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Chronic Kidney Disease

Laconic

Well-Known Member
Messages
140
Hi I’ve tried to find an appropriate forum to post this but to no avail.
Basically my wife (who doesn’t have diabetes) has chronic kidney disease and has started dialysis.
Her kidneys are working at 40% doctors have said it will take 5 to 6 months for her to get better and the dialysis is only temporary, she should recover and not need it anymore.
Doctors said she should be able to have children, as we want to try and she’s only 30.
I know this isn’t diabetes related just wondered if anyone has experienced this before or knows anyone who’s recovered from chronic kidney disease
 
I'd say yes. In 2007 at age 58, I had a reading of 48. I didn't have access to results then, and nobody told me that it was CKD stage 3. When I did find out and not knowing what it was, the nurse just said 'Oh, everybody gets it'. Since then, I've read that the only way is down!
HOWEVER, subsequent tests over the years have seen the numbers go up and down - no idea why
48,46,44,59,53,55,60,58 and last year 65 - technically CKD 2.
 
I've never been below 55, but I have found that if I drink a lot of water for a couple of days before the test - effectively flushing my system - then the eGFR can be up in the 70s. Go figure.

So sympathy, sorry I can't be of more help, but if the health care team think that some dialysis to give the kidneys a rest will give them a new lease of life then that sounds hopeful.

Do you mind saying why the eGFR is so low?
It does seem unusual in someone so young.
 
Her kidneys are working at 50% now, she’s currently having dialysis every other day and has been advised it may take 5 to 6 months for her to get better.
Just wondering when the dialysis can be reduced, as she’s in a country where healthcare isn’t free, and her treatment is being funded by me, which is causing me a lot of stress along with my concern for her.
 
After I lost my leg in 2014 I contracted sepsis which took my kidney function down to 1% I had dialysis for about 10 days I think , my kidney function has sat at about 30 % since that ! I attend renal clinic every 6 months , the only additional medication I take is Fusomide as I was already on blood pressure tabs . I attended the renal clinic about 6 weeks ago and they told me my function is at about 28%, i asked about it and they said dialysis would be done at about 8%, .they did say keeping blood pressure low was important , As far as any ill feeling I have had none , bit tired sometimes but I don’t really associate that with my kidneys I am very active I don’t drink much alcohol but I’m not TT, I eat healthily and drink plenty of water , to be honest I live every day as it’s my last and done worry about anything , because let’s face it worrying certainly doesn’t help any situation, I did hear that cooked beetroot is good for kidney function , well I know it does affect the kidneys as when I was younger and a beat of a wag I use to eat it before I gave a urine sample hehehe
 

Is 42, Stage 3 CKD reversible by reducing kidney-unfriendly meds, and higher insulin? What symptoms have you noticed since your diagnosis? Do you find that when your blood sugar is high, the symptoms if any also increase?
 
Erin said:
Is 42, Stage 3 CKD reversible by reducing kidney-unfriendly meds, and higher insulin? What symptoms have you noticed since your diagnosis? Do you find that when your blood sugar is high, the symptoms if any also increase?
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I sincerely hope so my eGFR is 38.
 
Doctor has written no further action required I beg to differ so will be calling him on Tuesday to discuss it I am sure I am nearing the point where Metformin and some of the other meds I take may be contraindicated.

Over some years now my reading has gone from 60 to 38 and that concerns me even if it doesn't him..
 

Keep us posted John. I hope your dr. has time to study your situation.
 
My metformin was also stopped when my eGFR went down to 30 too. It's hovered there for about 2 years. When I ask if there's anything I can do to improve it, I'm told 'drink more water'. More independent research needed now, I feel!
 
Skippy1 said:
My metformin was also stopped when my eGFR went down to 30 too. It's hovered there for about 2 years. When I ask if there's anything I can do to improve it, I'm told 'drink more water'. More independent research needed now, I feel!
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Hi, my metformin was reduced too by half; though it never bothered me. Drinking lots of water is well prescribed, lower the protein in your diet, and enjoy life!
 
Laconic said:
Her kidneys are working at 50% now, she’s currently having dialysis every other day and has been advised it may take 5 to 6 months for her to get better.
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I find it interesting that your wife is receiving dialysis at 50% (is that her eGFR reading?)

I have had 3 eGFR readings this year: 22% (Jan), 30% (Apr) and 26% (Jun). I am having another on Sep 7th.

The advice that I have received this far is: Limit protein intake, limit sodium, limit potassium, limit phosphorus and drink as much water as possible.
 
One thing I am having difficulty understanding is that my doctor is doing his utmost to persuade me to take statins when it is known they have an adverse effect on the kidneys..
 
JohnEGreen said:
One thing I am having difficulty understanding is that my doctor is doing his utmost to persuade me to take statins when it is known they have an adverse effect on the kidneys..
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After many years of medical observation and a hefty library of medical books, not to mention, drugs.com and other sites, I have come to the conclusion, that if a drug makes you sicker after doctors' advice, pharmacy blurbs indicating necessary time interval, and personal feedback, than you were before starting it, then you have good reason to discontinue it.
 
Hi all this is my wife’s last kidney function test could someone explain this to me and whether her results are good or bad

 
JohnEGreen said:
One thing I am having difficulty understanding is that my doctor is doing his utmost to persuade me to take statins when it is known they have an adverse effect on the kidneys..
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I think that doctors may have reasons that we are not knowledgeable of in their treatment guidance. But possibly, they may not have good reasons at all. The internet has helped me a lot in learning medical stuff, but I am always in conflict between what I learn on the net and what medical authority prescribes, often. I do get the feeling that some drs. wish to avoid confusion by "dumbing down" their patients' personal reports, and the medical language they use, e.g. "my pupils were *contracted* for a month".
 
Laconic said:
Hi all this is my wife’s last kidney function test could someone explain this to me and whether her results are good or bad

View attachment 52551
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Firstly, to calculate eGFR use an online calculator such as
https://ukidney.com/nephrology-resources/egfr-calculator
Other sites are available.

Secondly, the left hand column is the reading; the right hand column is the range of "normal" values.

A lot of the readings are much higher than the "normal" values, so this does not look good.
Serum creatinine is around 10x the normal value.
Serum uric acid is around 5x the normal value.
Blood urea is around 10x normal value.
Blood urea nitrogen is around 10x normal value.

We are not doctors or diagnosticians here, but these results look very high.
In your original post you said that the kidneys were working at 40%.
We assumed that this was an eGFR value but this seems very unlikely from the figures you posted.
If you could come back with a calculated eGFR it would help our understanding.

On a range of good->bad I would suggest that the results are at the bad end.

As a non-medical person I could believe that the kidneys were not filtering the blood properly.
 
I gave myself CKD at the age of ten. Since then the general trend in eGFR has been down, presently at about 40. My eGFR has been down to 5, but that was a reaction to an antibiotic given for pancreatitis. The e in eGFR stands for estimated, because it can give a result very different from the actual GFR for a large number of reasons (dehydration, caffeine, infection, immune system etc.). You can get an actual GFR lab test, but it's more complicated and hence more expensive.
 
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