Alright, the title of this post is a little too focused on the topic, but...
I've been trying to do more exercise in order to recover from the events over the last 6 months. Five to six days per week, I've mostly done exercises that only rely on bodyweight - sit-ups, push-ups, planks, etc. - but, I also have a 20 lb. bar that I use for things like bench press, bent-over row, clean and press, and more.
In addition to the exercise, I also spend time online trying to earn 'bucks,' points, cash, and bitcoins. One of the sites that I have been using is InboxDollars. Over the years, they have changed how you can earn dollars. Today, I was watching video clips on the site to earn some cash. I saw one video that showed the 'Bent-Over T' exercise. Given that you don't need equipment to do this exercise, I had to try it! I couldn't download the video I saw there... so, I recorded my own (it's not a spectacular video because I had to use my phone):
In my 'test' for the exercise, I did a superset: 20 reps of the bent-over row (not shown in the video) with the 20 lb. bar and followed immediately by 15 reps of the bent-over T. It felt amazing!
Change of Plans...
The original plans for today were for me to start on the PCV chemotherapy for the first cycle. However, those plans changed because of a blood test that I did from the week before. I was told that my results may indicate problems with my kidneys. Therefore, I need to do further testing. I have an appointment coming up on Thursday.
Here's the thing... the doctor that called me re: my blood test told my that the test indicated that my creatinine was high and that indicated that my kidneys may have been affected by the various meds that I had been using. The immediate result of the phone call was that I should stop taking the doxycycline that he had prescribed to me. The upcoming appointment was the only, other result that was generated.
Except for my research...
When I got to view the results, this is what I saw:
Here's the thing... the doctor that called me re: my blood test told my that the test indicated that my creatinine was high and that indicated that my kidneys may have been affected by the various meds that I had been using. The immediate result of the phone call was that I should stop taking the doxycycline that he had prescribed to me. The upcoming appointment was the only, other result that was generated.
Except for my research...
When I got to view the results, this is what I saw:
| Component | Your Value | Standard Range |
|---|
| BUN | 30 mg/dL | 8 - 18 mg/dL |
| Creatinine | 1.90 mg/dL | 0.50 - 1.20 mg/dL |
| Calcium | 10.3 mg/dL | 8.8 - 10.2 mg/dL |
| BUN/Creatinine Ratio | 15.8 | 10.0 - 20.0 |
BUN stands for blood urea nitrogen. Creatinine is a natural product of muscle breakdown that occurs at a low level in the body. Both BUN and creatinine are filtered by the kidney and excreted in urine. For this reason, BUN and creatinine are used together to measure kidney function.
The problem that I have with the doctor's decision is the fact that the creatinine results were not compared to the BUN and it seems that he didn't take the ratio into his judgement. Also, the 'muscle breakdown' is also a common result from exercise! Maybe, just maybe, the exercises that I have been doing for the last several weeks had an effect of the creatinine results?!?
At things stand, we'll see what the appointment on Thursday shows...
