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help 23 yr old Female *NO HEALTH INSURANCE* CKD?!

Posted , 7 users are following.

rachelw13
rachelw13

Here is some basic info

23yr old Female

Asian descent

5'6 healthy 127lbs

exercise DAILY dont eat junk food, i eat healthy

BACKSTORY

for the past two years ive noticed myself not having as much energy as I use to, I mostly attributed this to stress and being somewhat depressed as well as having high anxiety.  I T-boned in a car accident when I was 19 yrs old and have had back pain since.  I like to think of myself as having a high pain tolerance so most of my symptoms I just dealt with --- however I do want to clarify that I did not experience these symtoms all at once...heres a general breakdown of how my health has been

Previous medical history

psoriasis NOTE: i was diagnosed with psoriasis by a dermatologist when i was young (13yrs old) however no actual tests were run...he just looked at my elbows and determined like that...which leads me to believe that it was a misdiagnosis, and could be a form of another autoimmune condition...regardless i did have these "psoriasis-like" scaly patches on my elbow and knee but they actually went away until (read below)

2014

jan - started experiencing Raynauds phenomena (only in feet)

feb - hair getting dry and breaking -- right thumbnail becomes flaky and thin

may - noticing that vision is getting progressively worse

aug - started wearing glasses,

sept - "psoriasis-like" symptoms on elbow and knee, stabbing pain in abdomen/side

oct - was very ill for a period of 2 weeks (constant coughing, fever, chills, body ache, congestion) thought it was the flu, but again i just toughed it out

after sickness i woke up with toenails with a slight yellow tinge (still are yellow)

nov - circular red spot rash appears on legs and flank/shoulders EXTREMELY ITCHY (my "psoriasis" was never like this), noticing that when i take my vitamins it wont go down smoothly--difficulty swallowing, when i realize i have to pee, i can only hold it for around 6min before i feel uncomfortable

dec - feet becoming itchy, palm itchy (every now and then), loose stool (2 weeks), fatigue, loss of appetite, easily full, lower back pain, nausea/dry heaving, dizziness upon standing, occasional tingling in fingers, having episodes of anxiousness and feeling the need to take deep breaths

basically, i have no relatives/cousins/family in the united states, i only have my mom and dad here who are both non-english speaking and do not have medical insurance, im not affluent and they are unwilling to take me to the doctor for fear of the cost and I dont want to put the cost on them....i was able to pay for a $30 renal panel here are my results

Glucose, Serum - 102mg/dL

BUN - 18

Creatinine - 0.78

eGFR - 107

BUN/Creatinine Ratio - 23

Sodium, Serum - 145 mmol/L

Potassium - 5.0

Chloride - 103

Carbon Dioxide - 25

Calcium - 10

Phosphorus - 4.3

Albumin - 4.6

any advice helps thank you!

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • terry1710
    terry1710 rachelw13

    Posted

    Hi rachelw13 i hope youre ok. I dont really know how the health system in the US works as im fortunate enough to have nhs. Although im by no stretch a doctor, i do have stage 5 CKD. Looking at the two figures i recognise which is gfr (kidney function) and creatine, it wouldnt be ckd, atleast the same as what i have. As my creatine is over 450and my gfr is only 13 and i am currently on the transplant waiting list. Wether or not these numbers are measured differently in the states i dont know but it certainly doesnt seem like kid ey disease or failure based on those two factors. I hope this helps if only a little.
  • matt66
    matt66 rachelw13

    Posted

    Rachel,

    firstly:

    where are you - UK/US/Europe/Other??

    what passport /papers do you hold

    if we know that then can maybe advise on how to find medical help.

  • helen54849
    helen54849 rachelw13

    Posted

    Hi,

    I can see from your post you are in the US, your blood results are repotred differently than they are in the UK so we can't read them here.  All of the symptons you have described don't sound like the ones you would have with any kidney trouble I know.  I am CKD5 and on dialysis and transplant list.  I am sure your parent would like to know what is wrong with you even if they have to pay.  

    • terry1710
      terry1710 helen54849

      Posted

      Hi helen i hope youre well. I was just curious, if you dont mind, how youre finding dialysis treatment? As its something im currently staring in the face. Thankyou. Take care
    • helen54849
      helen54849 terry1710

      Posted

      Hi Terry,

      As you know I opted for PD as its suits my life better and after a lot of research haemo isn't for me at this time.  I will be honest there have been points when I have said in a true hissy fit that I wasn't doing it anymore, not like me at all and much to my husbands horror.  This was mainly due to the amount of fluid one of the PD nurses was trying to squeeze into a space where it wasn't going to fit (I am not very wide or round).  With a bit of tweeking its fine now and the difference in energy levels is very noticeable.  I would say it took about 3 weeks to start feeling the benefit but boy can you feel it, I have so much more energy when I finish work.  Before i couldn't even eat my tea so I am getting there and you will to.  This is the second hurdle the dialysis bit. Good luck with whatever you decide it may not be all plain sailing, I can't promise that but you will feel better take care x

    • terry1710
      terry1710 helen54849

      Posted

      Thankyou so much for your reply and your honesty! I have a friend that had a transplant from his dad so avoided any form of other treatment, so wasnt really sure what i was letting myself in for! I expect there will be quite alot of adjusting in the beginning in terms of routine etc, but its nice to think that ill be able to stay awake past 8! Thanks again for your honest response, and im glad to hear youre doing well. Its nice to have someone to talk to, even a complete stranger, that understands what its like to live with something like this and the treatment process and everything. Thanks again x
    • helen54849
      helen54849 terry1710

      Posted

      Hi,

      You are more than welcome any time, even those who love us lots will never know how it truly is.  Have youy claimed personal indipendent payment yet (it replaced the old DLA) I would start your claim now as I was already on the old DLA and it took from June until now for me to swap and thats only cos I contacted the directer general and kicked off big time.  I have vast benfit experience so let me know if you need any help PIP is not means tested so you can get it even if you or your partner work full time. If you want advice but don't want your life story on here for all to read just PM me nd I will do my best to help you with anything you may be entitled to.  Don't forget to keep me updated and let me know how you go. Take care x

  • louise5027
    louise5027 rachelw13

    Posted

    Hi, I agree with the others that it doesn't sound like Ckd. I don't have any medical training so my suggestions are Purley an opinion but it could be that you are suffering from a bit of depression. I'm not saying the symptoms you have had over a period of time aren't real I'm saying that delusion can affect physical well being.  I don't know how the medical system works in the USA but aren't there any charitable organisations that can help.  You sound isolated,I'm sure there are places you can go for help.  
  • thereishope
    thereishope rachelw13

    Posted

    Rachel, 

    you're fine. One of the biggest indicators of kidney disease is creatinine levels (which are later computed into an egfr number), both of which are above normal for you. 

    Numbers above 1.2 in creatinine and an egfr of around 90 - 60 (and anything lower, of course) should be cause for concern. As you can see, your number of 107 is fantastic. 

  • Mariz_Jay
    Mariz_Jay rachelw13

    Posted

    Hi Rachel

    I'm not a doctor or anything but i do have family that suffers from lupus dieses and my grandfather had the kidney type but it's different types and almost all the symptoms you describe, sounded to me like lupus. I'm not really sure what you have to do to get tested for lupus, but i believe it's medication for it now. To help ease your pain.

    I hoped this help any

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