First nephrology appt...what to expect?

[sarah_dbd]

Hi there, my creatinine has been elevated, and rising for about 8 months now.  With the current, and highest level being 1.4.  Can any of you tell me honestly how bad do you think this is?  What do you think the nephro will do @ the first appt?  I'm only 28 years old.  I don't smoke, rarely drink, have good BP, and no diabetes.  However, 2 of my maternal uncles have kidney disease.  One has now passed away 6 yearss after transplant, and the other is currently on dialysis.  I'm not sure what tyoe of kidney disease they have though.  All I know is the uncle who has passed was born with one bad kidney, but didn't cause major problems until adulthood.  Any thoughts, suggestions, similar stories, are welcome.

Thank you,
Sarah

[lindahand]

I am glad to hear your GFR is up. Hopefully it will keep going in that direction.

[sarah_dbd]

Thanks linda for replying :)  My GFR was 45 when I went to the nephro.  He did another renal function panel, and the creatinine got better, so now my GFR is at 66.  So, I went from being in stage 3 CKD for the past several months to stage 2 all of a sudden.  Urine looked good, and we're still waiting on a lupus blood test.  He said that just because the creatinine went down doesn't mean it will stay down, and doesn't mean there is nothing wrong.  I guess even though it's better it's still not where someone of my age should be.  So, I'm having a renal ultrasound on Friday the 27th.  We'll talk about things after the ultrasound.  He did say that if the uultrasound didn't show anything then the problem is probably microscopic involving the cells of the kidney, and I may need a biopsy.  But, we'll see.  My living uncle I found out has aquired CKD due to congestive heart failure meds he was on.  All I was able to find out about my other uncle was that he was born with one bad kidney, and as he got older he started getting a lot of kidney stones.  The stones then damaged it even more to the point of needing a transplant....Don't know exactly why it was 'bad' in the first place though...Thanks again for your input. :)

[lindahand]

I only know GFR as to telling how bad kidney function is so I can't help you there.

Before my first appointment the nephrologist ran a bunch of tests including a 24 hour urine test. At the appointment he explained that my kidney was running at a bit less than 50%. He explained that if it stayed at that level I would be fine, but if it continued to decrease I may have issues. He recommended following the kidney diet (low potassium, low salt, low phorphous (pre-packaged foods contain phosphorus) and low cholesterol, and said he'd see me in 4 months to check progress.

When I went back in 4 months my kidney was running at about 65%. Quite a dramatic improvement. I go back to him in a month to see how I am doing. I have been a little remiss in following my diet, cheating more than I should, so hopefully I will still be okay.

Like you I have no risk factors either. I am a bit older (38) but still young for kidney problems. I would phone up your uncle and ask him what he was diagnosed with, and try to find out if it was the same thing as your other uncle before the appointment. Because it will help the doctor in knowing how to proceed.