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Mar 15

Edwards knows importance of National Kidney Month – Early Bird Newspaper

Diets that Work Comments Off on Edwards knows importance of National Kidney Month – Early Bird Newspaper

ANSONIA National Kidney Month is observed in March, and Kenny Edwards of Ansonia knows the importance of that observance.

Edwards was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome and Membranous Nephropathy in December 2017.

Nephrotic syndrome is a kidney disorder that causes the body to pass too much protein in the urine, and is usually caused by damage to the clusters of small blood vessels in the kidneys that filter waste and excess water from the blood.

Membranous nephropathy is deposition of immune complexes on the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) with GBM thickening. It is a kidney disease that affects the filters (glomeruli) of the kidney and can cause protein in the urine, as well as decreased kidney function and swelling. It is said to be one of the most common causes of the nephrotic syndrome in adults.

Its very rare, said Edwards. When I urinate, it comes out foam. My ankles became the size of my knees and my eyes swelled shut.

He said when he first became ill, his cholesterol was 340 and his blood pressure was 190 over 90.

I had blood work done at Crown (his employer) and my cholesterol was way up and my blood pressure was sky high, he said. The doctor didnt think anything of it at first.

He was subsequently sent to the kidney clinic at Upper Valley Medical Center.

Edwards first noticed the change in his urine when they were on a family vacation at Lake Leelanau, Mich., where they go every summer for two weeks.

I gained 40 pounds in water in 11 days, he said. Then I lost 40 pounds in nine days. I had the kidney function of a 38-year-old but the protein was 20 times higher than it should be.

A biopsy was the next step, Sarah said. Thats when they found it was Membranous Nephropathy. They treated it with chemo. It was not cancer.

It was awful, he said. It was taking one month of chemo, the next month steroids. That alternated for six months. I worked through it.

At the time, he was working in Newcastle, Ind., getting up at 4:30 a.m. to be there by 6 and getting home at 5 or 6 in the evening. He installs SAP software for the entire company on the warehousing side of it. Hes been with Crown for 16 years and did not miss much work.

The interesting thing about his disease is that there is no cure, so if hed get a new kidney, the nephropathy can do the same thing for the new kidney, she said.

Its Catch 22, Kenny added.

Every morning, he still says he wakes up with a swollen face but noted that within an hour he is usually feeling better.

He is not supposed to have a high concentration of protain or sodium in his diet.

They have no idea what causes it, he said. Its idiopathic.

Sarah said there are 200,000 cases per year, but mainly in children.

And as far as the Edwardses know, its not hereditary.

Kids can outgrow it by adolescence but, as an adult, and you get it, youre a lifer. Sarah said.

Kenny said he has joined a Facebook group, where most of the members are from Australia.

There are only two of us in the Dayon area that we know of, Kenny said.

His kidney doctor considers him in remission for the time being.

However, he can relapse at any point in time.

We will never know, said Sarah, a beautician at Tangles in Greenville and a member of Ansonia Community Pride. A common cold could make him relapse. Keeping him in remission slows his kidneys from failing. We really just never know when that will happen. There is no time limit. I know he said 15 to 20 years but it could be next month or never. We just dont know.

She said he will probably have chemo again if he relapses.

He watches his diet and takes several pills a day for cholesterol, blood pressure, water pill, vitamins B and D and Tylenol for pain.

I cant lift weights anymore, said Kenny, who has been the high school and junior high football coach for 17 years and still coaches, but on a volunteer basis. I used to run the weight room for football. I have to be careful about what I do. I cramp up fast.

He has had a bad couple of years, and recently lost both his parents, Dean and Mary Jane (Thornill) Edwards.

Mom had a rare blood disorder, he said. I found Dad when I went to see him after coming home from work one day.

Edwards said he is feeling well right now. but noted that his immune system is suppressed and he gets sick often.

I have discomfort, he said. Both kidneys are affected. Anybody can get it but its more common in children.

He is grateful to the community, his church (Ansonia First Church of God) and to his co-workers at Crown for their support during these times.

There have been fundraisers, he said. The Pink Out sponsored me. There were a lot of friends and family who dropped food off at the house. Ive been getting letters from people I didnt even know. During my chemo, the Newcastle guys gave me money for a vacation. A lot of guys I work with helped me get through it.

He and his wife, the former Sarah Turner, have been together for 11 years and were married nine years ago this coming November. She has a 15-year-old son, Parker Helton, and together, they have two children, Noah, 9, and Grace Edwards 5.

Sarah has been my rock through all of this, said Kenny, a 2000 graduate of Ansonia High School. Without her, I dont think things would have been so positive for me. She has been amazing through it all.

PHOTO CAPTION: Kenny Edwards is shown here with family members: Wife Sarah, 5-year-old daughter Grace Edwards; 9-year-old son Noah Edwards and 15-year old stepson Parker Helton. Kenny has been having kidney issues since 2017.

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Edwards knows importance of National Kidney Month - Early Bird Newspaper

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