Dr. AI

I had a conversation with family today about AI and creating custom GPTs. I don’t typically use them, but they can be incredibly handy when you need a focused perspective on a specific topic.

Yesterday’s blood tests came in, and they’re showing a slow increase in my creatinine levels. I’ve talked about creatinine extensively on this blog as it’s the main signal doctors look at to assess overall kidney health. The tricky part is that elevated levels can result from exercise, diet, or medication. Your guess is as good as mine, but I can definitely feel the difference today compared to a few weeks ago. It’s that full-body “ugh” feeling that just nags at you. Balancing energy and kidney disease is no joke.

So let me walk you through how to create a custom GPT (or a similarly focused AI) to help guide you through whatever journey you’re on.

The first and most important step is to compartmentalize. Don’t just start throwing random requests at an AI. You need a game plan, just like with any other project. I’m a pretty awful program manager, but after nearly two decades in the role, I’ve picked up quite a bit of helpful knowledge.

Before you do anything else, work with the AI to create a document that outlines exactly what you’re planning. Here’s an example prompt to start with. Fill in {role} with details.

You’re a Project Manager. Our customer requests a Custom GPT that can {role}. You and I will work together to develop a BRD (Business Requirements Document) that we’ll hand to the custom GPT. Review the role, suggest enhancements, and provide follow-up questions as we develop the document.

This keeps the AI focused on a very specific task. It is acting as the project management glue that holds everything together. After a bit of back and forth, the result will be a clear, structured document outlining responsibilities and expected outcomes. This is how any good project should begin, and it’s no different when working with AI.

Once you’re satisfied with the BRD, upload it to the Custom GPT interface. In my case, I also pulled the last few months of health data from the SQLite databases in my Garmin Replacement dashboard. These CSVs include calorie, liquid, protein intake, exercise details, and health metrics like blood pressure and weight.

In short, the more data you provide, the smarter your new AI assistant will be. This ensures nothing is hidden and all relevant information is available to Dr. AI.

After a short conversation, we agreed on a temporary plan to monitor and manage the situation. The idea is to narrow down the potential causes so I can make lifestyle adjustments accordingly.

Here’s the plan we came up with:

• Switch to low-impact exercise like walking, and keep sessions under 45 minutes
• Reduce protein intake to 60–65g/day
• Focus on lighter protein sources like eggs, tofu, fish, lentils, and quinoa
• Increase water intake slightly (2.2L/day instead of the usual 2L max)

The next round of blood tests is in about a month. Hopefully, by sticking to this plan, we’ll get some clarity on what’s going on. Fingers crossed. 🤞