[fozzParticipant]

Hi, since the beginning of January I have had a kidney infection. I’ve had about 8 courses of various antibiotics, several cultures for specificity and antibiotics changed accordingly.

 

I’m currently diagnosed as MGUS but prof cook requested a repeat round of bloods at the start of the infection and they showed a rise in m spike and sflc ratio but they weren’t unduly concerned.

 

I’m thinking that the MGUS is compromising my immune system and has a significance to the kidney infection but the gp doesn’t seem too worried and neither did prof cooks team. I’m worried though that I’m deteriorating day by day and I seem to have an infection that keeps morphing and developing resistance to whatever they throw at it.

 

Does anyone have any advice?

 

Thanks

 

Kath. X

[graham-cParticipant]

Whenever bloods are done for my MGUS it includes a figure for eGFR with is essentially a percentage figure for the efficiency of your kidneys. It is only an estimate and I believe that it can vary more than most figures, but it’s a good general guide as to how the kidneys are working.

I lost a kidney to kidney cancer and my result is usually about 60 (which means that it is 60% efficient compared with perfection with two kidneys) and that’s actually very good and would beat some people with two kidneys.

I believe that you could get a variation of  – 10 without creating alarm, but it would be something to keep an eye on under those circumstances. Dialysis only comes into the equation between 10 and 20 and they’d be keen to take action before you reached that level and there are set criteria as to when they should intervene as there are things they can do.

I’m usually fastidious in wanting results (only 4 figures including eGFR) but I didn’t get that one last time and ironically my GP mentioned it had dropped in passing but, it’s been steady for so long, I didn’t bother to ask. I’ll be getting it this month’s reading soon anyway.

When I ask for results I get that alarmed ‘you’re a paranoid hypochondriac look’ from haematology, but actually I’d rather know and I’m less of a bother when I do.

Of course it could be a completely different issue and my immune system has always been a little quirky, but nothing like a kidney infection, I’m happy to say.

[fozzParticipant]

Thank you Graham, I’ll have a look for that figure, it’s not one I recognise. I know they do creatinine etc but there’s lots of separate figures for that.

Kath. X

[fozzParticipant]

Hi Graham, I’ve just had a look on my print outs and the last eGFR was 71 so I guess it’s still pretty ok. Kath x

[graham-cParticipant]

A diagnosis of MGUS is rather like a ‘sword of Damocles’ hanging above your head and it’s impossible to ignore it, especially in the early weeks/months after diagnosis. The diagnosis does make a difference to you and any medical decision or treatment you receive and it always has to be borne in mind when you have unexpected symptoms but, you have to be aware that you can have unassociated medical issues as well.

A kidney infection, especially one that won’t go away, is no minor matter but as long as your eGFR remains stable it won’t unduly concern the Consultant dealing with your MGUS. It’s as well that he knows about it and a lots of unexpected and unusual symptoms may point to something else. There again, as long as your PP’s and SFLC’s remain steady they shouldn’t be responsible for these symptoms.

It’s a complicated ‘game’ and even though I have a diagnosed prolapsed disc, when it went just before Christmas and I was barely able to walk, my GP quite sensibly sent me for a precautionary x-ray, which is quite sensible even though I didn’t believe it was a sign of bone damage beyond the already diagnosed disc problem.

When your eGFR goes below 60 I believe that you are supposed to be put on a register, but probably just to have your eGFR monitored, but diagnosis of MGUS means that your eGFR is already being monitored. It’s interesting that mine always seems never to breach that figure but I know that the NHS would never allow my kidney to deteriorate without taking action. Dialysis is just so costly it wouldn’t be in their interests.

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