Cliff Floyd Goes To The Doctor

[Guest Rotblatt]

Jesus. Be careful, Cliff!

From Newsday

]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."

[Elster88]

I hope everything works out for Cornelius.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Both Cornelii, actually.

Scary enough to remind me that I'm long overdue for seeing a physician.

[Elster88]

]No more salt, no fast food and no soda

Life really does end at 30.

[seawolf17]

Elster88 wrote: ]No more salt, no fast food and no soda Life really does end at 30.

Uh oh.

[Guest KC]

A soul mate of mine had a successful kidney transplant late last years.
Don't fuck with your organs or they will fuck with you.

[smg58]

That's some scary stuff. I guess all we can do is hope for the best.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Yeah, geez, I hope he's okay.

Though it's far less important than Cliff's long term health, what about the baseball ramifications? Diaz and Nady both make the starting lineup? Milledge ascends more quickly if one or both of the two underachieves?

[Theoldmole]

Let's worry about Cliff first.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

TheOldMole wrote: Let's worry about Cliff first.

Do you think that Willie and Omar aren't contemplating the alternatives?

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Hopefully it's nothing too serious.

Best of good vibes to Cliff!

[Frayed Knot]

I doubt there'll be too many baseball ramifications for this season.
Where it could come into play baseball-wise would be for the contract after this one.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Best thing is that they're aware of it early. Hopefully they can prevent damage. Best of luck and wishes to the Floyds.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Cliff Gets Good Health News

Whew!

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Good news! I'm glad that Cliff and his doctors are taking a proactive stance in dealing with his family history of kidney problems. I pray for continued good health to Cliff.