One disappointed Wolfman

Well, things didn't go as planned this morning. The doctor who is filling in for Dr. Ravi came by and advised that Michael needed to stay in the hospital another night so that they could get his Creatinine Measurement in balance in his kidneys as it had gone up .1. Michael was of course disappointed, but realizes it is for his own good that we stay here another night. I went to the house and took some of our belongings that we did not need tonight so we can leave when we are dismissed.Following is a discussion on the Creatinine Measurement)

(Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) Based on Creatinine Measurement
GFR is a calculation of how efficiently the kidneys are filtering wastes from the blood. A traditional GFR calculation requires an injection into the bloodstream of a substance that is later measured in a 24-hour urine collection. Recently, scientists found they could calculate GFR without an injection or urine collection. The new calculation—the eGFR—requires only a measurement of the creatinine in a blood sample.

In a laboratory, a person’s blood is tested to see how many milligrams of creatinine are in one deciliter of blood (mg/dL). Creatinine levels in the blood can vary, and each laboratory has its own normal range, usually 0.6 to 1.2 mg/dL. A person whose creatinine level is only slightly above this range will probably not feel sick, but the elevation is a sign that the kidneys are not working at full strength. One formula for estimating kidney function equates a creatinine level of 1.7 mg/dL for most men and 1.4 mg/dL for most women to 50 percent of normal kidney function. But because creatinine values are so variable and can be affected by diet, a GFR calculation is more accurate for determining whether a person has reduced kidney function.

The eGFR calculation uses the patient’s creatinine measurement along with age and values assigned for sex and race. Some medical laboratories may make the eGFR calculation when a creatinine value is measured and include it on the lab report. The National Kidney Foundation has determined different stages of CKD based on the value of the eGFR. Dialysis or transplantation is needed when the eGFR is less than 15 milliliters per minute (mL/min).)



Michael is having gas pains today and we are going to make a trip down the hallway to see if we can get rid of it. I think it is from lying in bed all week......

I also asked the oncologist who saw him today about his leg going down and he said it was what the chemo was doing that had caused the leg to go down. He said he feels he is responding very well to treatment since the leg has already gone down. About the nodules in his lung, he advised they hope to kill them out completely but that he might have some scars from them that show up later. We can live with the scars. God is working a miracle in Wolfman's life as we speak. We told the doctor today that God was on our side and He was using him to help make Michael well. He said that is correct. Keep the prayers coming, we can feel everyone of them. Love to all, Michael and Terri