Friday night, I had my (now) monthly check-up, but this time with the kidney doctor, Dr. Granera, whom I have not seen in probably 3 months. Since I have been feeling well recently, I was expecting more of the same as previous check-ups. “You’re young”, “there’s still hope”, “be patient” – these are the common phrases I hear from my doctors when referring to my kidney failure, which is the primary issue I am dealing with at this point. (My Lupus symptoms are controlled by medicines and don’t cause any pain or need for concern at this point.)
So I went in with high hopes, not at all expecting the news he had to deliver. I’ve been told from the beginning that it might take 3-6 months for my kidneys to recover, and I don’t think I ever considered the option that they might, in fact, not recover at all. When I left the hospital at the end of January, my creatinine count was around 5 (should be less than 1 and started at over 11). Since March, it has fluctuated back and forth between 2.8 and 4.1, but most recently was 3.4. In addition, I had another more extensive test that showed I currently only have 17% kidney function. Based on these tests and the amount of time it’s been without significant improvement, I am now considered to have chronic kidney failure; it is no longer acute.
