I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: kristina on January 17, 2014, 05:18:46 AM
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Partial blockage of urine flow causing misleading blood readings?
The blood is cleansed by the filtration mechanism of both kidneys. Imagine both kidneys becoming partially damaged due to some type of disease.
Both kidneys still work adequately enough to filter the blood of unwanted material and the bloods, though abnormal, are stable and edema is not an issue.
Then, for example, there occurs a partial blockage in the renal pelvis or ureter of one kidney, which severely inhibits the flow of urine away from that kidney.
The better kidney still works effectively enough to avoid edema (fluid retention in feet, ankles & legs etc),
but the other kidney now cannot effectively clean the blood passing through it because of the partial blockage which severely restricts the flow of urine out of the kidney.
Blood flows through this kidney as normal but because the cleansing has been compromised due to the above mentioned partial blockage
the blood cannot be cleaned effectively and the blood retains some unwanted material like toxins & creatinine which continues on its route around the body.
Very slowly the levels of creatinine and toxic material in the blood increase. When blood tests are made it appears that the patient is in kidney failure
because the trends show the creatinine and BUN (urea) levels are rising. In actual fact the kidneys are not deteriorating at all.
They may be in a poor state due to the disease from which they suffered, but they are stable.
The poor blood readings are only as a result of a partial blockage in the renal pelvis or ureter of one kidney.
Correct this blockage and the kidney will once again become effective in cleaning the blood and the creatinine and Bun (urea) will drop.
Is this a plausible theory?
Is this a matter to be investigated by a nephrologist or an urologist ?
Thank you from Kristina.
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How do you know there is a blockage? If you are getting bad blood tests I would start with a nephrologist. Let them figure out why first. A urologist would only come in if it were truly a blockage down the line .
I wouldnt assume its a blockage unless you have an ultrasound or CT scan or other test that definatly showed a physical blockage.
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This doesn't sound logical to me at all. If the blood test results are changing, they should be considered real. Esp if it is a trend and not a one time fluctuation.
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Thank you for your thoughts, obsidianom and jeannea,
This doesn't sound logical to me at all. If the blood test results are changing, they should be considered real. Esp if it is a trend and not a one time fluctuation.
I mentioned this theory because my kidneys first failed completely in February 1971 when the ambulance rushed me to hospital (uraemia and coma).
After a few weeks I woke up from the coma and was discharged when my kidneys had recovered again to 5% function (without any dialysis).
One year later my health was stable enough to have a kidney biopsy taken and chronic proliferative glomerulonephritis was diagnosed.
In August 2006 I was again diagnosed with ESRF and told I had 6 months until dialysis.
From then on I was prescribed to take daily 2x500 mg Calcichew-D3 Forte chewable Tablets per day as a supplement and Vitamin D One-Alpha 0.5 microgram supplements (automatic repeat prescription).
The dosage was only cut down to 500 mg in July 2012, no cut down on Vitamin D supplements...
In January this year I began to have serious health problems and I have stopped taking any of these "supplements" because I did not think they were good for me...
NHS doctors and NHS specialists and private doctors/specialists have always agreed that these supplements were absolute necessary for me to take.
Thanks from Kristina.