Day 1 . . . One Mile at a Time

Today is my first day facing my new reality.

Today is my first day accepting & pushing for more.

Are you asking yourself what has changed? What could possibly change my outlook on my future in one day?

Yesterday, I received confirmation that I have Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD).

So, what is PKD?

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a genetic disease (passed from an affected parent to their child) causing uncontrolled growth of cysts in the kidney eventually leading to kidney failure. It affects all racial and ethnic groups equally.  In some cases, PKD can be caused by a genetic mutation.

Here is one of the best videos that explains it more in-depth from PKD Foundation:

For me – my PKD is that both of my kidneys look like they are wrapped in bubble wrap. Both of my kidneys are completely covered in cysts – ranging from the size of a pencil eraser to over 1+ inches. There are also cysts present in my liver.

So what does this mean for me . . . the ultra runner . . . the girl with hopes & dreams for epic adventures?

It means that I’m taking it one mile at a time.

I am not going to let this disease define who I am.

I have a future that I’m going to challenge to be my best yet.

I have a 24 hour urine study coming up along with more advanced blood panels to monitor my kidney & liver function. There will also be an evaluation to figure out how I developed PKD – genetic or mutation. So far – no one else in my family has PKD, so I may be the lucky mutation. *I may need a cool mutant name in the future. I’ve always wanted to be a part of the X-Men!*

I will be tweaking my lifestyle more to eat to fight the disease versus feeding it. The cleaner the better. I’ll most likely post recipes that I find . . . partially to keep track of them & partially to help others that might find my blogging helpful. 🙂 *I’m trying to be very mindful that you are what you eat . . . I’m not fast, easy, or cheap!* 😛

I will be increasing my water consumption & I will be playing with various ways to do this in a way that is not only beneficial, but also easily tracked. Don’t worry . . . I’ll be blogging about this too & looking for suggestions! 😛

Lastly, I will be experimenting with ways to eliminate NSAIDs from my life since these are kidney killers & replace them with natural anti-inflammatories / methods (i.e. massage, acupuncture, turmeric, tart cherry juice, ice, foam rollers, compression, etc.).

So welcome to my journey . . . my adventure . . . my one mile at a time. ❤