follow up

[feris]

so please give us advice the office changed the appointment with my wife to a slight diff time do an emergency. I got there very late. due to this. need advice if we should seek a second opinion this doctor did train at the Mayo for kidneys she told my wife her creatine is 1.7 and potassium normal she is better with the anema. she has edema doc increased her water pills. my wife had gained 6 to 7 pounds the past 2 weeks. wants her to lose a pound her week . or call her on Friday. she did lose some weight so she did not have to call. doc said avoid salt. did not refer her to renal dietician wants to see her in 6 weeks . btwy I made a mistake her creatine level in hospital was 2.2 it's know 1.7. Should we go to Columbia presbyterian for second opinion? can this edema get better? please help?

[jodaer]

How long has she been on the water pill? It takes time for it to get all the fluid out. I started Lasix about a month ago and while it started to work immediately it took until a few days ago to get rid of most of the fluid. I was losing about .5 lb a day. Your wife should be able to drop her 5-7 lbs in a couple of weeks.

[feris in reply to jodaer]

she just started. seems to have lost a pond this week

[jodaer in reply to feris]

That's good then. Something else that might help her are compression socks. You can get a pkg of 7 for 21$ at Amazon. As far as a second opinion that's something you will have to decide for yourself. How comfortable do you feel with your doctor? The best offense is to get all the knowledge you can and be your own advocate.

[feris in reply to jodaer]

thanks she is 48 how long can she live with all this blood pressure type 1 diabetes edema she still looks bloated docnephrologist wants to see her in 6 weeks I am frustrated with this diseases

[jodaer in reply to feris]

Feris, she can live a long life if she takes care of herself. The most important things for her to do is get her diabetes under control, if it's not. A1C should be 6 or below for good control. Eat a healthy diet, get her BP under control, and last but not least exercise. Exercising is the #1 thing for her to do, it helps with control of blood sugar and bringing down the BP. Does she take her own BP. If not I would suggest getting a BP cuff and for her to start taking it daily at home. Sometimes our BP is way higher than normal in the doctor's office. Oh, and stop smoking if she does.

[Darlenia]

Hi Feris. No one knows how long any one will live. Your wife's anemia has improved, her creatinine has improved, and your wife and her nephrologist are working on lowering the edema. That's wonderful! The water pill will likely help with her blood pressure as well and T1D is controllable. Her doctor is following her closely - a 6 week appointment is good. So look on the positive side, things seem to be moving in the right direction! Sometimes we worry that our loved ones will die before we do, but often the opposite occurs. So live in the present, enjoy the progress made. If you see an area that is not being addressed, then you can initiate change. Otherwise, as Benjamin Franklin said, “Don't anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight."

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador in reply to Darlenia]

Very true and nicely said!

[Milli77]

Very good advise. God Bless and good luck

[drmind]

Sounds as if her nephrologist is actively involved in helping your wife. As others advised, things appear to be moving in the right direction. A second opinion is always your choice, but please have some patience with the current treatment. You seem overly stressed and hopefully you can relax a little now that your wife appears to be slowly improving. Shes lucky to have such a concerned partner but be careful not to add too much anxiety to her situation. My best for her and you. Keep us posted.

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador in reply to drmind]

Agreed!

[PecanSandie]

A lot of people gained a few pounds in the last two weeks because of the Thanksgiving holiday 😀

I think that you should try to hide your "frustration" around your wife - she can't help having the health problems she does. Your anxiety will only make her feel worse. She's heading in the right direction and the only reaction from you should be a positive and encouraging one.

[RoxanneKidney]

Honestly they cannot do much anyway. Most of your wife's health will be dependent upon her diet. Yes, Avoid salt. Read labels. You will be Surprised how much added sodium is in literally everything. That water retention has to be super hard on the heart.