Made my decision...Stage 3...and MRA with contrast?

[hj1122]

I have contacted my Nephrologist and she replied that if my eGFR is over 30 it is fine. But after considering why I am doing the test and actions the test would indicate, I have decided not to do the test at all.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador]

Have you considered discussing this with your Primary Doctor to get a second opinion. Here is a link to information from National Kidney Foundation on eGFR, and also age relation.

kidney.org/professionals/KD...

[seabreezegirl]

Good I certainly would not contrast is really hard in kidneys . I feel this is how my Kidney disease began years ago when a doctor put contrast in me for repeated bladder infections I was getting .

[hj1122 in reply to seabreezegirl]

It is very possible you are right in suspecting the contrast used for testing.

For information on gadolinium contrast agent see NIH website: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

This may not be the agent used for you. I am not sure when they started using gadolinium.

[Hidden in reply to seabreezegirl]

I also wonder if all the dye contrast xrays have contributed/caused my kidney disease.

[Lovemypets]

How old are you? I would do a a lot of reading and get a second opinion. You can take steps with diet that will raise your GFR. How can that be a bad thing?

I i went from 50 when diagnosed - age 80, to 64, 6 months later. I was thrilled.

[hj1122 in reply to Lovemypets]

Very good results for you. Keep up the good work.

I am 82, have been on low sodium and staying away from high potassium foods for 2 years. But the eGFR still keeps creeping down. I also have other health issues, heart and lungs that are a factor. Some of the meds are not that good for my kidneys. My eGFR went down in 2015 after a surgery, down from 87 to 59. This NIH article helped me decide. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[seabreezegirl in reply to hj1122]

What brought my GFR up was that I eat aliitle Organic cabbage every day and Organic Red bell pepper . The 2 veggies are very very good fo r kidneys .

[hj1122 in reply to seabreezegirl]

Those are 2 veggies I really like. Do you eat your cabbage raw or cooked? Make a slaw of both? Tell me more.

[Partner20]

There is always a balance between what is definitely good for us and what might cause harm in the pursuit of doing good. In the end the choice is up to us. I will only say that many people need a contrast with their scans, just as many need CTs with the resulting exposure to radiation, and they have to decide whether the good outweighs the bad. Contrast medium is used for a specific purpose, and is quickly flushed through after the test. In addition, a vast number of people have CKD at your level, many unknowingly, and it is manageable. In this group originally for my partner's benefit, I have just been given a diagnosis of CKD 3 completely out of the blue. Personally I would prefer to know what the MRA would find, so as to be able to address it, but I understand your concerns perfectly. Hopefully you will find a way to manage your CKD as others do.

[chicablue]

Good! I told my neph recently I had a heart calcium score done and was awaiting the results. She warned me what they would want to do if it showed blockage and that the dye would be harmful to my kidneys. Thankfully I didnt need that further testing, but I was prepared to say No!

[hj1122 in reply to chicablue]

You might want to read this: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[chicablue]

That is scary!

[hj1122 in reply to chicablue]

Yes, and it had much to do with my decision too .🙃

[Hidden]

I had to have quite a few scans after getting kidney disease and the imaging center I went to used a creatinine level of 2 or higher as the cutoff for contrast. There were a few times when the center contacted my Nephrologist and discussed it with him and he approved it's use because the scan would not produce the desired results without it. Then there were others where contrast was desired but not absolutely necessary.