I'm an obsessed certifiable OCD germaphobe away from home. I've been this way for a couple years now, but thanks to my constant grossedouttedness with the public's lack of good hygiene, I haven't had a cold in two years. Between Lysol wiping my desks at school and washing my hands several times a day, I've kept both cold germs and angry kidneys at bay.

No doctor has ever suggested to me that colds wear out stressed kidneys, but in the past (ever since I was first diagnosed) colds and fevers would bring about the beginnings of acute kidney failure - maybe not the cold itself, but the way I handle colds with the perseverance of a toddler. When feverish and bed-ridden, I let myself get dehydrated - probably as much as anyone else with a bad cold. Technically, anyone who lets his or herself get seriously dehydrated will eventually go into kidney failure, but does that really happen to people with healthy kidneys and the flu? Not that I know of; so maybe our stressed kidneys just can't handle colds and dehydration as gracefully as normal folks.

So, that's my observation for the day. If you have kidney disease or are prone to acute kidney failure, give Lysol wipes a try and wash your damn hands (lol). All I know is that it works for me.