The Sioux Valley Health Centre hosted a Kidney Walk today. We were one of many communities participating today in the Manitoba First Nations Kidney Walk. We had 20 participants along with the SVDN Health Centre staff. We were honored to have Sherisse McKay join us. She shared her health journey of her diagnosis of kidney issues, her kidney transplant and treatment, and how important it is to have our kidney health checked. We appreciate her so much for sharing with us today.
I wanted to share information on kidney health and what we can do to take care of ourselves.
The important job of our kidneys is to rid our body of waste and fluids. They also help to control blood pressure, clean our blood, remove extra water, keep body chemicals in balance, and to help build red blood cells.
Chronic kidney disease happens when there is damage to the kidneys, causing them to not work at their greatest potential. We may not know when damage is happening, so it is important to follow up with our health care professionals. Early diagnosis and treatment gives you the opportunity to delay and/or prevent end-stage kidney disease resulting in the need for dialysis and possibly a transplant.
Risk factors include having diabetes, uncontrolled high blood pressure, urinary tract issues, known kidney problems, autoimmune disease such as Lupus, family history, cardiovascular disease and excessive use of known toxins.
There are changes we can make in our daily living such as attending regular check-ups, managing diabetes as best we can, taking medications as prescribed, aiming for a healthy body weight, stopping or limiting smoking and alcohol, knowing your family history, being active, having healthy balanced meals, and maintaining a healthy blood pressure to limit the damage to blood vessels in our body.
We are the best advocates for our health and wellness.
Thank you!
