I've been diagnosed for 10 years and take good care of my diabetes and have good A1C's. I just found out i have early signs of kidney damage due to high levels of microalbumin and was told i have to start taking medicine. Has anyone encountered this problem? Any advice?
yes - about 12 years ago after i suffered from a very serious illness where my d took a back burner, i developed kidney damage. as long as you take the medication (probably an ace inhibitor) and continue to control your blood sugars, you have a good chance of reversing the damage and returning your kidney function to normal. all my damage has been reversed and my kidney function tests come back perfectly.
good luck to you. try not to worry too much - you're going to be all right :o)
I don't have any kidney damage yet, but since I have been a diabetic for 17 years, my endo had me start taking an ACE inhibitor 2 years ago as a preventative measure.
I once had a false alarm test b/c of a yeast infection, but I've been lucky not to have any early damage after 28 years! Like C, I've also heard that the drugs are great at stopping the damage!
But, Megan, I wanted to warn you to be careful as a young woman on an ace inhibitor if it's only preventative. Not that you're planning on this, but if an accident ever happened, you don't want to be on one if you get pregnant! My endo has me off them for my "child bearing years" even though we are not trying to conceive now. So, there's my PSA to be careful. (:
My endo just told me the same thing about a month ago! But, he also said that the damage is reversible so long as we take care of now while it's still early. So, I guess I don't really have any advice as it's pretty new to me too. But, I just wanted to share that because I was totally frightened when he told me.
I was diagnosed at age 16 ( almost 16yrs. ago) with the same thing. I was told that it was reversible also with good BS control. My Dr. put me on vasotec at first but eventually no insurance I had would cover it. I was then put on Lisinopril. I haven't had any problems (knock on wood). Don't worry you will be fine.
Sarah,
Thanks! I was unaware of this, although I have no plans on having children for a while yet, which is probably why my doctor didn't talk about it with me. I will ask my endo next time I go about when I should stop taking it.
I am on several medications for my kidneys and blood pressure. My kidneys are operating at about 89% proficiency. I see a kidney doctor two times a year. I have lab work done every six months and things have turned around since I started the medication....about three years ago. I have had T1 for 25 years. Just do your best to keep your blood sugars in control. Good A1C's are important. Hang in there!
Thanks guys! My doctor wants to put me on an enelapril ( I think thats how you spell it lol) but she actually said that the damage wasn't reversible and it can only be prevented from getting worse. I hope she was wrong lol
I have been a T1D for 13 years now. I am 13 weeks pregnant and when I first found out about the pregnancy I also found out my kidneys have some damage. My A1C's have always been a bit high so that is a major factor in my kidneys. I few years back my endo wanted to start me on med's to help protect my kidneys in the future. I did not go on them. After I read the effects they have on the female body and talking more to my endo I made that choice. I kinda wish I had but at the same time I still don't like the side effects they have (maybe they have some new one's out there now). One of the major things was once started I was told I would be on them forever and I could not have children while on them. I wanted to be able to have at least one child of my own so this was the big reason for me at the time. Right now because of the pregnancy I can't go on them. I was told to drink lots of water and keep my sugars at 100 as much as possible, easier said than done but I am trying. I drink lots of cranberry juice and the doctor also told me to take cranberry supplements. Two months later my kidneys still show damage but they have improved a little.
I would say that if you are showing early signs of damage to really research the medicines and also look for natural ways to help your kidneys out. Early signs means you have time to do all you can, so take good care of yourself. Weigh out the pro's and con's of the med's. I asked the doctor what I could do to help my kidneys naturally when he told me I had damage and he did have a few tips. You could make an appointment with a Nephrologist (a kidney specialist) they would have the most information about protecting and treating the kidneys.
Good luck and I wish you the best!
MaryMartha
So, in case anyone was interested or may want to try this out...I have been doing a lot of research on macrobiotic and alkaline diets because my dad has pancreatic cancer. A friend of mine told me that this diet can help him fight the cancer since radiation and chemo are very toxic to the body. But, in my search, I had found that alkaline diets are also helpful to reversing kidney damage. Here is an article that explains why: http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/how-to-reverse-kidney-disease-naturally-138179.html As if dieting for diabetes is bad enough already, I thought it might be a good idea for me to try this diet anyway. More like cutting out as much acidic foods and drinks as possible or limiting them more than usual and using some of the alkaline choices from this chart: http://www.chimachine4u.com/AA.html (alkaline in blue/green, acid in gray), because I do like to drink a lot of diet soda since I can't really drink regular fruit juice (which I love). Well, I'm already adding on more meds to my daily routine, might as well add another diet too! LOL! J/K, can't be all that bad. My sister has found some great recipes for alkaline meals for our dad. As soon as I get them from her, I'll post them in the receipe group.
there's a lot of research going into alkaline/ash diets. so far, the research doesn't show any potential for benefits from following but it also doesn't show any harm caused by following it either. as with all special diets, tread carefully. make sure you aren't missing out on any nutrients as well as getting too many of some.
Thanks C. My sister and I have actually been searching all about the alkaline diet. While research has not been solidly proven either way yet, the key is not to go to one extreme or the other. It is basically the awareness of acidic intake anyway. I mean, everyone can benefit from less sodas, caffeine, and sugar and opt for more veggies & fruits in their diet. My nutritionist bases my meal plans on this diet, but she never calls it an alkaline diet. She just calls it a "colorful" diet and instead of telling me to not eat red meat she says to eat red meat maybe once or twice a week and instead have poultry or fish. It's just the healthier choice instead of popping in a microwave dinner. Granted, it may take more thought and preparation into a meal, but I had also found from my endo that stress from not allowing any time for myself is one of the biggest causes of fluctuating glucose levels. So, I think it may just be better for me to slow down a bit and take the time to cook healthier instead of what's easiest or fastest (not that I always cooked microwave dinners, but I'll admit that pasta & burgers - even from scratch - are by far some of the quickest meals to prepare). So, not a lot of veggies were included there, just high protein & carbs. Not very balanced at all. I just need to expand my cooking horizon and be more apt to choosing a more "colorful" diet. Most of the alkaline foods are in people's daily diet anyway.
C, I've heard if you have early kidney damage, you should be careful with too much protein. Am I making that up?
MaryMartha, OMG! That sounds like a stressful situation! I hope you can get everything sorted out with all your drs. Hang in there and good luck!
good for you, scrappydy! everyone could use a more balanced, colorful diet :o) eat the rainbow!
Sarah - you only have protein restriction when you are nearing the end-stages of kidney disease (pre-dialysis diet), once you start dialysis you will need high protein diets. otherwise, you can consume a normal-protein diet with no side effects.
I'm scared
I started showing signs two years ago and was put on Lisinopril. Since then, I haven't shown any signs, thankfully!
my doctor thought i had kidney problems.. thankfully it was a false alarm.. 14 years old and having problems with my kidneys.. that would suck =(
lauren - i was 14 when i was diagnosed with kidney damage. i had some extra appts for a few years with both the endo and the nephrologist (kidney doc), but now things are back to normal. try not to worry too much about it :o)
I have been diabetic for about 5 years and about two years ago i got really sick with my diabetes and now i have kidney damage.. im not on medicine yet but if it gets worse i will need medicine