r/kidneydisease

Hi I'm 33F at a healthy weight. I have been stage 3a/b since about 2019. I have had protein in my 24 hour collections and sometimes I don't. My blood pressure is normal or often times on the lower end 90s/60s. My nephro says my blood pressure is too low to take arb/ace meds. Would meds like jardiance benefit me? I am very scared of the side effects lol thanks guys

Also to edit. I have seen a few different nephrologists. I'm in Alaska and they don't seem very concerned about my kidneys but my primary doctor is in the we should try and help the kidneys now mindset.

Im 31 and never had a kidney issue before.This year in February I had a urethral stricture that caused hydronephrosis which basically gave me severe kidney problems. It was dealt with via surgery and catheter and about 3 weeks after in March I was diagnosed with CKD stage 3 after the surgeon who was a urologist said it might have been an AKI which im still hoping it is. My numbers are as follows...

Sodium:141

Potassium: 4.3

Chloride: 104

C02: 20

Glucose: 101

BUN:21

Creatinine: 1.88

Calcium: 9.4

EFGR: 48

Phosphorous serum: 3.6

Albumin: 4.4

Which according to my Nephrologist are much much better than my previous numbers before surgery in which my Creatinine was 2.5. Is this really CDK stage 3? Or could it still realistically be an AKI? This has caused me profound anguish and despair and I dont really see myself having a good life worth living with this condition. I have become severely depressed and cant really bring myself to feel much joy in most things for about a month now and dont see a point in continuing if this cant be fixed. Im 31 and supposed to be worrying about work and building a life. I never smoked or was a heavy drinker and one stricture caused this? How can I further improve these numbers? Am i able to get a transplant preemptively before dialysis? Im still waiting for my next checkup in May but I really want to go back and get my numbers looked at again.

Sorry if this is long, I am a 53 year old Male with younger kids and I want to be here longer for them.

I was recently told by my doctor that I have Stage-1 Chronic Kidney Disease.   She did not seem that worried about it but I sure am being I am trying to get healthier and doing my best to be around longer for my kids.  I did have a few tests done, well actually a LOT of tests recently being I did have a Pulmonary Embolism with an Infarction back in December 2025. 

They did say my kidneys looked ok on the ultrasound, but my left IS bigger than my right.  I was told this in the past being I have passed 20+ stones from that kidney since my first stone on 9/11/2001.  That was a bad day to be in the Hospital, but that is when it started. 

Last visit they did some testing, including a urine test.  The office called me and said that I had ‘Abnormal test results’ and I should make an appointment.  I did already have one scheduled 3 weeks from then being I have been going monthly since my PE/PI.  I asked what it was and he mentioned a few things in broken English so I asked if they would update it in the portal where my test results usually show up.

Here is what the test was and the results…

Protein:Creatinine ratio, urine:

• Creatinine, random urine 41 mg/dL
• Protein/Creatinine ratio: THE PROTEIN VALUE IS LESS THAN 4 MG DL THEREFORE WE ARE UNABLE TO CALCULATE EXCRETION AND OR CREATININE RATIO.
• Protein, Yotal, Random ur: <4

I still have 2 weeks before I go see the doctor but when I look up what that means it does not really seem bad.  I have done a lot of things to change my health lately.. Quit Smoking Cigars, Started walking (2-3 miles a day) and I have also been doing Intermittent Fasting trying my best to keep it also low Oxalate Keto.  I have already lost over 20lbs in the past month but still look to lose about 60 or so.

Thanks in Advance,

Tom

I made a small bite, the size of a nail, just before ChatGPT finished loading on my Starfruit inquiry. I'm at 3a stage. Will that small portion cause me trouble?

I come from a family with a pretty brutal pattern — at a certain age, kidneys just start failing. It’s not one or two cases… it’s across generations. We’ve had more than 10 transplants within the same family.

At this point, there’s literally no one left with two untouched kidneys. Everyone is either a donor or a recipient.

I had my transplant, and it gave me 8 good years. Grateful for that time. But now I’m back on dialysis.

Not really sure what I’m looking for here — maybe just to put this out somewhere people might understand. If anyone’s dealt with something similar, especially strong genetic patterns like this, I’d really like to hear how you’re coping — physically or mentally.

Is consuming excessive protein safe for individuals with a family history of kidney disease?

27M with the following things

Cystatin C - 1.14 mg/L

Creatinine - 1.45 mg/dL

ACR (albumin creatinine ratio urine) - 1.86 mg/g creatinine

The neph is recommending we do biopsy asap, which kind of making me nervous to be frank.

Hi,

I was recently diagnosed with MCD after a norovirus infection on April 2. I did a biopsy on the following Monday, and a few days later, they confirmed that I do, in fact, have MCD. I went into the hospital weighing 110 lbs (which is slightly overweight for me), and I left the hospital at 128. So about 20 lbs of water weight gain in 10 days. I've been on 80 mg Lasix and 60mg prednisone for maybe 2.5 weeks now (give or take), and the weight hasn't budged at all. I am curious if this is normal? For reference, I am 24 y/o female with no previous health issues. I don't want to be impatient, but I did expect to see some progress by now. Any advice would be super helpful! Also, I am very intentional about my sodium intake. When did you all start seeing the water weight "fall off"?

I know this topic probably gets asked a lot here, but I’m struggling with the decision of whether to start dialysis now or try to hold out for a transplant.

For context: my kidney disease is likely genetic/developmental rather than autoimmune. My eGFR stayed around the mid-20s throughout my late teens and seemed stable, so I had stopped following up with my nephrologist for a few years and neglected my health. When I finally got labs again, my eGFR had dropped to 9.

A few months ago I got on the transplant list, and I’m extremely fortunate that my estimated wait time may only be around 2 years. Before hearing that, I had basically accepted that dialysis was next. Now I’m questioning whether it’s worth trying to avoid dialysis entirely until transplant.

Since getting serious about my health again, my labs have at least stabilized somewhat:

-eGFR has stayed around 9

-BUN dropped from the 90s to the 60s

-phosphorus went from high 6s to mid 5s

-most other labs are normal or improving

That said, my creatinine is still slowly rising (currently 8.19).

Symptom-wise, this is where I get conflicted. I definitely deal with fatigue and brain fog, but I honestly can’t tell how much is kidney failure versus my terrible sleep schedule, ADHD, stress, etc. I get occasional nausea, but only maybe once every couple weeks for a short period.

Though I also wonder if I’ve slowly adapted to feeling worse and just don’t realize how bad I actually feel anymore.

Reading experiences here has made me feel like most people don’t start dialysis until their symptoms become much more severe then where Im at now. Because my labs are relatively stable and I’m still functioning, part of me feels like maybe I could realistically make it to transplant without starting PD.

At the same time, I know dialysis decisions shouldn’t be based purely on numbers. I’m also trying to weigh quality of life. PD doesn’t seem easy either. I’m in my mid-20s, in school, and not working much right now, which probably makes this the “best” time in life to do dialysis if I have to. But I still worry about the loss of spontaneity, travel limitations, lifestyle changes, and honestly even the social/dating side of having a catheter.

So some of my questions are:

For those who delayed dialysis, what made you finally realize it was time?

Did you underestimate how bad you felt before starting and only realized after dialysis?

If you started PD young, how much did it actually affect your independence/social life?

How did you weigh the pros and cons of dialysis against living with kidney failure?

Is trying to hold out for transplant realistic with numbers like these, or am I thinking about this the wrong way?

Would really appreciate hearing from people who’ve been in a similar position.

I don't know if I've already asked before but is it more taxing on the kidneys if your blood pressure keeps suddenly spiking vs. always staying at one very high number?

My grandfather has been spending hundreds of dollars for Farxiga the last few months. We found Blueberry Pharmacy in PA. They had a 3 month supply for the generic for $25. We were relieved, but wanted to share if anybody is overpaying for it still. The only thing is they can only ship to certain states

Has anyone used Nourish Labs as their dietician? I was given the name of a regular dietitian Ian but she has never responded and I’m frustrated about what exactly to eat!