Hello, I hope you are all keeping as well as possible.
Last week I had some blood results back and have an appointment this Friday to talk to my GP about raised serum inorganic phosphate. This was measured one year ago and was in the normal range at 1.26mmoI/L. It is now 1.84mmI/L and in the abnormal range. When I google this problem the results worry me. Kidney failure is mentioned amongst other things. I’m wondering if anyone out there has any understanding or experience of this.
My PMR is currently settled at 5.5mg of Pred and I aim to start a slow reduction to 5mg at the end of this week. I’m so tired of all of this’ it seems like one health crisis after another. Sorry to moan
Thank you in advance for any replies
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Pangolin43
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This is a good place to moan productively. I am also sick of collecting a whole range of disparate health issues at this stage of the game when I feel that I should be on the home run. This coupled by little or no communication from my primary health provider. As if the only instruction they follow is “ don’t get sucked in”. It makes me wonder if this is just what getting older is like, continually trouble shooting seemingly unrelated conditions - or are they? Ignoring them seems irresponsible but no one is very interested it seems. Your test has shown something that can flag up renal failure. You need a detailed explanation of the significance of that and a way forward so that it doesn’t worsen. You need to know what the culprit is. You need to push, determinedly. It is exhausting. I have many examples of this in my own case. On a diabetic pathway when I was told my bloods had normalised. Cataracts, Glaucoma and retinal something or other that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore but my new physio was give this as my symptoms amongst others. No updating, no follow-up- no communication between departments. I hope someone comes along who has the knowledge of your test result and it’s implications that is more helpful than my rant. X
Thank you Sheffield Jane. I will take your advice and persist to find out more and hopefully shed some light on this. I’ll have a list of questions ready on Friday. I’m sorry to hear you are having such a difficult journey. It’s exhausting.
Have you been taking painkillers? Eating a lot of high phosphate foods?
Has the doctor requested a repeat blood test to check it isn't just a lab error?
It has been noticed and they are looking more closely - try not to worry about it. And unfortunately, kidney function does tend to reduce with age anyway. Have you got the results of any other blood tests? Is there a result for creatinine and eGFR?
Hello PMRpro, thank you for the link. Regarding diet I have been devouring a lot almonds in their natural form lately and also taking paracetamol regularly I can’t see a creatinine result and I don’t know what eGFR is. I can ask for these tests on Friday.
They are certainly tests that NEED to be done if they are panicking about the phosphate result. Creatinine is a breakdown product of dietary protein and rises in kidney problems be, eGFR is an estimated glomerular filtration rate which is the rate at which the kidneys are clearing creatinine from the blood - also an important measure of kidney function.
Moan on Pangolin. This is a safe place for it. Like Jane I’m sick of collecting different health problems and trying to manage the admin. Encountered the locum blood nurse from hell yesterday at the surgery. Claimed no bloods had been requested by the GP. I told her I’d had a call to arrange a fasting test then a text to confirm not to take meds until after test. She repeated she’d had no request for bloods three times and that fasting tests are not done any more. It was as if I was making it up. I asked her not to get angry with me. ‘You don’t know me, this isn’t angry, I’ve done 20 years in A & E’. Phew. Burst into tears at this point, not like me. Told her I was on anticoagulants and I may bleed a bit. She said you don’t bleed on Edoxaban. When I told my husband this (on the same meds and bleeds for England) his jaw dropped. Thought she wouldn’t do them which she did - no doubt after the tears. I know staff are stressed but the lack of compassion! She has written on my notes that I was not happy that the appointment was late. Not true. Concerned that I’d fasted for nothing, that she wouldn’t do the bloods and was feeling unwell as a result of a delayed appointment needing food and meds. I have written to the surgery. More annoyed at what’s been written on my appointment notes. I’ve always had very good care for over thirty years at this practice. Things are getting very difficult in our NHS. Short staffed, staff stress and very hard work as a patient keeping tabs on meds, appointments, different symptoms for different illnesses.
She’s covering her own back no doubt. Keep on with the complaint, they’ll know about her just not how to get rid of her. Yes we do understand about the pressure and that it is actually not our fault.
Blood results on NHS app with doc’s name who had requested them clearly identified. Receptionist thought she hadn’t read down further to the request, as I’d seen a GP on Monday about Afib meds. I’ve got to have bloods re-done in a month due to abnormalities in one area. Jokingly said I hoped I didn’t have the locum nurse. He sighed, she might be permanent….at least CRP/ESR are low and had a lovely professional telephone call with my rheumi’s medical secretary. It’s just hard work isn’t it. At least I can now fly off on holiday for some r and r and spend time with our granddaughter who we don’t see very often.
Forget about it ! Have a wonderful time! We are off to Australia for 6 weeks over Christmas to spend time with our fabulous 4 grandchildren and their parents of course. It is going to be so hot, I didn’t do very well, even with our little heat wave. At least we are staying right on the water.
That will be fabulous Jane. Something to look forward to. I’ve found the heat (mostly humid here) very difficult since GCA. I can feel quite ill in it. Fortunately there’s usually a lovely breeze on the Algarve.
Decades ago my husband used to work in a hospital lab. He said god they’ve done a load of work on those bloods, you’ve been tested for everything. She had asked me what I was having bloods for. I was unsure, said it was linked to the prep for a Zoledronate infusion and Vit D was mentioned. In her temper she signed off tests for everything. I now know the statins are having a positive effect on the old cholesterol. I’m now able to switch off all health admin and hopefully enjoy our holiday. Need my strength for tomorrow’s travel ably supported by airport assistance.
Portugal, the Algarve, beautiful friends’ villa. Son and family for 5 days then we pick up our friends the day son leaves and stay with them until end Sept when we fly back together. Since GCA this has been the one place that has felt safe and relaxing. We’ve known each other for 50 years. It’s a special friendship. They are so kind. I know I’ll be wiped out with the travel for a day or so but it’s a lovely calming place.
Oh jealous! The one chunk of the western EU we never went to was the Iberian peninsula. When we first toured Europe you needed a bail bond for Spain and it never appealed and then we never got round to it. A friend had a villa in Torrevieja but sold it last year - must have been because I had decided it was a target for me to try Spain! No excuse for me now - get my camper week after next ...
That’s exciting. I know two people who take their campers from the U.K. to Europe for the winter, mostly Spain. They take their dogs with them for as long as they can stay - 99 days? Where are you going for your first trip? You have Europe at your feet and can stay away as long as you like.
Strictly speaking I am subject to the 90 days outside Italy, though since I am in the Schengen zone with no borders I'm not sure how they would know! But I can have 90 days in the UK, 90 days including travel to the UK and 6 months of the year here ...
My first trip is actually not camping but to meet my daughter in Germany - they are coming to the rugby world cup in Lille for 2 weekends and driving down for the week inbetween to where we used to live in Erlangen, near Nuremburg so it is a shorter drive for them than here. She wants to show her husband where she grew up.
I saw a German programme recently with a rally which had a small group of singletons - most of them widows driving big campers! This region has a camping club - debating one year membership just to try. That was on a TV programme too about tourism in South Tirol. It was hilarious - "we've been camping for 20 years"! Me? I've been camping in some form for 60 years ... Though I have no intention of going back to a tent - though I do have friends here, she is 60, he is mid-60s and they climb mountains and take a tent for some expeditions!!!
Oh no tent for me either. Sounds like a good first trip and you get to see your daughter. My friends would recommend joining a club. They’ve got a lot of pleasure out of their campers, one is on at least her third, is in her 70s and travels with her two dogs. I’m in awe of her - and she’s a former PMR-er too. She recommended this site.
This will be my 4th VW, the first 2 were because we got a bit cheesed when we pitched the tent either just before, during or immediately after rain all the way around France! Then with the girls we switched to a caravan, then back to tent with an Espace, then VW, back to caravan and finally a bigger camper which we sold during Covid as it was obvious by then that OH wouldn't be going again. One person doesn't need much space
There are groups of camper adventurers in the U.K., in their 60s, 70s, 80s who travel for the winter, often with their dogs. Mostly singletons. I admire their bravery.
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