An article about potassium and sodium's effects on our health-particularly interesting to me because I am curious about kidney function for two reasons. 1. My pre-eclampsia/toxemia during my pregnancy with Leanna(and I'm curious why I had an a-typical form of it) and 2. both my Dad and my maternal grandmother had kidney problems, and my grandmother's kidney problems began with her first pregnancy when she had preecalmpsia.
Also, I didn't know calcium was affected by your salt intake as well.
Just stringing together a few parts from the article(for the whole thing, go here)
Potassium and sodium together play a huge role in regulating blood pressure, and mounting evidence shows they are intimately involved in bone health. Molecular pumps that pull potassium into cells and push sodium out create a chemical battery that drives the transmission of signals along nerves and powers the contraction of muscles. Potassium and sodium help the kidneys work properly. They are important for energy production and fluid balance. Most of the focus on sodium and potassium centers on their effects on the kidneys, blood vessels, and heart. But these minerals affect every part of the body, including the relentless breakdown and buildup of bone. A diet high in sodium increases the amount of calcium excreted in the urine. This loss is especially prominent when calcium intake is low, as it is for so many Americans.
Friday, May 15, 2009
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4 comments:
I had the same pregnancy when I was pregnancy with Bill, meaning I had preclampsia/toxemia. I was so bad that I was going temporarily blindness from it. My stomach was so hard that a little touch to it hit so bad that it brought tears to my eyes. The doctor told me that after I had the baby my sight would come back, but it sure did scare me. The doctor put me in the hospital right away after my appointment from seeing him. I was on complete bed rest and liquids. Bill wasn't due until April 8th, so during my 8th month I was admitted. For three days I had nothing but liquids and couldn't even get out of bed to go potty or when they changed the bedding. It was sure a pain in the butt. Then April 2nd I was induced to have my labor start, but it didn't work. I was suppose to start early in the morning, but my blood pressure was too high, so the doctor had to give me medicine in my intravenous to lower it. Then they started to induce my at 11:00 AM and gave up at 5:00 PM, because it wasn't working. At 6:00 PM I started my labor on my own and it was so hard and all in my back. At 10:00 PM they called my mom and told her to rush to the hospital to sign papers because I wouldn't dilate past 2 centimeters, so I had to have a C-section. At 11:02 PM my Billy was born.
After he was born all my complications I had during my pregnancy all went away and I was back to normal. I never developed any kidney problems, thank goodness.
When I was pregnant with Tom the doctor was watching me very closely because it was only a short time ago that I had all the other problem. Bill was only 6 months old when I got pregnant with Tom and the doctor told me I didn't let me body get back into shape before I got pregnant again, so I started with toxemia again in my early months. But I was thankful it didn't get as bad with this pregnancy. I was schedule for a C-section on July 3rd, but Tom couldn't wait. I went into labor on my own on June 30th and he was born at 6:01 AM.
So, hopefully you don't have to ever worry about a kidney problem, as like, what your grandmother had.
I know my grandmother had a lot of problems when she was pregnant with my Aunt JoAnne. To go through all what she did, and then to lose her baby to the fault of the doctor, was just terrible. Back then there wasn't lawsuits like there are today, because she would have had one hell of a suit. The doctor punctured the baby's soft spot, while trying to use forceps to pull the baby out of her. After trying that, then they finally did a C-section on her and she almost died through it. My grandfather was terrified for me because he said it reminded him of my Nana going through it all over again. But I turned out fine and I believe you will too.
Don't forget how many babies your grandmother had too. That many pregnancies puts a strain on your body and your organs.
Sorry for a long responce.
Long responses are good!
There's a family history of kidney problems, my Dad has kidney problems as well as my grandmother. Every pregnancy is different, and I actually had an a-typical form of it to boot. But the doctor were concerned about my kidneys when I gave birth, he mentioned it to my Mom (if he said anything to me I either don't remember or was just too hazy from everything that had happened). I know I was told that my grandmother's problems started with that first birth, so the 7 other pregnancies certainly didn't help, but the problem already existed.
By definition it does affect your risk to your kidneys:
"What does preeclampsia do?
It can cause your blood pressure to rise and puts you at risk of stroke or IMPAIRED KIDNEY FUNCTION, impaired liver function, blood clotting problems, pulmonary edema (fluid on the lungs), seizures and, in severe forms, maternal and infant death. Because preeclampsia affects the blood flow and placenta, babies can be smaller and are often born prematurely. Ironically, sometimes the babies can be much larger. While maternal death from preeclampsia is rare in the U.S., it is a leading cause of illness and death globally for mothers and infants."
It also puts you at greater risk to have a stroke or heart attack later in life. So basically, we both have to take care of our health, since we know we are at greater risk than the general population.
Wow, I just remembered that I had fluid covering my heart and I remember the doctor telling my mom that they have to do emergency C-section to save me and the baby. I heard him talking to her on the phone. My grandfather was so scared and so was I. I told my mom as they were wheeling me out of the labor room to go to the operating room, that I was afraid i was going to die. I was crying and she was crying. It was very scary being I was on 16 years old at the time. I really didn't know what to expect. But I was ready to be a mother, I do know that. I would never change anything about that part of my life. Children are a blessing and so is family.
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