Tests and Education

My  nephrologists began a series of tests to determine the cause of my kidney disease. The first test involved finding my GFR. Your GFR or Glomerular Filtration Rate is one of the best methods for determining how much kidney function you have. It uses your individual blood creatinice, age, body size and gender. It then calculates a value which determines the stage of  CKD your in. At the time I was well into Stage 3. There are 5 Stages to CKD with stage5 being kidney failure and needing dialysis or transplant. Prevention is the best fight against kidney disease so know your numbers especially your GFR if your at risk.. Knowing these numbers can help decrease the damage to your kidneys

Some of the other tests he did were to determine my BUN which measures the amount of nitrogen in the blood that comes from urea. It's another way to see how much kidney function is left.  He also did a 24hour urine collection to check how much protein was in the urine. Normally there should be little to none, so any increased amount could be some form of reduced kidney function. The final and most telling test he did was called an VCUG or Voiding cystourethgram this test uses x-rays of the  bladder both when its full and then when its emptied to see if there are any abnormalities between the bladder and upper urinary tract. And finally after 2 months of tests he determined that I had Kidney Reflux or Renal Reflux disease. The most common symptom of renal reflux is a urinary tract infection. This occurs because the bacteria that cause the urinary tract infection are able to travel up the urinary tract as a result of the reflux instead of being pushed out during urination. When I was diagnosed I had not had any UTI's and therefore allowed it to go un~diagnosed for so long. By the time the doctor's found it, the damage was already done. The only symptom I had was flank/lower back pain resulting from urine refluxing up to my kidneys. This condition is usually caught in childhood and can be treated and most times cured. 

One of the best things I did for myself in the early stages of learning I had kidney disease was to educate myself on the disease. With the help of the Northeast Kidney Foundation you too can gain the information you need to deal with Chronic Kidney Disease. They are having their Annual Kidney Patient and Family Education Day on June 30, 2013 and I plan on attending. Some of the topics will include "Current Treatments, Innovations and Advances, What No one tells you about Kidney Disease and What to do about it,  and Patient Activation~ Informed Choice and Decision Making." This will be a great resource whether your a newly diagnosed patient or have lived with Chronic Kidney Disease for many years. They will also discuss how to Eat well to maintain healthy lab values. I hope too see many of you there please come find me, I would love to meet any of the followers of the blog. Its going to be held at the Holiday Inn Express  400 Old Loudon Rd. in Latham from 12pm to 4:30pm. You can contact Northeast Kidney at  (518) 458-9697 ● (800) 999-9697 ●     to register for the meeting. And the best thing is they will have a renal  friendly lunch and who doesn't like a free lunch?

Thank you for joining me on this journey, I look forward to your input, comments and questions along the way. I look forward to seeing you on June 30, 2013 at the Patient and Family Education Day.