Health alarm
Mets' Floyd having problems with kidneys, but has to wait for diagnosis

BY DAVID LENNON
STAFF CORRESPONDENT

March 9, 2006


PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - The memory that haunts Cliff Floyd most about his dad's battle with kidney disease is how rapidly he was transformed by the illness. Now the Mets' outfielder is worried that the same thing could be happening to him.

Floyd is scheduled for an ultrasound of his kidneys today after a team physical revealed above-normal creatinine and blood urea-nitrogen levels - two early indicators of renal failure. Floyd won't know the results until Wednesday, when he returns to see a local specialist. But he's already developed high blood pressure and high cholesterol, two more genetic markers from his father, and Floyd said there is blood in his urine. The doctor also warned him yesterday that it's time to make significant changes in his diet.

"When you really go in there and see what's going on, you have to ask yourself: Do you want to live or do you want to die? It's up to you," a shaken Floyd said upon returning from his morning appointment. "Could it be serious? Well, listening to [the doctor], yeah. Am I at the point where I'm on dialysis? No. But the percentages she gave me, it does cause some concern.

"Something's going on. And we're going to find out exactly what it is that has my percentages not where they should be."

Floyd said he was told his kidneys are operating at 48-percent efficiency, and while that number does not put him in danger at the moment, any further slide could be serious.

Dr. Miriam Chung, a nephrologist at Bronx Lebanon Hospital, said that patients who dip below 20 are potential candidates for a kidney transplant. Once they reach the 10-15 range, Dr. Chung said, dialysis is necessary. That's why Floyd must discover what is impairing his kidney function, and the ultrasound, along with more extensive blood tests, is the next step.

The doctor can determine from the ultrasound if there is a blockage or if the kidney has atrophied. But if the kidney is normal in size, Dr. Chung said, a biopsy may be necessary. "I think with any kidney disease, it's important to find out why they are having the failure," Dr. Chung said. "You basically need to know to determine the correct management plan."

Floyd must now wait for a diagnosis, and that can often be the most difficult part. It happened that way for his father, Cornelius, who had no idea how sick he actually was while the disease ravaged his kidneys.

"All of a sudden, he started deteriorating, right in front of our eyes," Floyd said. "It was unbelievable. My dad's eyes started swelling. His legs started swelling. You can't digest your food, so his breath was horrendous."

Floyd was only 13 at the time, and when his dad reached a critical stage, he somehow drove him to the hospital, though he had yet to possess a learner's permit. Floyd sped to the emergency room, and his father was connected to the dialysis machine that saved his life. Cornelius was only 35 years old when the disease struck. Two years later, he received a kidney transplant and is now doing fine.

In talking about his situation, Floyd, 33, mentioned Darryl Kile, who died of a heart attack at the same age, and Monday's passing of Kirby Puckett, who was felled by a massive stroke at 45. Floyd said he felt OK yesterday, and plans to keep playing until Wednesday's follow-up appointment. But he can't pretend like everything's fine, either. Not with the medical evidence he's been confronted with.

"When she told me that 75 percent of your body functions can fail, that scared the -- out of me," Floyd said. "You could be sitting at home thinking you're fine and you could be getting sicker by the minute. Unfortunately, the one thing about kidneys is you don't know until a week before dialysis that you need dialysis."

In the meantime, Floyd is adhering to his doctor's orders. No more salt, no fast food and no soda. Floyd is back on anti-inflammatory medication to help his throwing shoulder get through the rigors of spring training, but that can be damaging to the kidneys, too.

"More times than not, doctors think because you're a big guy everything's cool," Floyd said. "But talking to the doctor, she said that's not the case. Things aren't normal. They're off."




http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseb...l=ny-mets-print

Baseball pales in comparison. Get well Cliffy!!

wo. Hope everything is ok!

__________________
I like to work like I drink, alone. And maybe with a monkey watching...

Scary scary stuff...

Can we just start games already, I'm sick enough worrying about toes let alone kidneys..

Keeping my fingers crossed that it works out okay for him.

__________________
CitiField - All New York, No Mets.

Curious how kidney ailments are becoming more frequent among modern day athletes - you don't suppose it might have something to do with all of the supplements (legal and illegal) that they ingest?

__________________
The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store.
Stand it like a man . . . and give some back. - Al Swearengen

www.hardworkingchimp.com

Great point, maybe it affects the bigger guys more since their kidneys have to work so hard? Alonzo Mourning, Floyd?

Altho, Floyd's prob sounds genetic..

Please...Please let Cliff be ok. It sounds frightening.

__________________
I'm Calling it Shea

Poor cliffy.

__________________
-Julie


I'm back...for now...

Gosh! That's too bad. I wish him well.

__________________
"As he goes, we go."--David Wright on teammate Jose Reyes.

Cliffy...

__________________
It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity.
-Dave Barry

Get well soon Cliffy.......

Health first, screw BB. Get better Cliff.

Speedy recovery, Cliff!

__________________
It's after 10 PM, do you know where are your Mets?

Good news for Cliffy!

Tests put Floyd at ease
BY BOB HERZOG
STAFF CORRESPONDENT

March 15, 2006, 1:50 PM EST

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- A relieved Cliff Floyd told reporters yesterday afternoon that the results of the latest ultra-sound test on his kidneys revealed that his kidney function is at a less risky 65 percent, not the original 48 percent that showed up on a test administered by the Mets when Floyd first showed up at spring training.

"I'm fine. No concerns," Floyd said of the test given by Dr. Zeidy Roche of Port St. Lucie, who examined Floyd yesterday. "Now I can just worry about baseball."

Floyd said the only medication prescribed yesterday was "small doses" of pills to reduce his blood pressure. "I just have to watch what I eat and not be stressed out," said Floyd, who will continue to monitor his kidney functions on a regular basis as part of his treatment. "I'm not sick at all. I'm relieved. Hopefully everything will get better."

Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.

__________________
Autism is not a tragedy, Ignorance is the tragedy

I guess 65% is better than 48% but it's still not great, I would think.

I have no idea what these numbers mean though, if he's happy though, that's great.

__________________

Free us from Jerry.

Whew! Glad to hear that he's ok. I hope one of the nurse's here can let us know what these percentages mean and put it all in context. Like.. what is the percentage for a normal healthy kidney.

Yay, Cliffy! Good news!

__________________
I'm Calling it Shea

Thank God he's better than we originally thought.

__________________
-Julie


I'm back...for now...

And from the sound of it, it may have been at this level for years which means its not deteoriating... <phew>

I think it was 30% was when someone had to go on dialysis and anything below 20% was transplant-worthy.

From the article above..
I am extremely surprised that you get on the kidney transplant list (when you dip below 20) before needing dialysis (when you reach the 10-15 range). I wonder if the article was incorrect, becuase what BBDT posted seems more likely to me.

If that's the actual criteria I suppose it's because from the time you go on the transplant list, and then actually get a transplant organ, you've probably dropped well below the dialysis line. If I had to take a guess.

I imagine it's to give you more time on the list.

__________________
It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity.
-Dave Barry

Hopefully, having Billy Wagner closing games this year instead of B-Looper will go a long way towards reducing his blood pressure!

Very good news, indeed.

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fanof41(+XII)
Dept. Manager

"i like it when the Mets win. " -- LRL

everything is ok for floyd he got his results back and kidneys are at 65 % he is on high blood presseure pills and just has to eat right and drink alot of water ........

glad to find out floyd is ok ......go get um floyd

042 is apparently on tape delay...