R A & kidney disease

[essexgirl]

Has anybody have RA & kidney disease

What medication are you on

[Lovetodanceto]

Well hey there essexgirl well I have really worried about how inflammatory arthritis affects the kidneys the other night I woke at least six times to wee yeah this doesn't seem normal and I have to take Cranberry supplements every day to prevent them, take careX

[Hidden in reply to Lovetodanceto]

Lovetodance overactive bladder can be a sign of fibromyalgia x

[Lovetodanceto in reply to Hidden]

Ty J1707 even from a teenager I've suffered from urine infections and I've had a few urethral dilatations the joy of it allX

[Hidden]

Hi Essex girl I don’t but Medwaylady has great knowledge on kidney disease x

[essexgirl in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou

[AndrewT]

Dear essexgirl,

I don't know if I quite 'Fit' the Profile, that you need but.... I have ANCA Vasculitis, that Attacked my Heart, Brain and Kidneys- way back in 1997. I have subsequently had a Kidney Transplant, in July 2013- yes eight years ago! I am also 'Borderline', for RA and a 'few other conditions'.

My 'Main' Drugs are Tacrolimus and Prednisolone. I'm also on various 'other' Drugs- for my Heart, Diabetes (yes I'm Fat), Prostrate- Not something you have to 'worry' about- and Medication for Gout- very common after Transplants...... There is also Omeprazole that stops the 'whole lot' from burning through my stomach!

If you feel that I CAN 'Help', in any way, please Do let me know essexgirl.... I'm from Essex too, by the way. Warmest wishes

AndrewT

[springcross]

Hi essexgirl, medway-lady does. x

[essexgirl in reply to springcross]

Thankyou

[medway-lady]

Hi Essex from Kent - Yes I've had RA for many years and a GFR of 24 last week, it was 8 in Oct 2018 so the A&E for 14 days and a lot of tests then to the County Renal Hospital in Canterbury. (where they make you eat a cooked breakfast for protein! how good is that being forced to scoff bacon and eggs and sausages too)

I'm not really sure what you're asking as many of the meds used for RA are also used in CKD. For example AZA which I take is used by the transplant teams. I also have Benepali.

What disease do you have? as it may be that like me there are no meds its a watching brief. Whatever you do, do not self diagnose or Dr Google the issue as CKD is complex, so don't panic and if there is any concern over a low GFR and very high Creatine levels you'll be probably hospitalised to have a CT, biopsy and a few other tests too. You can PM but my advice is that GFR can go up and down naturally and can vary by a lot so don't panic and do not self medicate. My RA meds did not cause my AKI that much is certain, but even the humble paracetamol has the capacity to cause kidney damage as do many antibiotics and in my case a PPI. Best thing is drink plenty of water and cranberry juice if you have a UTI and see your GP who can refer you to a Urologist and even a Nephrologist as many things can cause a AKI or CKD. My CKD makes me tired but is not painful at all and never has been and really not much of an issue as the Nephrologist does talk to the RA team and my GP.I'd urge you to look at the kidney patients association website in the UK and avoid weird diets just avoid bananas, grapes, baked beans, cola and drink at least 2 litres of water a day unless advised not to by a medical professional as sometimes fluids are restricted if on dialysis.

But honestly kidney disease is serious and can be life threatening so if you have any inclination that something is wrong ie flank pain or really importantly blood in the urine then its 111 or GP or A&E. So PM if you need to and be happy to chat but you must seek proper medical help if you have any of the symptoms on the NHS website for AKI or CKD. xx

[Jacey15]

Hi. I have ckd3. When my creatinine shot up in December, I was taken off mtx because it's cleared via the kidneys and they didn't want mtx to build up to toxic levels. It's come back down a bit so I am back on it. The biggest downside is not being able to take nsaids 😔. I'm not on any medication for my kidneys but make sure I drink at least 2.5L per day.

[essexgirl in reply to Jacey15]

Thankyou for your info it helps so much x

[Kags1068]

Hi Essex girl

I also have stage 3 CKD with a eGFR of 42 and raised creatinine. It's been this way for 4/5 years now. Mine has been caused by RA medication. As well as pred and a biologic, I also take Methotrexate and Cyclosporin plus I have taken daily anti-inflammatories for nearly 40 years. My MTX has never yet been stopped or reduced. Cyclosporin is a culprit for kidney damage eventhough it can be used following a kidney transplant. Sometimes that's temporarily reduced but I take it partly for serious eye inflammation so reducing it can create problems. Unfortunately one of the worst culprits is anti-inflammatories. I hadto stop mine completely for a while recently (steroids were increased to help), as my creatinine went higher than normal. This did seem to get things back under control. I don't know if any of these medications tie in with yours? Like other posters, I also take a PPI for tummy protection. Thankfully, I've had no issues with this.

I don't have any symptoms whatsoever, so only know it's there due to blood tests. Thankfully I haven't needed to be referred to a urologist or nephrologist

It's simply kept an eye on. Again, like others was told the best thing to do is make sure I drink plenty and don't get dehydrated - and be sure to drink more in hot weather. (Sometimes I forget that and have to remind myself to go and get an extra glass of squash)!🙄

Hope you are ok x

[essexgirl in reply to Kags1068]

Thankyou for your info very much appreciated x

[Kags1068 in reply to essexgirl]

You are very welcome 😊