High blood pressure caused by kidney disease

Hey there,
just so the admins don't get the wrong idea, I wanted to mention right off the bat that I’ve spent quite a bit of time scouring this forum and doing a ton of Googling, but I just couldn't find a single thread that hits on this exact topic (only some things that are somewhat similar, I guess).
About six months ago, I started digging into all these symptoms I've been having—and honestly, they aren't going away—so I've been researching for months, maybe even years now. They didn't really bother me that much at first, but I suppose they've become way more noticeable lately.
-My blood pressure usually sits somewhere between 140-150 systolic and 90-100 diastolic when I'm just resting. It tends to spike whenever I'm active, too.
-Waking up at night to pee (that's actually my oldest symptom, it's been going on for nearly four years). I wake up because it feels like my bladder is full, though it isn't always, but most of the time it is. At first, I could get about seven hours of sleep, then it dropped to six... and now I'm averaging maybe five to six hours a night.
-Because of all that, I've been feeling pretty irritable and nervous, and I frequently deal with these tension-type headaches.

I've gone through a whole mountain of tests; most of them came back fine, but a few were definitely off.
The imaging was okay: kidney ultrasound, heart scans, and an MRI of my brain.
For my urine tests, the elevated values were: urates, creatinine, and my aldosterone is slightly above the limit.
Everything else seems fine (VMA, catecholamines, and stuff like that).
-I wore a 24-hour blood pressure Holter monitor, and the readings were basically what I mentioned above, except for one weird thing: the values while I was lying down were totally normal (even though I wasn't actually asleep during that part of the day, I was just lying there).

My internist/cardiologist gave me a diagnosis of nephrogenic hypertension and prescribed a medication called "VAL" to bring my pressure down.
But the instructions say you shouldn't use it if there's any kind of kidney disease present or if someone has high aldosterone levels (mine is only just barely over the line, though). I guess I'm just worried because I'm not entirely sure if I should be taking it, since I still don't know what's actually going on with my kidneys...
-I'm 22 years old, I don't smoke, I don't drink (well, maybe a beer here and there), and I'm not overweight (though I probably could drop a few pounds). But the amount I sweat is definitely not normal for my age and build. Even when spring starts hitting, I begin sweating excessively just from stepping outside.
The internist told me I absolutely need to see a nephrologist, but the waiting list is two months long, and I really don't feel like waiting that long, so I was wondering:
Does anyone know of a private nephrologist in San Francisco or the surrounding area where the wait wouldn't be nearly as long?
And if anyone out there has had similar experiences or symptoms, I would truly appreciate any info you could share!🙂

William Robinson11 said:Hey there,
just so the admins don't get the wrong idea, I wanted to mention right off the bat that I’ve spent quite a bit of time scouring this forum and doing a ton of Googling, but I just couldn't find a single thread that hits on this exact topic (only some things that are somewhat similar, I guess).
About six months ago, I started digging into all these symptoms I've been having—and honestly, they aren't going away—so I've been researching for months, maybe even years now. They didn't really bother me that much at first, but I suppose they've become way more noticeable lately.
-My blood pressure usually sits somewhere between 140-150 systolic and 90-100 diastolic when I'm just resting. It tends to spike whenever I'm active, too.
-Waking up at night to pee (that's actually my oldest symptom, it's been going on for nearly four years). I wake up because it feels like my bladder is full, though it isn't always, but most of the time it is. At first, I could get about seven hours of sleep, then it dropped to six... and now I'm averaging maybe five to six hours a night.
-Because of all that, I've been feeling pretty irritable and nervous, and I frequently deal with these tension-type headaches.

I've gone through a whole mountain of tests; most of them came back fine, but a few were definitely off.
The imaging was okay: kidney ultrasound, heart scans, and an MRI of my brain.
For my urine tests, the elevated values were: urates, creatinine, and my aldosterone is slightly above the limit.
Everything else seems fine (VMA, catecholamines, and stuff like that).
-I wore a 24-hour blood pressure Holter monitor, and the readings were basically what I mentioned above, except for one weird thing: the values while I was lying down were totally normal (even though I wasn't actually asleep during that part of the day, I was just lying there).

My internist/cardiologist gave me a diagnosis of nephrogenic hypertension and prescribed a medication called "VAL" to bring my pressure down.
But the instructions say you shouldn't use it if there's any kind of kidney disease present or if someone has high aldosterone levels (mine is only just barely over the line, though). I guess I'm just worried because I'm not entirely sure if I should be taking it, since I still don't know what's actually going on with my kidneys...
-I'm 22 years old, I don't smoke, I don't drink (well, maybe a beer here and there), and I'm not overweight (though I probably could drop a few pounds). But the amount I sweat is definitely not normal for my age and build. Even when spring starts hitting, I begin sweating excessively just from stepping outside.
The internist told me I absolutely need to see a nephrologist, but the waiting list is two months long, and I really don't feel like waiting that long, so I was wondering:
Does anyone know of a private nephrologist in San Francisco or the surrounding area where the wait wouldn't be nearly as long?
And if anyone out there has had similar experiences or symptoms, I would truly appreciate any info you could share!🙂

As for San Francisco, I wouldn't know; I'm from Washington, D.C.

I dealt with extremely high blood pressure for years, coupled with abnormal sweating, and there was even a period where I was waking up to pee every hour or hour and a half.

Eventually, my legs started swelling up and I’d get winded at the slightest hint of exertion, which led to me ending up in the hospital.

The tests they ran there were all over the place, just completely disorganized. 😉

Once they finally managed to bring my blood pressure down with medication, all those aforementioned symptoms just vanished.

Mind you, my heart and kidneys took a bit of a hit in the process, but I guess that's just how it goes sometimes...

As for seeing a nephrologist, I'd say just make the appointment and wait; I highly doubt anything significant is going to change in two months when you've been dealing with this for years.

William Robinson11 said:Hey there,
just so the admins don't get the wrong idea, I wanted to mention right off the bat that I’ve spent quite a bit of time scouring this forum and doing a ton of Googling, but I just couldn't find a single thread that hits on this exact topic (only some things that are somewhat similar, I guess).
About six months ago, I started digging into all these symptoms I've been having—and honestly, they aren't going away—so I've been researching for months, maybe even years now. They didn't really bother me that much at first, but I suppose they've become way more noticeable lately.
-My blood pressure usually sits somewhere between 140-150 systolic and 90-100 diastolic when I'm just resting. It tends to spike whenever I'm active, too.
-Waking up at night to pee (that's actually my oldest symptom, it's been going on for nearly four years). I wake up because it feels like my bladder is full, though it isn't always, but most of the time it is. At first, I could get about seven hours of sleep, then it dropped to six... and now I'm averaging maybe five to six hours a night.
-Because of all that, I've been feeling pretty irritable and nervous, and I frequently deal with these tension-type headaches.

I've gone through a whole mountain of tests; most of them came back fine, but a few were definitely off.
The imaging was okay: kidney ultrasound, heart scans, and an MRI of my brain.
For my urine tests, the elevated values were: urates, creatinine, and my aldosterone is slightly above the limit.
Everything else seems fine (VMA, catecholamines, and stuff like that).
-I wore a 24-hour blood pressure Holter monitor, and the readings were basically what I mentioned above, except for one weird thing: the values while I was lying down were totally normal (even though I wasn't actually asleep during that part of the day, I was just lying there).

My internist/cardiologist gave me a diagnosis of nephrogenic hypertension and prescribed a medication called "VAL" to bring my pressure down.
But the instructions say you shouldn't use it if there's any kind of kidney disease present or if someone has high aldosterone levels (mine is only just barely over the line, though). I guess I'm just worried because I'm not entirely sure if I should be taking it, since I still don't know what's actually going on with my kidneys...
-I'm 22 years old, I don't smoke, I don't drink (well, maybe a beer here and there), and I'm not overweight (though I probably could drop a few pounds). But the amount I sweat is definitely not normal for my age and build. Even when spring starts hitting, I begin sweating excessively just from stepping outside.
The internist told me I absolutely need to see a nephrologist, but the waiting list is two months long, and I really don't feel like waiting that long, so I was wondering:
Does anyone know of a private nephrologist in San Francisco or the surrounding area where the wait wouldn't be nearly as long?
And if anyone out there has had similar experiences or symptoms, I would truly appreciate any info you could share!🙂

What's your heart rate? If your pulse is consistently over 90, then your increased urination makes perfect sense—essentially, a higher heart rate speeds up blood filtration through the kidneys, so you produce more urine in the same amount of time compared to someone with a normal pulse. Of course, a fast pulse can (but doesn't always) cause excessive sweating due to increased skin blood flow. Given how warm the blood is and how quickly it reaches the capillaries in your skin, it makes sense why you're sweating so much. In my opinion, your kidneys seem fine, and there's really no need to panic over symptoms that every fifth guy your age deals with. Panicking won't help your blood pressure.

You should be able to find private specialists in San Francisco by checking the local listings in a paper like the San Francisco Chronicle—they usually have ads for private practices spanning a couple of pages.

I know for a fact that the Mayo Clinic or perhaps a large local medical group might have specialists available.

Check if the private clinic run by the head of the department for...nephrology at the Washington, D.C. Medical Center under Dr. Dragana Ljutić—her private clinic is located right next to the main hospital building, on the east side near the local Target.

My recommendation: take Normabel 5 mg once daily before bed for the first two weeks, then move up to Normabel 5 mg twice daily before bed. Lorsilan can serve as a substitute if needed.

Best regards from Washington, D.C.,
Eric Wright29

nimbleseal74 said:As for San Francisco, I wouldn't know; I'm from Washington, D.C.

I dealt with extremely high blood pressure for years, coupled with abnormal sweating, and there was even a period where I was waking up to pee every hour or hour and a half.

Eventually, my legs started swelling up and I’d get winded at the slightest hint of exertion, which led to me ending up in the hospital.

The tests they ran there were all over the place, just completely disorganized. 😉

Once they finally managed to bring my blood pressure down with medication, all those aforementioned symptoms just vanished.

Mind you, my heart and kidneys took a bit of a hit in the process, but I guess that's just how it goes sometimes...

As for seeing a nephrologist, I'd say just make the appointment and wait; I highly doubt anything significant is going to change in two months when you've been dealing with this for years.

So, I was just sitting here thinking about all those different bottles that used to clutter up my medicine cabinet, and man, it feels like a lifetime ago! I guess if you're asking what I ended up taking, it was quite a mix depending on how I was feeling, you know? I remember dealing with some stuff where I had to use Ebrantil for a while, and then there was that period where Tertensif was part of the routine too, which felt like such a whirlwind at the time. Oh, and I definitely went through a stretch with Amlopin as well, though I always felt like I was constantly second-guessing whether I was taking the right dose or if I was overthinking the whole thing—which, let's be honest, I probably was! It’s funny how much time you spend just managing all those little pills and trying to stay on top of everything, isn't it? Anyway, that was the general gist of it!

Eric Wright29 said:What's your heart rate? If your pulse is consistently over 90, then your increased urination makes perfect sense—essentially, a higher heart rate speeds up blood filtration through the kidneys, so you produce more urine in the same amount of time compared to someone with a normal pulse. Of course, a fast pulse can (but doesn't always) cause excessive sweating due to increased skin blood flow. Given how warm the blood is and how quickly it reaches the capillaries in your skin, it makes sense why you're sweating so much. In my opinion, your kidneys seem fine, and there's really no need to panic over symptoms that every fifth guy your age deals with. Panicking won't help your blood pressure.

You should be able to find private specialists in San Francisco by checking the local listings in a paper like the San Francisco Chronicle—they usually have ads for private practices spanning a couple of pages.

I know for a fact that the Mayo Clinic or perhaps a large local medical group might have specialists available.

Check if the private clinic run by the head of the department for...nephrology at the Washington, D.C. Medical Center under Dr. Dragana Ljutić—her private clinic is located right next to the main hospital building, on the east side near the local Target.

My recommendation: take Normabel 5 mg once daily before bed for the first two weeks, then move up to Normabel 5 mg twice daily before bed. Lorsilan can serve as a substitute if needed.

Best regards from Washington, D.C.,
Eric Wright29

I’m not trying to start a panic here, I really am... I keep telling myself that, but this whole thing has been dragging on for years now and honestly, it just seems to be getting worse as time goes by. And look, it definitely isn't normal to be sweating like it’s the middle of a July heatwave in Phoenix when it’s still just spring outside, you know? I don't even want to get into the specifics of how bad it feels right now because it's just... a lot. Anyway, since my nighttime bathroom trips have actually become a bigger issue than my high blood pressure lately, my internist told me we really need to figure out the "chicken or the egg" situation first. He wants to determine if my kidneys and all these other symptoms are what's driving the high blood pressure up, or if—like you suggested earlier—the blood pressure itself is putting all that intense pressure on my kidneys. It's such a tricky loop to break!
-----
Thanks so much for all the replies, everyone! So, I finally managed to squeeze in that nephrology appointment at a private clinic, and well, things got a little complicated, I guess. They basically told me that most of my recent blood work and urine tests weren't quite right, so they want me to redo almost everything. On top of that, the doctor suggested I stop taking VAL altogether because they think it’s just way too strong for me. Instead, they recommended I switch over to Concor 2.5mg for the next month, since apparently, it’s much milder and shouldn't cause any major side effects. Ugh, I honestly can't stand it when everyone just wants to suggest some other medication instead of sticking to the plan! :S
So, I guess that means I’ll be heading back in for another follow-up appointment in about a week or so, which feels like it's coming up pretty fast, don't you think?

William Robinson11 said:So, I was just sitting here thinking about all those different bottles that used to clutter up my medicine cabinet, and man, it feels like a lifetime ago! I guess if you're asking what I ended up taking, it was quite a mix depending on how I was feeling, you know? I remember dealing with some stuff where I had to use Ebrantil for a while, and then there was that period where Tertensif was part of the routine too, which felt like such a whirlwind at the time. Oh, and I definitely went through a stretch with Amlopin as well, though I always felt like I was constantly second-guessing whether I was taking the right dose or if I was overthinking the whole thing—which, let's be honest, I probably was! It’s funny how much time you spend just managing all those little pills and trying to stay on top of everything, isn't it? Anyway, that was the general gist of it!

I’m not trying to start a panic here, I really am... I keep telling myself that, but this whole thing has been dragging on for years now and honestly, it just seems to be getting worse as time goes by. And look, it definitely isn't normal to be sweating like it’s the middle of a July heatwave in Phoenix when it’s still just spring outside, you know? I don't even want to get into the specifics of how bad it feels right now because it's just... a lot. Anyway, since my nighttime bathroom trips have actually become a bigger issue than my high blood pressure lately, my internist told me we really need to figure out the "chicken or the egg" situation first. He wants to determine if my kidneys and all these other symptoms are what's driving the high blood pressure up, or if—like you suggested earlier—the blood pressure itself is putting all that intense pressure on my kidneys. It's such a tricky loop to break!
-----
Thanks so much for all the replies, everyone! So, I finally managed to squeeze in that nephrology appointment at a private clinic, and well, things got a little complicated, I guess. They basically told me that most of my recent blood work and urine tests weren't quite right, so they want me to redo almost everything. On top of that, the doctor suggested I stop taking VAL altogether because they think it’s just way too strong for me. Instead, they recommended I switch over to Concor 2.5mg for the next month, since apparently, it’s much milder and shouldn't cause any major side effects. Ugh, I honestly can't stand it when everyone just wants to suggest some other medication instead of sticking to the plan! :S
So, I guess that means I’ll be heading back in for another follow-up appointment in about a week or so, which feels like it's coming up pretty fast, don't you think?

Well, great, you got prescribed a beta-blocker, which means that private doctor is heading in the exact same direction as I am with the diagnosis. Except I gave you my advice for free, while he actually charged you $117 😂

Best,

(P.S. I know all too well how much you're sweating right now. I've got blood pressure at 180/100 mmHg and a pulse of 120 bpm, and I'm only 24. Way to go, me.)

William Robinson11 said:So, I was just sitting here thinking about all those different bottles that used to clutter up my medicine cabinet, and man, it feels like a lifetime ago! I guess if you're asking what I ended up taking, it was quite a mix depending on how I was feeling, you know? I remember dealing with some stuff where I had to use Ebrantil for a while, and then there was that period where Tertensif was part of the routine too, which felt like such a whirlwind at the time. Oh, and I definitely went through a stretch with Amlopin as well, though I always felt like I was constantly second-guessing whether I was taking the right dose or if I was overthinking the whole thing—which, let's be honest, I probably was! It’s funny how much time you spend just managing all those little pills and trying to stay on top of everything, isn't it? Anyway, that was the general gist of it!

I’m not trying to start a panic here, I really am... I keep telling myself that, but this whole thing has been dragging on for years now and honestly, it just seems to be getting worse as time goes by. And look, it definitely isn't normal to be sweating like it’s the middle of a July heatwave in Phoenix when it’s still just spring outside, you know? I don't even want to get into the specifics of how bad it feels right now because it's just... a lot. Anyway, since my nighttime bathroom trips have actually become a bigger issue than my high blood pressure lately, my internist told me we really need to figure out the "chicken or the egg" situation first. He wants to determine if my kidneys and all these other symptoms are what's driving the high blood pressure up, or if—like you suggested earlier—the blood pressure itself is putting all that intense pressure on my kidneys. It's such a tricky loop to break!
-----
Thanks so much for all the replies, everyone! So, I finally managed to squeeze in that nephrology appointment at a private clinic, and well, things got a little complicated, I guess. They basically told me that most of my recent blood work and urine tests weren't quite right, so they want me to redo almost everything. On top of that, the doctor suggested I stop taking VAL altogether because they think it’s just way too strong for me. Instead, they recommended I switch over to Concor 2.5mg for the next month, since apparently, it’s much milder and shouldn't cause any major side effects. Ugh, I honestly can't stand it when everyone just wants to suggest some other medication instead of sticking to the plan! :S
So, I guess that means I’ll be heading back in for another follow-up appointment in about a week or so, which feels like it's coming up pretty fast, don't you think?

Well, I've taken, am currently taking, and will likely continue taking: Concor Cor, Ebrantil, Losartic, Tertensif, and Amlopin. 😁

Quite the little collection, wouldn't you say? 😉

By the way, did your nephrologist happen to mention anything about cutting back on your salt intake?

Even if they didn't explicitly tell you to, I suppose it might be wise to reduce it anyway. 😁

It doesn't mean you have to go on a total fast or anything, but maybe just avoid adding extra salt at the table and steer clear of those salty bags of peanuts and such.

I think most of us Americans end up consuming far more sodium than we probably should.

And honestly, it really is just a matter of habit. I used to add salt to everything by default, but now I don't.

Though, I must admit, I still find myself craving it every once in a while... 😁

William Robinson11 said:Hey there,
just so the admins don't get the wrong idea, I wanted to mention right off the bat that I’ve spent quite a bit of time scouring this forum and doing a ton of Googling, but I just couldn't find a single thread that hits on this exact topic (only some things that are somewhat similar, I guess).
About six months ago, I started digging into all these symptoms I've been having—and honestly, they aren't going away—so I've been researching for months, maybe even years now. They didn't really bother me that much at first, but I suppose they've become way more noticeable lately.
-My blood pressure usually sits somewhere between 140-150 systolic and 90-100 diastolic when I'm just resting. It tends to spike whenever I'm active, too.
-Waking up at night to pee (that's actually my oldest symptom, it's been going on for nearly four years). I wake up because it feels like my bladder is full, though it isn't always, but most of the time it is. At first, I could get about seven hours of sleep, then it dropped to six... and now I'm averaging maybe five to six hours a night.
-Because of all that, I've been feeling pretty irritable and nervous, and I frequently deal with these tension-type headaches.

I've gone through a whole mountain of tests; most of them came back fine, but a few were definitely off.
The imaging was okay: kidney ultrasound, heart scans, and an MRI of my brain.
For my urine tests, the elevated values were: urates, creatinine, and my aldosterone is slightly above the limit.
Everything else seems fine (VMA, catecholamines, and stuff like that).
-I wore a 24-hour blood pressure Holter monitor, and the readings were basically what I mentioned above, except for one weird thing: the values while I was lying down were totally normal (even though I wasn't actually asleep during that part of the day, I was just lying there).

My internist/cardiologist gave me a diagnosis of nephrogenic hypertension and prescribed a medication called "VAL" to bring my pressure down.
But the instructions say you shouldn't use it if there's any kind of kidney disease present or if someone has high aldosterone levels (mine is only just barely over the line, though). I guess I'm just worried because I'm not entirely sure if I should be taking it, since I still don't know what's actually going on with my kidneys...
-I'm 22 years old, I don't smoke, I don't drink (well, maybe a beer here and there), and I'm not overweight (though I probably could drop a few pounds). But the amount I sweat is definitely not normal for my age and build. Even when spring starts hitting, I begin sweating excessively just from stepping outside.
The internist told me I absolutely need to see a nephrologist, but the waiting list is two months long, and I really don't feel like waiting that long, so I was wondering:
Does anyone know of a private nephrologist in San Francisco or the surrounding area where the wait wouldn't be nearly as long?
And if anyone out there has had similar experiences or symptoms, I would truly appreciate any info you could share!🙂

Hey. I'm 26 with polycystic kidney disease, which causes my hypertension. I'm currently on Val. This is my fourth or fifth time trying a pill like this, and honestly, this one works best for me. Most blood pressure meds carry a warning about kidney issues, but a doctor friend explained things to me. He basically said a nephrologist wouldn't even put me on this if they thought my kidneys couldn't handle it. My kidneys are damaged, sure, but the healthy tissue is apparently strong enough to filter everything out.
So, find out how much damage we're talking about. Mine are pretty bad—I'm actually on bed rest right now because a cyst is bleeding and could cause complications if it ruptures—but I handle Val just fine. If yours are severely compromised, ask your internist for something that's filtered through the liver instead. But from what I've seen, Val isn't that heavy-duty, so it shouldn't be an issue. Good luck. 👍