So, my diagnosis is recent (late April) and i'm still learning and adjusting. Before this diagnosis I had been working on losing weight for the past several years and have been pretty successful (90 lbs down!). My calorie deficit pre-diagnosis was in the 2 lbs/week range. Is there any info about safe deficits to maintain with kidney disease? I imagine that rate of loss might not be advised now. I probably have another 40-50lbs to lose.
I (37F) was recently hospitalized with a combination of aki and previously unknown ckd caused by extreme hypertension. As of 2023, everything was normal, life got in the way, and I didn't return for a physical until April of this year. At this year's physical my blood pressure was extremely high (they told me I set a record....yikes), all my lab values were out of whack, and I felt like I had pneumonia which is why I made the appointment in the first place. My pcp recommended I go to the ER where I was then admitted to the ICU.
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I stayed in the ICU for 5-6 days while they gradually brought my blood pressure down and confirmed I did have fluid in my lungs. It was caused by the blood pressure and kidney issues. At that point my creatinine was at 2.8, BUN of 34, and my egfr around 20. Once I was stabilized they released me from the hospital and I had my first follow up visit with the nephrologist about 2 weeks later. He was happy with the mix of meds I was on at that point (valsartan, carvidilol, and amlodipine) and told me to watch my sodium and come back in a month. We talked about a potential biopsy in the future, but he wanted me to stabilize more first.
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I went back for my next appointment at the beginning of June and my creatinine was down to 2.2, BUN down to 21, and egfr back up to 29. My blood pressure is well controlled now. He told me he thinks we'll see more improvement and currently has no plans for a biopsy as long as things are improving. I'm in this weird stage where I'm just waiting to see how much of the damage is permanent vs recoverable. I know I'll be left with some level of permanent damage and he agrees, but has understandably hesitated to guess how much.
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This is just so overwhelming. I'm young, generally have eaten a good diet, and get regular exercise. I don't drink regularly and I don't smoke. I have worked hard for the last 6 or 7 years to lose 90 lbs and have gone from a class 3 obesity into the overweight range (still working on it). The only thing they can figure is that my kidneys are undersized/malformed from being born premature and were doing ok until they weren't and then went into a kidney damage/high blood pressure loop.
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I am so afraid of how this is going to affect my life going forward. I am so anxious about food now. He currently only has me watching my sodium, but I spent 45 minutes tonight debating on whether or not I can eat a mango because I also had a sweet potato today and I'm worried about the potassium. I am starting to get back in the gym (with doc's blessing) but I am having to learn how to modify what I'm doing so I don't overdo it. Does this get easier? I feel like I am overthinking everything right now and it's exhausting.
I (37F) was recently hospitalized with a combination of aki and previously unknown ckd caused by extreme hypertension. As of 2023, everything was normal, life got in the way, and I didn't return for a physical until April of this year. At this year's physical my blood pressure was extremely high (they told me I set a record....yikes), all my lab values were out of whack, and I felt like I had pneumonia which is why I made the appointment in the first place. My pcp recommended I go to the ER where I was then admitted to the ICU.
​
I stayed in the ICU for 5-6 days while they gradually brought my blood pressure down and confirmed I did have fluid in my lungs. It was caused by the blood pressure and kidney issues. At that point my creatinine was at 2.8, BUN of 34, and my egfr around 20. Once I was stabilized they released me from the hospital and I had my first follow up visit with the nephrologist about 2 weeks later. He was happy with the mix of meds I was on at that point (valsartan, carvidilol, and amlodipine) and told me to watch my sodium and come back in a month. We talked about a potential biopsy in the future, but he wanted me to stabilize more first.
​
I went back for my next appointment at the beginning of June and my creatinine was down to 2.2, BUN down to 21, and egfr back up to 29. My blood pressure is well controlled now. He told me he thinks we'll see more improvement and currently has no plans for a biopsy as long as things are improving. I'm in this weird stage where I'm just waiting to see how much of the damage is permanent vs recoverable. I know I'll be left with some level of permanent damage and he agrees, but has understandably hesitated to guess how much.
​
This is just so overwhelming. I'm young, generally have eaten a good diet, and get regular exercise. I don't drink regularly and I don't smoke. I have worked hard for the last 6 or 7 years to lose 90 lbs and have gone from a class 3 obesity into the overweight range (still working on it). The only thing they can figure is that my kidneys are undersized/malformed from being born premature and were doing ok until they weren't and then went into a kidney damage/high blood pressure loop.
​
I am so afraid of how this is going to affect my life going forward. I am so anxious about food now. He currently only has me watching my sodium, but I spent 45 minutes tonight debating on whether or not I can eat a mango because I also had a sweet potato today and I'm worried about the potassium. I am starting to get back in the gym (with doc's blessing) but I am having to learn how to modify what I'm doing so I don't overdo it. Does this get easier? I feel like I am overthinking everything right now and it's exhausting.