to a supervisor. My specific duty was similar to my previous job. I worked for them for five years, until the company decided to get out of the pesticide business. They closed their research facility affecting the jobs of more than 200 employees.

My third industrial job was with the agricultural research division of Stauffer chemical company, located in Richmond, California. I was a Senior Research Chemist doing the same project as my two previous jobs. I worked for twelve continuous years for the company, with outstanding annual job performance. I became a Principal Research Chemist, the highest attainable non-supervisory position.

One day in 1986, my supervisor informed me that my job had been eliminated, and I had one day to vacate the facility. It was the most dreadful lay off experience in my life. I felt anger, sadness and humiliation to be dismissed from work with one day notice, after all the years of hard work invested for the company. This was an unforgettable incident and was the gloomiest point in my professional career.
The company terminated sixty research employees, who were upset of the bad news.

One of the chemists was distressed and expressed his outrageous anger by threatening the company and its workers. He told his supervisor of his intention to bomb and burn down the laboratory. He was immediately escorted by the security staff out of the building and into his car. He was informed to leave behind his personal belongings; they will be mailed to his residence. He was warned never to show up again near the company premises or risk getting arrested.

My supervisor was kind and allowed me to take my time to pack up my belongings. It took me two days to clear up my workplace, after toiling for a long period in the same jobsite. We were provided clerical help and office space, in preparation to look for another job, such as updating our resumes, and using the computer and copy machine. We were given six weeks of separation pay plus benefits.

Fortunately, with the help of a friend who is a Church parishioner, I found another job thirty days after leaving Stauffer chemical company. He hired me as a senior research chemist and as a group leader with two technicians to supervise. It was in the same field as my expertise in my previous three jobs spanning the last twenty one years. My new employer was Chevron Chemical Company, and which was located in the same area as my former employer.

This job gave me the introduction and basic knowledge of managing the work of subordinates. I worked for Chevron Company for four and a half years. The company decided to consolidate their research facilities in Texas, and lay off all its research employees. This time I had enough distress and agony from working, and eventually getting laid off from several private companies. To avoid going through any more miserable layoffs, I made a vow that I would never again work for a private company.

In my work experiences, there were noticeable and unavoidable jobsite occurrences. One can never miss the office romantic relationships between co-workers, both illicit and permitted. Though it was frowned upon, there was a boss and staff relationship, which was used as a ploy to get ahead in the company. Some relationships had chemistry, no pun intended, but some never worked out. Oftentimes, there was a sense of distrust among bench chemists for some workers who unjustly obtained preferred work assignments.

Some employees resorted to bribing superiors to get special privileges, such as being able to attend choice conferences and meetings in exciting venues or locations. Likewise, politics was always present at the worksites. It was during an era when various forms of harassment, equal opportunity and discrimination laws were not yet enforced in the workplace. Occasionally, an unexpected chemical explosion happens in a laboratory setting, where luckily no one got seriously hurt.

In the three private companies I worked for, I was able to publish scientific journals for some of the research studies and analytical methods which I developed for the respective companies of Chemagro, Shell Development and Stauffer.

After deciding and making a vow to avoid working in the private sector, I made my new goal which was either to work for the state of California, or the Federal government in Washington, D.C. Four months after I lost my job in Chevron, I was lucky and joyful to be hired by the Food and Drug Administration as a review chemist in the fall of 1990.

In 1994 I was promoted as an Expert Research Chemist with a GS-14 rating. My expertise was on Anti-malarial and Anti-parasitic drug products. In 1997, I was again deservingly promoted to Chemistry team leader, supervising the work of six Chemistry reviewers including five with doctorate degrees.

As team leader, I was responsible for prioritizing, assigning, and assuring the technical accuracy of all chemistry, manufacturing and control issues for all new drug applications submitted to the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Center of New Drugs.

It was part of my responsibility to give advice, instruct and promote high morale and teamwork in my group. My work in the FDA is confidential, until the drug patent on the products I worked on has expired. There are manufacturing supplements that I have approved that are now open for the public in the Internet.

In 1998, I won the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Award. The citation reads, “For outstanding accomplishments in fostering the objectives of the EEO Program by hiring minorities and encouraging their professional growth while providing excellent leadership.” I have received numerous certificates of appreciation, awards in leadership and communications, commendation for teamwork and excellence in the accomplishment of the FDA mission. I have also received several letters of appreciation from private industry for my review work.

There are many good things working as rank and file while enjoying doing one’s job individually. It is a humbling, satisfying and productive experience, if one can work in harmony with one’s immediate supervisor. Working individually develops one’s skills in goal setting and scheduling. But in general, the financial rewards are less than a person who has supervisory responsibilities.

Managing the work of others has its challenges. Moreover, it develops one’s skill in handling and developing people, and the compensation rewards and benefits are better. Due to additional duties, responsibilities and leadership, supervisory work can be more stressful than working as a subordinate. However, supervisory jobs give one more personal growth and satisfaction, based on my personal experience. My work in FDA as a team leader managing the work of six scientists had been the happiest and rewarding work experience in my career in Chemistry. You might also like:

Saturday, December 9, 2023

High Blood Potassium Levels and Chronic Kidney Disease

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