Wilkie Wages War: June 5, 2006
Wilkie Wages War: June 5, 2006
Environmental Health Network leader Barbara Wilkie discovered in July 2005 that her chemical injury/multiple chemical sensitivities had suddenly manifested as stage 4 (later stage 5) kidney disease (kidney failure). Despite dire warnings of death within a year, she eschewed dialysis and Western Medicine drugs and took a route of alternative medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and strict dietary changes. She lived well for six years, far beyond the doctors’ predictions. Barb died at home, surrounded by friends and family, on May 31, 2011.
During this time, Barb documented her journey. From diagnosis through June 2008, she created one huge website page packed with details, plus some side documents on diet and other topics. We have divided these works into smaller pieces, by date or topic, to make it easier to read and find things. For dates after June 2008, we have letters, online posts, and other documents.
Barb intended her work to be read and used. We hope this presentation will help you do just that.
Wilkie Wages War on Kidney Disease
(aka Renal Disease or Failure)
OR, AS I SEE IT: Life with yet another facet of living with MCS.
I want to live life while dying.
June 5, 2006 — this is a re-test because of the high potassium the week before . . . However, I went to the main lab this time. I’ve noticed that the numbers are different, including the ranges of what the numbers should be.
| High or Low | Blood checked for | Reading is: | What should be: |
| H | BUN | 46 . . . A bit of a drop. Thankful for good news! | 7 -17 |
| H | Magnesium | 2.5 . . . Arrrrgh, up a little . . . better had that .1 been down from the last reading, then I’d have hit normal. | 1.6 -2.3 |
| Calcium | 9.3 . . . Well, at least maybe I’m doing something right. | 8.4 – 10.2 | |
| CO2 | 24 . . . I’ve not a clue why this has suddenly come into normal, but I’ll take it. | 22 – 30 | |
| H | Creatinine | 5.3 . . . This is the real bummer this week. HIGHEST EVER. | 0.6 – 1.2 |
| H | Phosphorus | 5.7 . . . Don’t know why this remains high, except it’s part of kidney failure. | 2.5 – 4.5 |
| Potassium | 5.0 . . . back within “normal” range, so it looks like Chinese Watercress should be thought of as SPINACH, CHARD, KALE . . . high in potassium. | 3.5 – 5.3 | |
| Sodium | 137 . . . | 137 – 145 | |
| L | GFR * | 9 OR 10 . . .Lowest ever. But so far, still feel OK. Funny that in one week’s time, my creatinine and GFR should take such a hit. I’m not sure why . . . except, duh, KIDNEY FAILURE. But WHY? That’s a question I’ve never had answered to suit me. They point to obesity . . . I was and am muscular and overweight, but not rolling in fat cells. Obese? No doctor outside of Kaiser has ever said I was grossly overweight or extremely fat. And the other easy mark is hypertension, but away from Kaiser, my blood pressure tends to run in the 120s and 130s . . . so, how is that hypertension enough to kill off the kidneys? I believe the kidneys have had more than their fair share of processing toxins, but try to get a nephrologist to look at that without stultifying the patient. In this case, moi. | >59 |
| L | Hemoglobin | 9.7 | 11.5 – 15 |
| L | Hematocrit | 29.2 . . . | 34.0 – 46.0 |
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