Long road ahead
Well I just got back from the Kidney specialist and I don’t really know anything more than I did this morning. From what he could tell from the initial tests there are a few possible causes for my current condition.
First, the reduced kidney function could just be from scar tissue on the kidneys from the Lupus and the paralysis over the years. If this is the case nothing can really be done other than possible future dialysis or transplant, which I will not take someone else’s chance at living a normal life, considering the new kidneys would be destroyed eventually anyway.
Or it could just be the fact that heredity is catching up. My grandfather passed away after several years of dialysis after his kidneys quit working. If this is the case then there may be a chance to stop the problem before it gets worse. But once the kidneys get the scar tissue, there is nothing that can be done to reverse the damage.
With the clot in my legs, and the recent prescription of blood thinners it makes a biopsy a bit more difficult. They would need to admit me for about a week and switch me over to Heparin, then stop that long enough to operate, then back on the Heparin, switch back to the Coumadin and then finally home. But he also said that this may not show anything, if it is just damage from the paralysis and Lupus. Now I am in a bit of a bind. Since just starting the new job I don’t qualify for either short or long term disability. Plus the fact that they may not approve my medical occurrence, since I would need to take more time off so soon for the remaining tests. Looks like I get to take another swing at the government to see what options I have as far as SSDI or something similar.
But I am getting ahead of myself a bit, have to wait and see what the next set of tests show. I go in for an ultrasound on my kidneys and some more lab work in two weeks, the doctor wants to make sure there is a short gap to judge the results on.
I will keep everyone informed as I find out more information…
First, the reduced kidney function could just be from scar tissue on the kidneys from the Lupus and the paralysis over the years. If this is the case nothing can really be done other than possible future dialysis or transplant, which I will not take someone else’s chance at living a normal life, considering the new kidneys would be destroyed eventually anyway.
Or it could just be the fact that heredity is catching up. My grandfather passed away after several years of dialysis after his kidneys quit working. If this is the case then there may be a chance to stop the problem before it gets worse. But once the kidneys get the scar tissue, there is nothing that can be done to reverse the damage.
With the clot in my legs, and the recent prescription of blood thinners it makes a biopsy a bit more difficult. They would need to admit me for about a week and switch me over to Heparin, then stop that long enough to operate, then back on the Heparin, switch back to the Coumadin and then finally home. But he also said that this may not show anything, if it is just damage from the paralysis and Lupus. Now I am in a bit of a bind. Since just starting the new job I don’t qualify for either short or long term disability. Plus the fact that they may not approve my medical occurrence, since I would need to take more time off so soon for the remaining tests. Looks like I get to take another swing at the government to see what options I have as far as SSDI or something similar.
But I am getting ahead of myself a bit, have to wait and see what the next set of tests show. I go in for an ultrasound on my kidneys and some more lab work in two weeks, the doctor wants to make sure there is a short gap to judge the results on.
I will keep everyone informed as I find out more information…