Debwa Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 Hey guys, just completed my whole 30. Unfortunately, on the last day I experienced some severe abdominal pain. I ended up admitted to the hospital and I was diagnosed with a renal infarct (kidney stroke). Besides the Catscan that showed the renal infarct, every other test has been (-). My arteries are clear, my cardiac tests are (-), blood tests (-). Nothing! Apparently, I threw a clot that blocked the blood flow to my right kidney. My kidney function is still good (thank God). I was being treated for a herniated disc/radiculopathy about 1/3 way through the program, and I believed I also had a rheumatoid flare (I have RA). I was taking a Medrol pack for the flare (prednisone), but was feeling better. The pain I had the day I went to the hospital was 10/10 (abdominal and lower right back). My blood pressure was ridiculous (at one point it was 200/160ish, I thought I was going to have a stroke). Anyway, I am now on BP meds, and blood thinners for probably the rest of my life. I also take methotrexate (a chemo med), and Enbrel for the RA. So I'm on some serious meds. Very discouraged. Any advise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 I'm so sorry to hear you are going through serious health issues right now, but I don't really understand what you are asking from us. Eating whole foods does not cause blod clots, and it can't simply reverse serious health issues or resolve side effects from medication. I do believe eating this way is the very best I can do for my body in terms of nutrition. If I were in your situation, I would continue to eat this way but also work with my Dr. to understand these health issues and medications and see if there are treatment options that should be considered. I wish you the best in your recovery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheresanita Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 Is the hypertension chronic? is it something you've had for a while? If not, it could have resulted from the pain and stress of the situation so monitor carefully once you feel things are 'back to normal' so you don't end up with a drop in your BP. Why blood thinner for the rest of your life? Did they do detailed coagulation studies and determine that you have some sort of congenital coagulation problem? After a one time event the docs may want to anticoagulate you for a set amount of time (+/- 6 months) and then wean you off. Also, please be careful of the blood thinner you choose. Many of the new drugs don't require frequent monitoring by lab studies but also can not be reversed in an emergency. Make the decisions that are best for you but be an educated consumer - especially when it comes to medications. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debwa Posted December 15, 2013 Author Share Posted December 15, 2013 Sorry I'm not really sure when I wrote this what I was asking. Just a little overwhelmed by recent events. I'm certainly not implying that the nutritional program had anything to do with my health issues (I like the plan). I realize eating "whole foods" will not cause blood clots. I do work with my doctors when it comes to treatments, and I do my own research as well. I'm more concerned with what I should be eating at this point, (adding back in etc). and if there's anything I shouldn't eat. I'm also worried about stressing my kidneys even though I have had testing and was told I have good kidney function (only a very small area was damaged). I do believe the pain caused the large increase in BP, but I have had labile BP for close to a year now. My physician and I were discussing whether or not to start with BP meds. I was hoping I could change it with diet. I had many tests when I was in the hospital. My doctor was very thorough. I have had several blood cultures to determine if there is anything in my blood to cause it to clot. Everything so far has been (-). Which means we don't know why I am clotting. They are concerned that my RA is making my blood thicker/stickier. I will be seeing a "hematologist" to decide if even further blood work can be done. My doc said to me, I may be on blood thinners for "a very long time" or forever". Trust me I don't want to be on any of these meds for the rest of my life, but If they can't find out why I'm clotting, that's a little scary. I was hoping following a diet with "whole foods" would help me decrease some of the meds I was already on. Just looking for any advice. Particularly from someone who has some experience with these kinds of issues. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 That makes sense. I'm sorry I don't have any answers, really, other than to say that for me, eating the whole30 way did make a difference in my health, and that difference was more significant after a good long period of following the plan. One month isn't a lot in the context of a whole life and sticking with it longer may help create a context that helps you heal (together with your doctor and medications and etc.) It may be that some members have direct experiences that may help as well. I can only encourage them to post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallulah Wolf-Angel Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 If you have RA, I would recommend the AI protocol going forward, if you haven't been doing it already. It's a little more restrictive than regular Whole30, and I would think it would help to stabilize you as quickly as possible. So sorry you are going through this health crisis. Having finished a Whole30 successfully, you now have a really great tool to use in your healing. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debwa Posted December 16, 2013 Author Share Posted December 16, 2013 I thought about trying the AI protocol, but thought I may not be able to maintain the plan. Also, I would have great difficulty giving up eggs. They are a huge protein source for me. I do work with an integrative health specialist (who has a preventative philosophy), so I have reached out to him. Thanks for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Not sure if there's any difference with RA or renal issues, but make sure you discuss Vitamin K and green veggie intake with your medical professionals, especially the people who set your dosage for thinners. Some blood thinner doses can be messed with if you have uneven consumption of Vitamin K, as it can change your clotting levels. It doesn't mean you can't have Vitamin K, just that the intake needs to stay stable, not spike up or dip down. My dad made himself really sick after buying a huge load of spinach on special and eating it three times a day. Some doctors want to do more regular testing if you're making menu changes, so they can monitor the thinner results and regulate the dosage if required. http://www.stoptheclot.org/news/article141.htm - this is about Warfarin (Coumadin), which may not be the same as what you're taking, check with your doc, they'll help you work it out. Be gentle with yourself, give yourself time to find some balance, there's a lot of complexity there, it may take some time to get the tweaks right, hang in there I hope you feel better soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallulah Wolf-Angel Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I thought about trying the AI protocol, but thought I may not be able to maintain the plan. Also, I would have great difficulty giving up eggs. They are a huge protein source for me. Just to play Devil's advocate , what if eggs are part of your problem? You would only have to give them up for a while if they turn out to be safe for you, and if you feel better without them, it might be worth finding a different protein source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debwa Posted December 31, 2013 Author Share Posted December 31, 2013 Thanks praxi, I have heard that about the greens. My doc knows I'm not giving up greens, so we will monitor the Coumadin levels closely. @ Tallulah, I hear you. I've considered the same thing about the eggs. Baby steps, ha. Thanks everyone for your advise. Deb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 If the AIP looks too tough for now, you can always eliminate some extra things and keep the eggs, try one just without eggs later. You might learn new. I get an improvement in inflammation without nightshades, but I found I get almost the same benefit by having a lot less nightshades (really, I used to eat multiple ones for every meal lol I love them). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debwa Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 I need to review a list of night shades. I know eggplant is a night shade, but I forget what the others are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 There's a good list of them here: http://www.thepaleomom.com/2013/08/what-are-nightshades.html A frequent sneaky nightshade these days are goji berries, a lot of people wouldn't even check if they are nightshades and they are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandyloudarling Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 On 12/15/2013 at 9:14 AM, Debwa said: Hey guys, just completed my whole 30. Unfortunately, on the last day I experienced some severe abdominal pain. I ended up admitted to the hospital and I was diagnosed with a renal infarct (kidney stroke). Besides the Catscan that showed the renal infarct, every other test has been (-). My arteries are clear, my cardiac tests are (-), blood tests (-). Nothing! Apparently, I threw a clot that blocked the blood flow to my right kidney. My kidney function is still good (thank God). I was being treated for a herniated disc/radiculopathy about 1/3 way through the program, and I believed I also had a rheumatoid flare (I have RA). I was taking a Medrol pack for the flare (prednisone), but was feeling better. The pain I had the day I went to the hospital was 10/10 (abdominal and lower right back). My blood pressure was ridiculous (at one point it was 200/160ish, I thought I was going to have a stroke). Anyway, I am now on BP meds, and blood thinners for probably the rest of my life. I also take methotrexate (a chemo med), and Enbrel for the RA. So I'm on some serious meds. Very discouraged. Any advise? Hi, my husband just sent through this very same thing as you debwa. Did you find anything out?? Did it happen again?? Do you have any kidney problem now?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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