Worried

[Mandy0414]

Hi everyone, I hope everyone is well. I am a 37 year old female who has kidney disease. I was discovered to have kidney disease 6 years ago whole I was pregnant with my last child. I had a healthy pregnancy despite spilling a lot of protein in my urine. After I had my child I saw a neph who did a boat load of blood test on me. The blood work all came back normal. The neph prescribed an ace Inhibitor and a diuretic. It seemed to do the trick and decreased the protein by a lot. He discharged me to my family doc with blood work every 6 months. Durnimg this time I have been healthy. 2 years ago my family doc took me off of my diuretic because I was getting dizzy all the time. Dizziness went away but my protein spillage had slowly started creeping back up. Durning my last doc appointment I had a resident who has reconsulted the neph doc because of the protein. It has gone from 61 per day to 64 per day in the last year. My egrf is 83. I have been so worried since. I cant sleep. I've lost 10 pounds. I am worried about having to.go through a biopsy (I dont do well with pain). I am worried that this is progressing. I am worried he is going to put me on drugs that have some awful.side effects. I am worried about dialysis. I am worried about if I need a transplant I wont be able to get one ( I know I am getting way ahead of myself). I a. Worried I am going to be a burden on my family. What if I cant work. Just a lot going through my mind and I just needed to get this off of my shoulders. I know we all have our battles we are fighting to get through. Thank you!!

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

HI Mandy,

You are worrying about something that may not even happen. GFR of 83 is barely stage 2. I don't like to dismiss people's concerns, but at this point you are making yourself sicker when there is little reason to. Protein spillage is a concern, but not one that can't be dealt with. You said the medication you were on caused dizziness, but stopped the spillage. Maybe a lower dose will help. Were you drinking water or were you getting dehydrated from the diuretic?

As far as your labs go, going up 3 points at the time of lab can be a result of all sorts of things from what you ate the night before to how hydrated you are. Labs should be measured over a period of time to see if it was just a random reading or if there really is a pattern of decline.

So Please, chill.... you are no where near dialysis or kidney failure.

[Mandy0414]

Thank You for taking the time to message me. Just seeing this has made a difference!!! Thank you again!!

[Zazzel]

Hi Mandy,

I’m a worrier too, so I get your concerns. I had all the same thoughts at first. Bassetmommer is correct though that your meds might just be too high. Not sure which ace inhibitor you are on, but I am on Lisinopril for my protein spill. I am on half of the lowest possible prescribed dose. Only 1.25 mg. I started at 10 mg and kept going lower as it made me dizzy. It has lowered my blood pressure and reduced my protein. Several people on here are on extremely low doses and it’s helping them. Talk to your doctor about that.

Even though your GFR is still very high, you can start making healthier changes to your diet to ensure it does not decline further. Things that can help anyone like reducing sodium, processed foods, sugar and red meat. Get exercise, don’t take. NSAID for pain ( Tylenol is a better choice), and stop any bad habits like smoking or drinking in excess. Also, sounds like meditation or mindfullness practice could help you. Check out YouTube for some guided meditation. Thomas Hall has a good one called Anxiety and Depression meditation. If you are so inclined, prayer is always beneficial.

Take care!

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador]

I used to be a worrier. I've learned to train it out. I know that any concerns which I turn to worries do nothing but turn myself into a hot mess incapable of rational thought (not you, just me). 8So I've taught myself to act and react differently with situations and life changes. Most often we have no control over the results of things like bloodwork, biopsies etc other than being well controlled with diet and self managing well with any meds, exercise and daily habits. Once we've done those things all that's left is rolling with the flow of life.

This takes effort, consistency and a determination to stay in a calm state of mind. Having a good support partner helps considerably.

Hope this helps.

Many Blessings

[Lianelady]

Get your biopsy done. Knowing what disease you have will give you the knowledge of what you need to do going forward. Biopsy is the only test that will confirm what is going on with your kidneys. Your worries that you stress about message me!

[Dunsouth]

Don't stress. Just be proactive in being healthy. My protein loss was as high as 12k. Now only a trace amount. It took time, meds, and hard work. You are a long way from any of the things you are concerned about. Be proactive and take charge of your health. You can do it.

[Mandy0414]

I would just like to say how grateful I am that you reached out to a stranger. You have all made a world of difference to me and am feeling much better!! Once I get my appointment with my neph I will let everyone know how I made out. I hope everyone is well and enjoying your Saturday!!