Hydronephrosis

[Lauraaa]

Hi guys, although I don't have CKD as such, I have recently been discharged from the hospital after an 8 day stay culminating in a stent to my right kidney because of severe Hydronephrosis.

Thankfully a nuclear scan has shown that the kidney has 33% function so it stays put for now but I have to have a laparoscopic pyeloplasty to rectify the ureter narrowing.

Has anyone else had a stent before? I would be grateful for advice on symptom management as I'm only 3 days in and fed up of the pain and discomfort already

Take care all

[phillen]

I would say you do have CKD at 33% my mum had a stent as kidney stones blocked her tubes she nearly had emergency dialysis so they were done in an emergency! she settled down to stage 3 about 8 years ago her bloods now put her in stage 2 so improvements all around she is 85! she just had paracetamol for her pain!

[Sally10255]

Hi, I had same day surgery for a kidney stone in the uteter. My left kidney is not working up to par and a stint was put in. It has been over 2 weeks. I have found that if I drink water a lot during the day it isn’t as uncomfortable. If I have to I resort to Tylenol only. I am using an ap and drink at least 100 ounces of water a day. I go this week and I think it may be removed in the office. I can’t begin to think about that one Hope this helps!

[alwayslearningchris]

Hi, Laura. You don't have CKD (yet), but you have to be really careful with your kidneys. Your kidneys have probably been injured to some degree because of the urine backup, and the associated inflammation, scarring, infection, etc. of the kidneys. Your doctors may classify the injury as ARF (Acute Renal Failure). "Acute" means sudden (but often temporary) loss of function, and is in contrast with "chronic" (which is ongoing). Your kidneys may fully recover. Or they may not -- enough permanent damage may have occurred to have initiated CKD. Even if you fully recover, your chances for getting CKD at some point go way up. My experience (having had hydronephrosis, followed almost immediately by CKD) is that doctors don't do enough to warn you to be extremely careful with your kidneys during this recovery period, for best results. Do all the things someone with CKD would do: restrict your protein intake, so as to not overwork the kidneys; if you have high blood pressure, immediately do everything you can to bring it down below 130/80; avoid use of NSAIDs; drink sufficient water every day; consider herbal supplements that help with inflammation but are safe for the kidneys; etc. And keep measuring your GFR. I presume it's currently 33. I don't know if you have a "baseline" reading of what it was before your urinary blockage began. But ideally you'd like to see the GFR return to that level. Mine was at 90. Then it dropped to 30 when I had my blockage. Then it was partially restored to around 60, for a month. then it dropped down to 48 in the next month, indicating the onset of CKD. My doctors didn't alert me to this possibility ahead of time, and didn't have me do anything to "be careful with my kidneys" during the recovery period. . . So I'm really emphasizing this for you, in case it's the same with your doctors.

[Lauraaa in reply to alwayslearningchris]

Hi, thanks for your advice. I'm not sure what my GFR is and I've just re-read my hospital discharge and am not sure if the 33% is what it refers to.

My BP is generally very good at around 110 over 70 so no worries there but I have been suffering flare ups of this condition since Feb 2015 so some damage has been done. I also suffered the same when I was a child from age 7 until about 11 with multiple instances on Hydronephrosis.

My urologists seemed fairly hopeful after the nuclear scan was carried out last week that a temporary stent would prevent full failure of the right kidney until the pyeloplasty is carried out (hopefully soon), but without it my risk of failure was high.

They never said whether I could expect the function of my kidney to improve post op so I suppose it is suck it and see.

I already follow a strict gluten free diet as I am a coeliac so the only change I have made since last week is to drink more water (been doing 2 litres per day) and I've given up alcohol (for obvious reasons).

What sort of things should I avoid re protein?

[alwayslearningchris in reply to Lauraaa]

The renal (nuclear) scan figure of 33% and the GFR are just two different ways of estimating how much kidney function you have left. The renal scan allows technicians to estimate kidney function visually. The eGFR (estimated GFR) is a blood test (usually based on measuring the level of creatinine in the blood) that also estimates how much kidney function is left. Imaging tests -- like nuclear scans, MRIs, CT scans -- are expensive and done indrequently as needed; whereas you can get the blood test for GFR relatively frequently and inexpensively. So if your renal scan suggested 33%, we'd expect your GFR to be about 33. Your situation is a little more comple, because I think you're saying the 33% is for your right kidney alone. GFR is a figure associated with functioning of both kidneys together. So if your right kidney was at 33% and your left kidney was healthy (say, 90%), then your GFR might end up being a figure somewhere in between.

Having only one kidney suffering from hydronephrosis is definitely a better situation to be in that having both kidneys suffering (the situation I was in)!

Here's a reference that gives some of the basic re: protein intake and kidney disease (or in your case: helping an injured kidney to recover):

nephron.org/nephsites/adp/i...

[buddygramma]

Just a note, I had my right kidney removed after cancer spread from bladder to ureter and I have never felt this GREAT since 2007. I had no difficulties with removal felt great in the hospital right away. Doctors are great today !! We are bless with great medical care. I am 76 Good luck all !!

[buddygramma in reply to buddygramma]

PS GKD GFR36 and doing Great !!

GKD is nothing to fear, just make yourself healthy. Be healthy weight and eat healthy to prevent Dialysis. My friend has had a GFR under 10 for a few years and still has not had dialysis. Be kind to yourself.

[buddygramma in reply to buddygramma]

oops CKD