Kidney Problems

August 1, 2013

So maybe this is embarrassing that I'm even showing you this.  But this blog is my scrapbook, and I don't think anyone reads my blog any more...so I shouldn't be embarrassed by this. :)

But, I started gaining weight pretty fast.  Like 8 lbs over 1-2 weeks.  My blood pressure went up a ton, and I normally have really really low blood pressure.  I had some other things going on too so I Googled my other symptoms and Kidney Disease came up.  I was pretty sure that's what I had.  

This is how my legs looked after work one day. 

See how my ankles are puffing out, it's hanging over my socks!? (Very much like the end of my pregnancy).

I felt like I had heavy water soaked jeans on.  My legs actually felt heavy from all the water in them.

Zach and I were pretty nervous.  He wanted me to go to the ER.  

You can tell in this picture how much water weight I had gained from all the kidney issues.

This picture is of my cousin Sandra's step son.  He's serving out here!  We just happened to see him!  So I sent her this text.  She was so happy, it made her day!!

Back to my kidneys...

 I went to my endocrinologist Dr. Susan Brian and had a million tests done.  I was getting my blood pressure checked daily.  Blood drawn every couple days, urine tests. I did tests for my blood sugar levels by pricking my finger a few times a day, for a couple days to see if I had diabetes. Nope, all was good.

Finally they found out I had  kidney problems. (Which I thought I did.) Dr. Brian actually called me from her home after hours to tell me the results of a 24 hour urine test.  She was very shocked at how high the protein level was and I had microscopic blood in my urine as well.

So she referred me to a nephrologist, Dr. Marina, a little Indian (Hindu) women. I had such a hard time understanding her.  But she was very nice.

Test after test after test and they still couldn't find out what the problem was exactly. My doctor wanted to do a Kidney Biopsy.  Which would require me to not lift anything for 1 or 2 weeks.  With a baby how do you do that? And we didn't have any insurance.  So we needed to wait.

So after a few months we got a medical charity program to help us.  And we went ahead with the Kidney Biopsy as soon as we could.

(So I'm skipping ahead now 2 months.)

 October 11, 2013

I'll admit.  I may look calm, but I'm totally freaking out right now.  I'm just about to go into the room where they will do the biopsy.

They did an ultrasound on my kidneys while I lay on my belly on the table.  

Things looked normal.

Then the doctor came in and explained what they would do.  Then he said "ok, any questions?"

  I said "Are you doing it right here, right now?"  

"Yep"

Then they gave me a dose of something amazing into my I.V, I can't remember the name.  But I was awake during the whole thing.  I was just super tired and everything seemed foggy.  I was pretty relaxed.

I could hear the doctor and the nurse, who was using the ultrasound to guide the needle, talking about a good spot.  They asked me to take a deep breath in and hold it. Then I heard a loud "Knnnch" noise.  Like a paper punch.  Then they did the same thing in another spot on that same kidney.

And that was it. Probably 10 minutes or less.

I asked to see what it looked like.  It was a huge long needle he used.  The needle collected 2 pink pieces of my kidney.  It looked like little worms, because it was just the diameter of the needle.

Then they wheeled me back to my room.

I had to lay flat on my back for 1-2 hours with a little sand bag under my back to put a lot of pressure to stop the bleeding.

(Oh ya, and I also had a nurse try and draw my blood before this whole thing and she kept digging and digging and re-poking because she couldn't get it.  And so I passed out.  That's not too unusual for me though.  Just more fun to add to the story) :)

I had to keep laying flat and had to continue urinating to see if there was any blood from the biopsy.  

There wasn't.  All was good.

They told me I could go home, but every time I'd try to get up and go I'd want to puke or felt like I was going to pass out.  So we were there for quite a long time.  But eventually I was well enough to leave.

I had a lot of people helping us.  Friends watched the boys for me and even cooked a few meals.  I stayed at my friend Tiffany's house all day one day.  She did all the lifting with Colter.  My friend Shannon the Relief Society president in our ward came over and would pick up Colter for me to nurse, put him down for a nap, change his diaper.  We were in the middle of  getting ready to move too.  So she even helped me pick up huge boxes that we were packing up. Helped me take down picture frames and decorations.  She helped so much.  Zach had to wake up in the night with me to pick up Colter so I could nurse him.  Then pick Colter up to change him and put him back to bed.

It was a CRAZY CRAZY time.  I'm so grateful for all the help my friends, and of course husband, gave me.  I couldn't have gone through this without their service.

Anyway, the results came back.  I have 2 Kidney Diseases that aren't very common:

Minimal Change Disease-

where I had protein in my urine.  It's more common to have it as a baby. I guess it's something I'll always have, and they can treat it when it gets bad with a steroid.

and

Thin Glomerilar Basement Membrane-

where I have microscopic blood in my urine.  It's genetic and runs in females mainly.

I just have to let anyone who checks my urine know there will be blood, and that will be normal for me now.

Apparently I have an aunt, a cousin, and my Mom (who forgot she had that), who have it.

When I went in for my results from my biopsy as well as my current tests, my doctor told me what diseases I had.  Then she told me my protein level was completely normal!  She was shocked!  She told me "the kidney biopsy proved to be therapeutic!" (Sarcastically).  So I didn't need to be on any sort of steroid.  YEA!

But we know why things were normal.  

Fasting. Prayers. and Blessings.

So I'll have to be continually checked for the rest of my life.  But of all the Kidney Diseases to have.  These aren't too bad.  So it was the best bad news I could get.