Making Healthier Choices After a Kidney Cancer Diagnosis

This is a guest post by Hector Perez, a KCA Ambassador. Hector was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2006.

After my kidney cancer diagnosis, I didn’t change any of my fitness or nutrition habits. I lived a completely normal life, and it was not usual for me to exercise. At that time, I didn’t care so much about my health.

However, the worst thing I experienced after my diagnosis was the side effects of the medications. Because of this, I wanted to have a better quality of life and to enjoy as much as I can with my family and friends.

The medications I was taking changed my sense of taste, which made my appetite decrease. I tried several diets and different exercises, but the medication also affected my walking. I walked slowly and got tired easily. I never got discouraged from continuing to look for options to improve my diet and lifestyle. Nevertheless, I can’t deny that on many occasions I wasn’t motivated since it was a difficult lifestyle to follow at the beginning.

Since I had only one kidney, and my glucose was not controlled, I became aware of the type of food I ate. I started to give up soda, and I stopped eating breads and sweets. I even installed an alkaline water filter in the house. But at every appointment, my endocrinologist prescribed me high doses of insulin to control my diabetes. I became very frustrated at times.

A friend recommended to me a nutritionist in Miami. At my first appointment, she did a genetic test. I remember the results were very high in metals due to the chemicals I was consuming in my poor diet.

The nutritionist made me a diet plan to reduce the metals and chemicals from my treatments. I started eating healthier and walking more. She told me I had to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day, so I decided to set it as a goal. Currently, I walk 4 to 5 miles daily.

I started eating salads, fish, turkey, vegetable juices, and taking supplements. Immediately, I started seeing results. I managed to lose weight, therefore my glucose and glycosylated levels also began to drop. The kidney improved its function. After 7 months, the endocrinologist decided not to prescribe me more insulin. By making these changes, my condition has improved, and it has become more bearable to carry my kidney cancer. My motor function that had been affected by the medications has improved by almost 90 percent. In short, over time I have been able to improve my quality of life, and I plan to continue implementing more healthy lifestyles.