Brandon: Go, Go Gadget (video)

Brandon Smith was alone and far from home when he ended up in a New York City hospital Emergency Room. It was there, while on a work trip, he learned his kidneys were failing. He was 26.

“It was the worst day of my life,” Brandon recalled. “I was at my highest weight and out of shape. I knew I needed to make some changes.” When he returned to Kansas City, Brandon made an appointment with a nephrologist, or kidney doctor, at Nephrology Associates on the NKCH campus.*

Brandon’s doctors told him he would likely need dialysis or a kidney transplant within five years. “They also said that managing my weight, my health and my food intake, could help delay that process,” Brandon said.

Fully Engaged

Fast forward 12 years. With the help of medicine, diet changes and a strong focus on regular physical activity, Brandon has been able to delay a transplant and keep his condition stable. He attributes part of his success to his use of a fitness tracker, which he started wearing nearly five years ago.

“I’m young and have so many health issues, but it’s not good on my body to sit all the time,” Brandon said. “My fitness tracker keeps me accountable for my activity level. When I’m not wearing it, I’m a lot less active.”

Todd J. Beardman, MD, NKCH’s chief medical information officer, agreed. “Engagement is a big first step,” he said. “If you’re excited about monitoring certain aspects of your health, you’ll be more likely to stick with it. This is especially true for people who use devices to track something related to a specific illness.”

Healthy Competition

Competitive by nature, Brandon tries to log at least 10,000 steps every day. “I try to have 5,000 steps in by the time I get to work,” he said. “I usually get 2,000-3,000 steps in at lunch, with the goal of having about 10,000 steps in by the time I get home.”

He sets an alarm on his tracker to remind him to get moving every hour. “I don’t like not reaching my daily goals,” he said. “I just keep moving until I get my steps in.”

To reach his goals, Brandon often engages a few friends in some friendly competition. “We do step competitions to see who can get the most steps in during the work week or the weekend,” Brandon said. “There have been times when my mom and I have both been up at 11 p.m. with the same number of steps. We’ll just walk around our houses trying to beat each other.”

Brandon also uses his device’s heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking features. “I’m not very good about getting to bed on time,” Brandon admits. “I may not always listen to it, but I set my tracker to notify me when it’s time to go to bed. It just makes me more aware I need to be in a pattern. It also alerts me to different factors that wake me up during the night. It’s interesting information to have.”

Data Overload

The amount of data fitness trackers collect is impressive, but it can also be overwhelming if you’re not sure what to do with it. “You can track so many different things, but many times it’s too much information,” Dr. Beardman said.

Brandon started with step counting, then added heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking over time.

“When looking at your data, focus on averages over a certain length of time instead of daily activity,” Dr. Beardman suggested. “Averages are easier to understand and can show patterns. They are also most helpful to your doctor, too, should you choose to share your data. The big picture will give your doctor enough information to help you make decisions.”

That’s the approach Brandon takes. He shares general data with his primary care doctor at his annual exam. Now that he’s tracking his sleep, he plans to share his observations at his next nephrology appointment, with the goal of discovering ways to improve his sleep health.

Personal Motivation

“The main reason I stay active is because of my kids,” said Brandon, who has two young daughters. “Being diagnosed with such a serious disease at 26 makes me think a lot about death.”

“At first, I wanted to survive long enough for my girls to remember me,” he added. “Then, my goal was to see them go to elementary school. Now, I’m looking to the future. I want to see them go to prom, graduate high school, get married and have kids. My fitness tracker helps keep me accountable during the daily grind so I can be around for those big events.”

* NKCH hospital recently earned a High Performing rating in Nephrology from U.S. News & World Report.