Quotation of the Day

"Like everybody else, when I don't know what else to do, I seem to go in for catching colds." 

 ~George Jean Nathan

Sticky Urethra and Spongey Kidneys

This blog post contains descriptions of medical conditions. Reader discretion is advised.

I've spent a lot of time in exam rooms the past month; I've had terrible pains and all kinds of other problems. When a week's long course of CIPRO did not alleviate the symptoms of a UTI, my doctor sent me to get a CT scan of my kidneys.

The scan showed a small kidney stone and indications of Medullary Sponge Kidney Disease, a condition that isn't dangerous but makes suffers predisposed to kidney stones and UTIs. Tubes in the kidneys collect urine to process it, but those of us with MSK have cysts in the kidney that keep urine from flowing freely. The condition is congenital, though not inherited. MSK doesn't have a cure or treatment, just treatment of the kidney stones or UTIs that develop because of it.

Though it was comforting to have a diagnosis, MSK doesn't explain the back and abdominal pain I'd been experiencing.

My doctor sent me to the urologist for a confirmation of the MSK diagnosis and to see if anything else was going on. My appointment was yesterday, and it was strange. The typical age-range of urology patients is not thirty-something. Also, the waiting room was decorated with a number of cartoons about urologists and urological conditions. Who knew there were so many cartoonists talking about the urinary tract?

The doctor did confirm that I have MSK. He said that, unrelated, I was also simply prone to UTIs and bladder infections. While I knew that women were likely to get bladder infections because the length of the urethra between the opening and the bladder is short, the doctor did give me new information. He said that there is a continuum, with some women never getting bladder infections on one end (lucky them), and on the other are women who get bladder infections all the time (lucky me). What seems to explain this is the "stickiness" of the inside of the urethra. If the urethra lining is slick, bacteria can't take hold and make their way up to the bladder; however, if the urethra is sticky, even slight pressure on the urethra opening can cause an infection. There really isn't a treatment for this, either. He gave me and antibiotic to take right before or right after any activity that might lead to an infection.

In six weeks, if I am not feeling better, he'll do another procedure to look inside my bladder.

Blame Factory Farms for Swine Flu

Modern factory farm practices shoulder much of the blame for the current swine flu outbreak, according to a statement from the Humane Society of the United States. In factory farms, pigs are raised in horrific, intense confinement. Moreover, they are often cared for by the same staff assigned to adjacent poultry operations. Trucking the animals (in the heat, in confinement) allows for the quick spread of the disease across long distances. Surely the amount of antibiotics given to factory farmed animals exacerbates the situation (for more on this, visit the Sustainable Table).

While factory farming likely sparked the swine flu outbreak (not to mention avian flu), people get swine flu from other people who have been infected, not from eating animal products, though that would be poetic justice. To avoid infection, use good hygiene--wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and, in areas where swine flu has been reported, avoid hugging, kissing, and touching others.

To reduce the likelihood of more outbreaks or other diseases associated with factory farms, work to require humane conditions for farm animals. Though you may only be doing it for your own health, it is the very least these animals deserve.

Humane Society of the United States Swine Flu Statement
Grist Article Investigating Link to Smithfield Factory Farms

World Suicide Prevention Day

Wednesday, September 10, is World Suicide Prevention Day. Around the world, each minute 1-2 people die from suicide, and in developing countries, suicide is a leading cause of death among teenagers. World Suicide Prevention Day is designed to bring attention to the high costs of suicide as well as promote understanding of suicide behaviors and awareness of effective prevention.

At Ithaca College, the Counseling Center is sponsoring a number of activities surrounding World Suicide Prevention Day and National Suicide Prevention week, including a talk by Carlo Troise who lost his only son to suicide. A full listing of activities is available here.