My Battle With Kidney Failure

[broncos62577]

Sorry to hear this and thanks for sharing with us. This is a good reminder to the rest of us of how poor bloodwork is at assessing kidney damage. All bloodwork really does is show us that the kidneys are currently handling their workload, they could be at 10% function, but if aren't asking them to do much filtering your GFR could still be fine.

While you may never be able to draw a direct connection between AAS and your kidney failure, there is no reason to think there is no connection. At those doses there are lots of things that could go wrong. I respect your desire not to blame AAS too quickly like most do, but kidney failure is the number one side effect a bodybuilder should be worried about, statistically speaking.

I don't doubt there was some role with the AAS, but I do believe it's more than just that. Yes I cruised high, but that wasn't until I began competing in 2013. Still yes, 5-6 years of blasting and cruising with a high cruise. I could buy that the use of them accelerated a tendency I maybe already had for kidney issues.

Edit: I used non-stop since 2009 yes, but when I began I did "normal" cruises.

 

[broncos62577]

When are you getting a AV fistula Broncho?
I suspect dialysis is going to become a 2x/wk thing for you. I've cared for countless ESRD dialysis patients of all ages over my 14 years as an RN and none of them were AAS abusers. Id say the majority were non compliant diabetics with hypertension. Who else in your family has these issues?

No kidney issues in my family history.

My ex-wife is a nurse and she said the exact same thing as you. It's usually diabetics or those with uncontrolled hypertension that get kidney issues. I had neither when this began.

 

[brutus69]

2 guys i know've had kidney transplants, one doesnt blame gear, the other does, due to the high bp he had on 3g of gear for years.
the one, he hadda wait for a couple years, it was rough. but he got it done and is doing amazing. they both are actually. well enough to be back on gear.
yep. both of them. back on. but low doses only.

 

[maldorf]

Transplant

I hope you get one soon. Anyone in your family able to donate you one? You only need one, right? I dated a girl for awhile that had lost one of hers for one reason. At least it is an organ that someone can donate and still be alive.

I bet it is frustrating to see that your function has to be so low before they consider you for a transplant. It is that way with my heart too. It is like you have to be hospitalized, confined to bed, and close to death before you become eligible.

 

[broncos62577]

I hope you get one soon. Anyone in your family able to donate you one? You only need one, right? I dated a girl for awhile that had lost one of hers for one reason. At least it is an organ that someone can donate and still be alive.

I bet it is frustrating to see that your function has to be so low before they consider you for a transplant. It is that way with my heart too. It is like you have to be hospitalized, confined to bed, and close to death before you become eligible.

Thank you brother. I have 5 people that will get tested for me, but like everything else in the medical field, the red tape slows it all down. Until the transplant center gets caught up (they are 3-4 months behind) I just wait. They can't even get tested through the center yet. I have to go through a 5 hour class at some point, I guess when they get around to calling me. If I have a match, they'll do the transplant immediately. If not, I wait until I hopefully get that call.

I can't imagine waiting for a heart brother. I'm glad you are still hanging in there fighting the good fight. And you're right about needing to be half dead before they actually do anything. It's just ridiculous and all dictated by health insurance. I need EPO injections for example because my hemoglobin is so low. Normal is 13.5 but insurance won't pay unless it's under 10. So I sometimes sit there with a hemoglobin of 10.1, feeling like shit not getting enough oxygen and can't do anything. It's like you want to get better, but at the same time, you kind of hope to get a little bit worse to qualify for treatment. It's sad. I don't know the details of qualifying for a heart, but I'd imagine it's similarly frustrating.

 

[broncos62577]

2 guys i know've had kidney transplants, one doesnt blame gear, the other does, due to the high bp he had on 3g of gear for years.
the one, he hadda wait for a couple years, it was rough. but he got it done and is doing amazing. they both are actually. well enough to be back on gear.
yep. both of them. back on. but low doses only.

Based on all I've read and what my neph has said, you feel good as new once transplanted. If you get a live donor rather than a cadaver, it's estimated to last 20-25 years so that's very encouraging. 10-15 years if from a cadaver.

 

[broncos62577]

2 guys i know've had kidney transplants, one doesnt blame gear, the other does, due to the high bp he had on 3g of gear for years.
the one, he hadda wait for a couple years, it was rough. but he got it done and is doing amazing. they both are actually. well enough to be back on gear.
yep. both of them. back on. but low doses only.

My neph has actually kept me on TRT because of my issues with low red blood cells. He said it'll help keep them up a bit so he wants me to stay on low dose test. I do 150mg/wk. He tests my test and is satisfied with the level it's at with that dose.

 

[Kaladryn]

All of us want to feel safer than we are so we are quick to point out anything you did that was extreme, but honestly it's all just a role of the dice, you could have been super conservative and still had issues, or you could have been way more reckless and not had issues.

Sorry to hear about it and I hope you get a transplant! Remember when you pay meticulous attention to detail like most bodybuilders do, health problems can be navigated with much more success than the average.

 

[Reload]

No kidney issues in my family history.

My ex-wife is a nurse and she said the exact same thing as you. It's usually diabetics or those with uncontrolled hypertension that get kidney issues. I had neither when this began.

That's really odd that there's no family history of kidney issues in your family and your BP has always been in check. In my experience PD is rough on the individual as it typically is done daily & is time/gear intensive. HD requires a VP shunt which can have it's own set of complications but can be limited to 2-3x/wk and around 3-4 hours per session...but then again it requires going to a dialysis center. Post dialysis, patients usually say they feel like they ran a marathon but the day after they feel great. I seriously doubt AAS had much to do with your declining kidney function as your cycles/lengths are not out of the norm for someone "in the game". I wish you nothing but the best bronco. Stay positive.

 

[danieltx]

For what it's worth, Chris Bumstead was diagnosed with IGA a few months ago and has talked some about it so that might be worth checking out.

 

[Killer.7]

I dont want to get flamed but Iga nephro sounds like a genetic auto immune disorder. Doubt the roids had much of an effect considering your bp has always been in check. Did they check for protein in your urine prior to all this happening?

 

[thethinker48]

My nephrologist has been holding off saying he wanted to wait until my GFR was at 8 before dialysis (it had been holding at 15 for last two months). I see him again on Monday and am going to insist we get started. My quality of living is just horrible right now and I'm so sick of feeling sick. Like I said, I have a friend that is a doctor and he's on dialysis and feels great most of the time. He's back to the gym and can live normal life. I'm hoping I can do the peritoneal dialysis at home, but I don't know how that's determined.

Peritoneal usually requires a clean room or sterile area at least. I've spoke to a few people on it, it's less stressful according to many workload wise (individual feeling obviously) than hemo, but it's still dialysis and it's a nightly or daily process.

Determination is first made by starting hemodialysis, they monitor your response and then you can start learning the process of peritoneal dialysis which then depending on your insurance, nephrologist, and dialysis facility is then transitioned over.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[broncos62577]

I dont want to get flamed but Iga nephro sounds like a genetic auto immune disorder. Doubt the roids had much of an effect considering your bp has always been in check. Did they check for protein in your urine prior to all this happening?

Before all of these problems, I don't know. My PCP never mentioned anything about protein in urine so I couldn't say for sure.

It was at 6 I think he said or 6000 at its highest (several months back)?? I don't recall, but it's supposed to be none. I forget what the unit of measurement is but regardless, it was super high. I was placed on lisinopril at first for the BP and to help with protein in urine. Unfortunately the lisinopril made my potassium go up too high and with compromised kidney function, was dangerous. It hit 6.2. I knew something was up because my muscles were twitching a lot and my legs had this incredibly heavy feel. Like walking through drying cement. I was given Veltassa and it went back down. It's 5.1 now. Higher end of normal. The lisinopril definately helped with the protein. Now I'm on Irbasartan (sp?) and Adelopine (sp?) and Doxazosin for BP. Protein is now under 3 or 3000, still high but it has come down.

It's amazing to see how it all correlates. When my protein was at its highest in my urine, my albumin crashed to .9. That was found when I was admitted to hospital and was transfused. The low albumin caused me to swell horribly since the fluid couldn't be maintained within my cells. I was discharged with level of 1.6. It is now 2.9 and protein in urine, like I said has come up. Blood protein levels are pretty low still though.

 

[broncos62577]

Peritoneal usually requires a clean room or sterile area at least. I've spoke to a few people on it, it's less stressful according to many workload wise (individual feeling obviously) than hemo, but it's still dialysis and it's a nightly or daily process.

Determination is first made by starting hemodialysis, they monitor your response and then you can start learning the process of peritoneal dialysis which then depending on your insurance, nephrologist, and dialysis facility is then transitioned over.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Good info. Thank you!

 

[Bio]

I'm very sorry to hear about your situation! Thank you for sharing your story. You do seem to be handling it as best one could under the circumstances. Please keep all of us updated.

Here are some PubMed studies that might interest you. This is the only thing I use on a daily basis!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5435901/#sec3title

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28561324

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3814973/

https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajprenal.90732.2008

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/08/09/378919


**EDIT** - This was something I found on the Livestrong website (it came up in my search). Definitely check with your doctor.

Turmeric may contain substances that support kidney health, but the spice is also a source of potassium. One tablespoon of powder contains 196 milligrams of potassium. If you have kidney disease, you may need to limit the amount of potassium in your diet, which means limiting your intake of foods such as turmeric. People with kidney disease have a difficult time keeping potassium levels in balance, which can affect heart rhythm.

 

[broncos62577]

I'm very sorry to hear about your situation! Thank you for sharing your story. You do seem to be handling it as best one could under the circumstances. Please keep all of us updated.

Here are some PubMed studies that might interest you. This is the only thing I use on a daily basis!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5435901/#sec3title

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28561324

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3814973/

https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajprenal.90732.2008

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/08/09/378919

I used to take this stuff religiously but for some reason, I stopped a couple years back. Definately will look more into incorporating it back into my regimen. Thanks Bio!

 

[Bio]

I used to take this stuff religiously but for some reason, I stopped a couple years back. Definately will look more into incorporating it back into my regimen. Thanks Bio!

I forgot to put this in, I'll edit the previous post. This was something I found on the Livestrong website (it came up in my search). Definitely check with your doctor.

Turmeric may contain substances that support kidney health, but the spice is also a source of potassium. One tablespoon of powder contains 196 milligrams of potassium. If you have kidney disease, you may need to limit the amount of potassium in your diet, which means limiting your intake of foods such as turmeric. People with kidney disease have a difficult time keeping potassium levels in balance, which can affect heart rhythm.

 

[broncos62577]

I forgot to put this in, I'll edit the previous post. This was something I found on the Livestrong website (it came up in my search). Definitely check with your doctor.

Turmeric may contain substances that support kidney health, but the spice is also a source of potassium. One tablespoon of powder contains 196 milligrams of potassium. If you have kidney disease, you may need to limit the amount of potassium in your diet, which means limiting your intake of foods such as turmeric. People with kidney disease have a difficult time keeping potassium levels in balance, which can affect heart rhythm.

Thanks for that heads up! Yes, I have to be very careful with potassium.

 

[Dvo36]

My dad had a Kidney Transplant after 2 years of dialysis. It was a cadaver transplant. He felt like a million dollars after. Keep your head up, there are plenty of options for you!

 

[Killer.7]

What the heck.

Not to hijack but dante trudel and a bunch of other dudes here reccomend astralagus for kidneys, yet at kidney.org they specifically mention NOT to take astralagus at any stage. Wtf

https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/herbalsupp