I looked back at my blood work, and once in 2011 it was 38 and never addressed, since then it has been in the 80's , the blood work in January was GSR 68, and Creatinine was 1.0..Now this time GSR 41 and Creatinine is 1.03
When I was at my Rheumy the other day, he looked at the blood work and says oh your kidney and liver are good....I didn't know any difference as I didn't see my blood work till I went to my PCP, and he was concerned with the ESR rate and Is trying to get me into another Rheumy. And then I see this and my hair is standing on edge. I told both of them how fatigued I am and The Rheumy blames MG,,,,anything he doesn't want to talk about or deal with he blames on MG..... Well I won't be going to him any longer.......it is such a shame there are so view Rheumys. I will be going to my Neurologist in June, back to my PCP end of June, I actually think I will call the Rheumy Monday and say...Hey I thought you said my Kidney functions were fine....I just don't understand the medical field any more....so Confused, Thank goodness for you Annie..

my BP has been running low 98 over 59, I take two bp pills and one water pill ( maxide ) I was tested for lupus, they say no to that I was supposed to be tested for sjordans syndrome, but he never did test. I am seronegative RA.
I have my CBC, my WBC is 14.2 and RBC is 3.98 and RDW is 16.9, everything else is nurmal.

At least make your first stop a nephrologist.

Methotrexate may be the culprit. You're supposed to stay well-hydrated while on it due to the affect it can have on the kidneys. And who put you on the diuretic? That's a pretty heavy duty one, too!!!

Do you have edema? Why would you need a diuretic? That's not the one they usually give patients, because it's a "combo" drug.

I cannot stress this enough. You need to get in to see a nephrologist right away. Someone also needs to assess all of your drugs, why you need them, if there are alternatives (drug or "natural"), and make a game plan!

That diuretic can reduce saliva levels. Maybe you don't have Sjogrens.

Did you know that coconut and celery are natural diuretics? No, don't make any changes, but I'm wondering why they went to such a strong drug first. Do you have allergies to others?

I have no idea why the medical profession is so haywire. There are some great docs out there, but there also seem to be a lot of them that can't be bothered to THINK!

I hope you can find doctors to help you through this. I'm really sorry you have not had optimum care.


Annie

http://ww2.rheumatology.org/directory/geo.asp

My pcp gave me maxide for bp, but lately my bp is low , I am going off of the Maxide, it is a shame but you have to research your own health issues, you can't depend on Drs. My pcp is supposed to call me this week about the new rheumy referrel. I will be calling him ifnot, and at that time I am going to ask him about the GFR and ask for a blood work slip to check it again.
Yes I need a good rheumy who will assess everything. I am also on Nexium, whichI am going off of , I will take pepcid when needed for heartburn. I take the prinivil and norvasc, bp meds, and folic acid , prednisone daily, and once a week the methotrexate, I take lipitor and singulair and 81mg aspirin.
I agree, with getting the Kidney specialist. This whole thing has me bonkers....
I know the methotrexate has helped my RA pain 100 percent, but is it worth it if it is ruining my Kidneys, I am hoping if I go off the Maxide and hydrate mroe that that will help.
Thank you

Please make sure that you check with your primary doctor before going off of Maxide. Any change in a medication can hurt you!

I have alternating high sed rate and c reactive protein. I have MG but all my specialist think I have another autoimmune issue as well. All seem to think Lupus, but my ANA is negative and the rheumy cannot make up his mind. I have livedo reticularis rash on my extremeties, sunburn rash on cheeks, anemia with spherocytes, joint, muscle and tendon pain, extreme fatigue and chronic diarrhea. They have ruled out all the other digestive autoimmune diseases. My BUN has started to go above normal and I have RBC in my urine and moderate WBC and leukocytes esterase with no signs of infections. Looks like it might be starting to affect the kidneys too.

let me know how you make out. I have been hesitant to push the Lupus diagnosis since managing MG is a fulltime preoccupation. Although all these autoimmune diseases are treated with the same drugs, it is important to know which ones you have because they affect different organs. And these organs need to be monitored by different specialist so they don't become damaged.
kathie