BUN stands for blood urea nitrogen. It's a function of how much waste your urine removes from your bloodstream. The kidneys filter all the liquid trash, usually depleted red blood cells, and refresh the red blood, and this passes from your body via urine. High BUN is a sign that you might get kidney stones and have renal failure.
Good news, BUN can be lowered by drinking plenty of H2O and a lot less sodas.
I do not drink soda, but I do drink orange juice and another kind of juice. I might need to just do more water. When I am doing deliveries though, I sip water slowly. The last thing a driver needs is a full bladder all the time. Ha.
Oh no, vertigo? That sounds bad. I'm surprised they don't have another toilet for you. Can you get a porta-potty installed? I use them when out on the road when I find them. For delivery drivers, finding a porta-potty is like finding a treasure chest! 😅
Sorry to hear this. I think one thing that will help immensely is drinking about a gallon of water per day.
When I was 16, I was my heaviest; scale clocked in at about 290 lbs for me. I spent 13 months going from 290 to about 185 or so because I grew tired and frustrated with both myself and not being able to find clothes.
For the first six months of weight loss, I was too big to do any running, while also being flat-footed. Double-kick drumming was my cardio substitute (I love metal 🤘), in addition to mainly bodyweight workouts.
I really hope that this served as some positive encouragement and maybe spurred some ideas for some workouts. You don’t need weights! Body weight can do a lot.
Yes, I agree. More water. I drink coffee though so maybe that is making me dehydrated? I usually average 3 cups per day. I think coffee makes you pee and what not, so that could be making me need more water.
You are correct! Coffee is a diuretic, and gin drink as much as I do! Also, coffee *can* contribute to higher uric acid, leading to gout. That’s why I try to stay really heavy on the water.
Is it the caffeine in the coffee that does it or the coffee itself? I have caffeine pills for when I need them on the road, but I prefer coffee at home.
The caffeine pills are used when I am out on the road and need a boost. Sometimes you can get tired after driving for hours. So I keep them on hand when I need them. I never take more caffeine per day than the equivalent of four cups of coffee.
It’s the caffeine that causes you to pass more urine. Sites like Mayo Clinic will say/confirm that but when it comes to dehydration, the effects of coffee and dehydration are actually mild.
However, by my own standards, if I am peeing more, then I need keep water coming in.
Sorry to hear that. I have some arthritis and it's made worse by the seizure meds I have to take. Joint pain side effect of the damned stuff but I have to take it. It also doesn't help that I am 82 years old.
If your BUN is elevated, but your creatinine is normal your doctor is likely to tell you to drink more water as you may be dehydrated. The BUN and creatinine are tied together with a ratio and your doctor can explain all of this to you. I’m sure there are good references online about these lab tests and what they mean.
Somehow, I don’t think you take good care of yourself and you don’t say that you’re married and have somebody who takes care of you. I urge you to remember that you are important and that taking care of your body is part of being healthy.
I believe my creatinine is normal, thank you for linking the two. So perhaps it's a simple as drinking more water? Or maybe I was just dehydrated that morning for the test?
Thanks so much for your good wishes, much appreciated.
I have rheumatoid arthritis in my hands and knees, and glucosamine with turmeric taken every day works wonders for me. It's inexpensive and available over the counter.
It doesn't work for everyone, but it doesn't do any harm, so it might be worth a try for you.
Highly recommend a castor oil pack plus heat for arthritis. I was told I have to live with pain for the rest of my life but the pain went away with the regular application of the hot packs. It's a bit of a mess, but using a flannel with plastic on top protects clothing and the hot water bottle or whatever your using for heat. God speed!
Two things to watch out for regarding arthritis are uric acid and oxalates. Either can form crystals in the joint fluids. Eating too much yeast, chocolate, or artichoke hearts can give me joint problems all over. Look up "high purine foods" and "high oxalate foods." (Spinach, beets, and chocolate are biggies.)
There is also a theory going around that our amino acid balance has been thrown off by eating lots of muscle meats without eating as much of the other bits of the animal. Look up Joel Brind, and his articles on the anti inflammatory nature of glycine. You can up your glycine level economically using collagen (gelatin) vs. Brind's expensive supplement. I don't know the validity of the theory, but I know a few people who have regained mobility by taking Great Lakes hydrolized beef collagen.
Finally, if you do exercise, do not do crunches or situps! Terrible for the back. Stick to hanging leg raises to hit the abs without crushing your spine.
I eat bread and rolls and pretzels. I like all of them, perhaps that is too much yeast?
I will remember the situps and crunches tip when physical therapy comes up with my doctor. That is good to know, the last thing I want to do is mess my back up trying to fix it!
The big thing to watch out for is supplements and "natural vitamins" which use brewer's yeast. Double plus beware any supplement which has RNA. I tried one of those in college and got terrible gout in my knees. Organ meats are also a big source of purines. This is why gout is associated with the British rich. The rich ate the organ meats -- along with unfiltered alcoholic beverages. Lots of purines.
Physical therapy should help. I had several herniated discs from a car accident. The exercises the PT will give you should make a difference; they did somewhat for me. I still ended up having a couple fusions. Unfortunately an MRI is the best test for back damage.
I hope you feel better. Sounds like just a lot of rotten fortune. I haven't heard of a stomach bug but anytime you go into a medical facility now, you roll the dice. Turd worlders use the hospitals for all their healthcare needs.
An MRI? I had not thought of that, but I will ask my doctor about it. Thank you, that is a good suggestion.
Yes, you don't know what you are going to get when you go into a medical facility. I washed my hands and what not, but I probably breathed something in.
Herbal remedies. I stopped taking acetaminophen and ibuprofen years ago because of the risk of kidney damage, among other things. I take a pain relieving tincture for general pain, like headaches, but I've also used an arnica gel for muscles aches.
There are lots of options out there and you might have to try a couple different kinds to see what works best for you.
Sounds like you have been in the wars a bit there, Sir. Back pain is up there with toothache, I am told, so I feel for you, especially with a job like driving, being in and out of the vehicle and the repetitive twisting and up/down that involves. A very fit friend of mine is also a delivery driver, and even she picked up a persistent problem because of the movements involved repeating a hundred times a day, and the wear and tear that must entail. All I know about the dehydration thing is that if the pee is yellow you are almost certainly a bit dehydrated. And if it's dark yellow, get plenty of plain water inside you sharpish! Best wishes for the prognosis, whatever it is.
As someone who was supposed to be in a wheelchair by 40 due to twisted pelvis and herniated disks - I am now 64 and still a gym rat and runner. Was a personal trainer and then Did my first marathon at 59.
Drugs and surgery was and still is a hard pass for me. Physio, massage and proper training in the gym did the trick. Time and patience for sure.
Cranberry juice is good for the kidneys. Caffeine is a diuretic, sucks water out of your tissues. More water and electrolytes work.
I have/had arthritis in my hands, fingers, knees, back and neck. Serious motorcycle accident when I was 18 ( I still ride... ) and a couple of serious car crashes, farming accidents, cattle kicks, just jumping in and out of tractors. etc.... back problems since I was a kid and now two bulging disks. In mid June I switched what I eat. I had been backing off carbs for a few years now but mid June I nearly stopped them all. Since then I have lost 25 lbs - I am now a healthy 135 lbs and 5-5. Oddly enough the arthritis is nearly gone, I eat beef for all meals except bacon for breakfast. I now run up steps like I did on my 40's ( Im 65 now) I climb ladders, ride motorcycles and all sorts of stupid things that I was ready to stop because of the pain. Now I am doing those things pain free and feel younger. Its not for everybody especially just beef. But cutting the carbs is serious help. They and plants cause inflammation and inflammation causes the pain we feel. Just a thought
Thank you, I will bear your thoughts in mind. I have heard good things about meat diets, though I love eggs so it would be hard to give them up. Still, I will consider what you said. Thanks again!
Thanks so much, Kate. I believe Betty Davis once said that "old age ain't for sissies" or something like that, and Betty certainly knew what she was talking about, though I don't consider myself yet into old age.
You will be reunited with him in Heaven someday, and you will stroll together through the divine and beautiful gardens of God, hand in hand, for all eternity. 🥰 🙏🏻
BUN stands for blood urea nitrogen. It's a function of how much waste your urine removes from your bloodstream. The kidneys filter all the liquid trash, usually depleted red blood cells, and refresh the red blood, and this passes from your body via urine. High BUN is a sign that you might get kidney stones and have renal failure.
Good news, BUN can be lowered by drinking plenty of H2O and a lot less sodas.
I do not drink soda, but I do drink orange juice and another kind of juice. I might need to just do more water. When I am doing deliveries though, I sip water slowly. The last thing a driver needs is a full bladder all the time. Ha.
I stopped drinking soda about three weeks ago. Now, I drink Minute Maid fruit drink, HI-C, Hawaiian punch, lemonade, and water.
Like you, I try to drink water at work and don't drink enough, as I don't want to use the same toilets as the inmates.
The lack of hydration might have been why I got vertigo three weeks ago and Tuesday night.
Oh no, vertigo? That sounds bad. I'm surprised they don't have another toilet for you. Can you get a porta-potty installed? I use them when out on the road when I find them. For delivery drivers, finding a porta-potty is like finding a treasure chest! 😅
There are toilets for inmates in the wing and officers outside the wing. It's a direct observation wing, and I can only leave when relieved.
Oh, I see. Thanks for clarifying, I know nothing about prisons. Seems like there should be some sort of relief for you every so often so you can go.
Hey sir,
Sorry to hear this. I think one thing that will help immensely is drinking about a gallon of water per day.
When I was 16, I was my heaviest; scale clocked in at about 290 lbs for me. I spent 13 months going from 290 to about 185 or so because I grew tired and frustrated with both myself and not being able to find clothes.
For the first six months of weight loss, I was too big to do any running, while also being flat-footed. Double-kick drumming was my cardio substitute (I love metal 🤘), in addition to mainly bodyweight workouts.
I really hope that this served as some positive encouragement and maybe spurred some ideas for some workouts. You don’t need weights! Body weight can do a lot.
Yes, I agree. More water. I drink coffee though so maybe that is making me dehydrated? I usually average 3 cups per day. I think coffee makes you pee and what not, so that could be making me need more water.
You are correct! Coffee is a diuretic, and gin drink as much as I do! Also, coffee *can* contribute to higher uric acid, leading to gout. That’s why I try to stay really heavy on the water.
Is it the caffeine in the coffee that does it or the coffee itself? I have caffeine pills for when I need them on the road, but I prefer coffee at home.
The caffeine pills are used when I am out on the road and need a boost. Sometimes you can get tired after driving for hours. So I keep them on hand when I need them. I never take more caffeine per day than the equivalent of four cups of coffee.
It’s the caffeine that causes you to pass more urine. Sites like Mayo Clinic will say/confirm that but when it comes to dehydration, the effects of coffee and dehydration are actually mild.
However, by my own standards, if I am peeing more, then I need keep water coming in.
That makes sense.
Doing ok today?
**you drink as much coffee as I do**
Didn’t mean for the gin comment 🙃
Sorry to hear that. I have some arthritis and it's made worse by the seizure meds I have to take. Joint pain side effect of the damned stuff but I have to take it. It also doesn't help that I am 82 years old.
I am sorry to hear that, my friend. You are older than I and it must be much harder for you. You are in my prayers, I hope you find relief. 🙏🏻
Hello, Undead,
If your BUN is elevated, but your creatinine is normal your doctor is likely to tell you to drink more water as you may be dehydrated. The BUN and creatinine are tied together with a ratio and your doctor can explain all of this to you. I’m sure there are good references online about these lab tests and what they mean.
Somehow, I don’t think you take good care of yourself and you don’t say that you’re married and have somebody who takes care of you. I urge you to remember that you are important and that taking care of your body is part of being healthy.
You are in my prayers. Feel better soon.
I believe my creatinine is normal, thank you for linking the two. So perhaps it's a simple as drinking more water? Or maybe I was just dehydrated that morning for the test?
Thanks so much for your good wishes, much appreciated.
sorry to hear that about yer back. sounds like a heavy load. may the Lord bless you with strength and perseverance. take care…
Thank you and the Lord's blessing back at you, Hollis.
I have rheumatoid arthritis in my hands and knees, and glucosamine with turmeric taken every day works wonders for me. It's inexpensive and available over the counter.
It doesn't work for everyone, but it doesn't do any harm, so it might be worth a try for you.
Incidentally, I started taking tumeric for tendinitis in my hands and it has worked well. So perhaps the combo will help my back too.
I have been using tumeric, and I think I bought glucosamine a while back but haven’t taken it. I’ll see if it’s that stuff and start on it.
Bless you and thanks for sharing the tip, I hope it works.
Highly recommend a castor oil pack plus heat for arthritis. I was told I have to live with pain for the rest of my life but the pain went away with the regular application of the hot packs. It's a bit of a mess, but using a flannel with plastic on top protects clothing and the hot water bottle or whatever your using for heat. God speed!
Good idea, thanks for the suggestion. I will check that out too.
Two things to watch out for regarding arthritis are uric acid and oxalates. Either can form crystals in the joint fluids. Eating too much yeast, chocolate, or artichoke hearts can give me joint problems all over. Look up "high purine foods" and "high oxalate foods." (Spinach, beets, and chocolate are biggies.)
There is also a theory going around that our amino acid balance has been thrown off by eating lots of muscle meats without eating as much of the other bits of the animal. Look up Joel Brind, and his articles on the anti inflammatory nature of glycine. You can up your glycine level economically using collagen (gelatin) vs. Brind's expensive supplement. I don't know the validity of the theory, but I know a few people who have regained mobility by taking Great Lakes hydrolized beef collagen.
Finally, if you do exercise, do not do crunches or situps! Terrible for the back. Stick to hanging leg raises to hit the abs without crushing your spine.
I eat bread and rolls and pretzels. I like all of them, perhaps that is too much yeast?
I will remember the situps and crunches tip when physical therapy comes up with my doctor. That is good to know, the last thing I want to do is mess my back up trying to fix it!
The big thing to watch out for is supplements and "natural vitamins" which use brewer's yeast. Double plus beware any supplement which has RNA. I tried one of those in college and got terrible gout in my knees. Organ meats are also a big source of purines. This is why gout is associated with the British rich. The rich ate the organ meats -- along with unfiltered alcoholic beverages. Lots of purines.
Physical therapy should help. I had several herniated discs from a car accident. The exercises the PT will give you should make a difference; they did somewhat for me. I still ended up having a couple fusions. Unfortunately an MRI is the best test for back damage.
I hope you feel better. Sounds like just a lot of rotten fortune. I haven't heard of a stomach bug but anytime you go into a medical facility now, you roll the dice. Turd worlders use the hospitals for all their healthcare needs.
An MRI? I had not thought of that, but I will ask my doctor about it. Thank you, that is a good suggestion.
Yes, you don't know what you are going to get when you go into a medical facility. I washed my hands and what not, but I probably breathed something in.
The MRI "sees" into the spinal joints a lot more clearly than an X-ray. Disc issues pop right out.
Okay, that is VERY good to know and I will see if I can get one of those done. 👍🏻
I'll keep you in my prayers! 🙏
Thank you, I appreciate that very much. 👍🏻
I hope you're feeling better soon. If you don't mind my saying, looking into more natural pain relief might also help with your kidney function.
Thank you for your good wishes. I am not sure what you mean by natural pain relief. But I am certainly open to suggestions.
Herbal remedies. I stopped taking acetaminophen and ibuprofen years ago because of the risk of kidney damage, among other things. I take a pain relieving tincture for general pain, like headaches, but I've also used an arnica gel for muscles aches.
There are lots of options out there and you might have to try a couple different kinds to see what works best for you.
Sounds like you have been in the wars a bit there, Sir. Back pain is up there with toothache, I am told, so I feel for you, especially with a job like driving, being in and out of the vehicle and the repetitive twisting and up/down that involves. A very fit friend of mine is also a delivery driver, and even she picked up a persistent problem because of the movements involved repeating a hundred times a day, and the wear and tear that must entail. All I know about the dehydration thing is that if the pee is yellow you are almost certainly a bit dehydrated. And if it's dark yellow, get plenty of plain water inside you sharpish! Best wishes for the prognosis, whatever it is.
Thanks!
As someone who was supposed to be in a wheelchair by 40 due to twisted pelvis and herniated disks - I am now 64 and still a gym rat and runner. Was a personal trainer and then Did my first marathon at 59.
Drugs and surgery was and still is a hard pass for me. Physio, massage and proper training in the gym did the trick. Time and patience for sure.
Cranberry juice is good for the kidneys. Caffeine is a diuretic, sucks water out of your tissues. More water and electrolytes work.
Feel better soon Morg! Pain sucks the big one.
Thank you my friend, I appreciate the advice and good wishes!
Just feel better ok? No matter how ya get there.
I have/had arthritis in my hands, fingers, knees, back and neck. Serious motorcycle accident when I was 18 ( I still ride... ) and a couple of serious car crashes, farming accidents, cattle kicks, just jumping in and out of tractors. etc.... back problems since I was a kid and now two bulging disks. In mid June I switched what I eat. I had been backing off carbs for a few years now but mid June I nearly stopped them all. Since then I have lost 25 lbs - I am now a healthy 135 lbs and 5-5. Oddly enough the arthritis is nearly gone, I eat beef for all meals except bacon for breakfast. I now run up steps like I did on my 40's ( Im 65 now) I climb ladders, ride motorcycles and all sorts of stupid things that I was ready to stop because of the pain. Now I am doing those things pain free and feel younger. Its not for everybody especially just beef. But cutting the carbs is serious help. They and plants cause inflammation and inflammation causes the pain we feel. Just a thought
Thank you, I will bear your thoughts in mind. I have heard good things about meat diets, though I love eggs so it would be hard to give them up. Still, I will consider what you said. Thanks again!
Get well soon bro, your health comes first 🙏🏾
Thanks so much, Eric. I appreciate the kind words.
Ah the joys of aging 😂 Take care lots of good advice already provided. We need your common sense
Thanks so much, Kate. I believe Betty Davis once said that "old age ain't for sissies" or something like that, and Betty certainly knew what she was talking about, though I don't consider myself yet into old age.
She did indeed. At 62 apparently I am now officially old but I do not feel that I am. Feel somewhere between 20 and nirvana 😂
Ha, that’s a great way of looking at it! You are seven years older than me so I defer to you on the secrets of aging! 😅
Thanks for explaining. Then those of us who pray, can pray abt u and ur back. It ain't easy getting old, but think of the alternative! 😁
Indeed, my friend! Well put! Any day above ground is a good one, right? 😉
I lost my husband to cancer at 48. I learned that lesson.
Take care of yourself!
My deepest condolences on the passing of your husband. God rest his soul, and God bless you and your family. 🙏🏻
Thank u Morgthorak. It's been a long time ago now. Time flies even when you're not having fun. :/
You will be reunited with him in Heaven someday, and you will stroll together through the divine and beautiful gardens of God, hand in hand, for all eternity. 🥰 🙏🏻