My latest kidney checkup wasn’t quite what I expected. It took place last week and, as usual, I had been to the hospital a few days beforehand to provide blood and urine samples.
Since April 2018 when issues concerning my kidneys really became understood, my kidney function has stabilised and through regular checkups we have been aware of the readings to expect.
Each of the kidney consultants are lovely; I have seen four in the team so far at different appointments and I like each one. I remember the lady we saw yesterday as the one who had previously joked about the advice of the dietician saying “oh she’ll tell you to give up chocolate and sex!”
Once again I had asked Rachel to come with me to the appointment as I tend to remember the positive parts I like and gloss over the rest. Rachel takes notes. We settled into the appointment and I told the consultant how I am feeling pretty healthy these days, no fatigue and my urine is free from sludge and debris. This was all good.
Then she cut to the chase. My kidney function has deteriorated. Optimistically I suggested this was part of the fluctuations we might expect from day to day but she wasn’t buying this at all. She continued clicking away on her computer saying this or that was okay but not my eGFR reading, based on my creatinine levels and this is the principle measure of kidney performance.
She was bothered by not knowing why it had worsened and has ordered a scan. She is wanting to rule out the previous possibility of a blocked tube (which connects my kidney to my bladder) as this would be a simple thing to fix.
I went on to repeat my plea from previous meetings. I would like to live for another 40 years; I love life and would like to stay as healthy as I can. She talked quite bluntly and I found it difficult to accept – this wasn’t some hypothetical conversation that didn’t affect me. It really was about me. Given the natural aging which inevitably takes place combined with my already reduced kidney function, I am looking at some problems further ahead.
The conversation progressed onto my blood pressure which is still too high. So now I am increasing the dose of my medication to bring it down together with increased monitoring at home. It really is amazing how interlinked so many of our body’s functions are.
I came away feeling stunned. I had thought I was going to ride this out. Now I’m not so sure….