Kidney issues - questions and concerns...

crimsonharbor50 said:A young woman I know, who is 28, is dealing with some incredibly intense pain in her right kidney. The real concern here is that the kidney is actually collecting blood, which is clearly visible on her imaging results due to the swelling. She’s also currently right in the middle of her menstrual cycle, having expected her period a few days ago. About a month back, she was admitted to Washington, D.C. General Hospital because she’s struggling with anemia, where she underwent a blood transfusion and was also treated with homeopathy. While her overall health seemed to improve after that, she’s now facing this major issue with her right kidney retaining blood—something she has had issues with in the past and has undergone numerous tests for, though nothing ever quite this severe has happened before.

Has anyone else dealt with something similar, perhaps regarding specific treatments or recovery processes?

I would truly appreciate any insight or advice you might have to offer, thank you very much.

Could you please list her specific diagnoses, lab results, or any current medications?

I was just speaking quite broadly there... I can't say for certain, nor do I truly know. All she really shared with me were the terms ABI diagnosis and kidney insufficiency.

I suppose one might draw some meaning from the fact that blood is pooling in the kidney, which has caused it to become enlarged. The scans didn't show any signs of kidney stones or cysts.

crimsonharbor50 said:I was just speaking quite broadly there... I can't say for certain, nor do I truly know. All she really shared with me were the terms ABI diagnosis and kidney insufficiency.

I suppose one might draw some meaning from the fact that blood is pooling in the kidney, which has caused it to become enlarged. The scans didn't show any signs of kidney stones or cysts.

ABI stands for Acute Kidney Injury, or renal failure.
Honestly, you all make this sound so incredibly simple. If it's such a walk in the park, I'm surprised you aren't treating her yourselves! Your data lacks any actual diagnostic significance.
The causes of AKI are massive and varied—it could be a single isolated issue, or it could manifest as part of a complex syndrome.
1. Hemodynamic issues—this could involve hypovolemia, shock, trauma, DIC, vascular occlusion, ischemia, and more.
2. Infections and infectious states—like sepsis.
3. Chemical agents.
4. Primary kidney diseases—most commonly acute glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis, or systemic autoimmune diseases that attack the kidneys, such as SLE/Lupus.
5. Metabolic causes.
It can also be categorized as prerenal, intrinsic, or postrenal.

Hello everyone... what on earth are you all talking about?
"It’s so simple to me, why can't I just cure her!?"
Look, I am not exactly a doctor or an attending internist at a place like Mayo Clinic!! If I actually were, I wouldn't be coming here looking for advice in the first place. I have no idea what all those medical terms mean because I didn't go to med school or anything like that... honestly, I find this immediate judgment and "shooting down" of people quite unnecessary. Based on the very limited data I provided, I was simply hoping to get some guidance so that I might eventually be able to write something more certain.

Let's try to keep this conversation civil, please. 🙂

crimsonharbor50, I get that you’re incredibly worried about your girlfriend and that you’re looking for some guidance on what happens next.

However, speaking as a fellow physician, I have to tell you that offering any real advice is impossible without a full review of the medical records and all the test results.

I don't even know her current status—whether she's still hospitalized or has been discharged for home care. She should have certain findings and diagnoses on hand.

First off, describing the issue as "kidneys retaining blood" isn't medically accurate. For instance, I initially thought you were referring to renal bleeding. Then you mentioned an ABI diagnosis, which would imply sudden kidney failure—meaning they simply stopped functioning.

The reality is that someone experiencing acute kidney failure needs to be in a hospital; they can't just be sent home. That's a different matter entirely if she was already being treated for a chronic condition and is now in a post-acute state.

So, right from the jump, it's clear we're missing too much information to provide a detailed perspective.

Our colleague vividsailor7 is very active here and is always happy to help, but for him to offer more insight—given his specialty is closer to this than mine—you really need to gather concrete data. You need to reach out to your girlfriend and see if she can get the actual reports and doctors' notes. What exactly did they write? What was the treatment plan at the hospital? What medications is she on? Have they scheduled follow-up tests? We need those specifics.

Given you mentioned your girlfriend is dealing with anemia and actually required a blood transfusion(?!)—she should probably see a hematologist at Mayo Clinic, and perhaps a nephrologist regarding the kidney issues?

I just got off the phone with her, and she shared these updates with me:

First thing tomorrow morning, around 8:00 AM, she’s heading over to the Indianapolis medical center—since we both live here in Indianapolis—for a consultation and a checkup with her doctor. Because she hasn't started her period yet, despite it being due a few days ago (they actually gave her a pill or some kind of medication last Friday to try and jumpstart things), she’ll most likely see a gynecologist to get that process moving quickly; she can't make the trip to Washington, D.C. until her cycle begins.

She has dealt with hereditary anemia since the day she was born, and just about a month ago, she was hospitalized at St. Jude's where they had to perform a transfusion involving more than a third of her total blood volume, all while managing her care with homeopathy.

Her left kidney is functioning perfectly fine, but her right one has started retaining blood, which is causing it to pool and making the kidney appear enlarged on the scans. I should have the detailed diagnoses and all those specific medical terms by tomorrow, so I will be sure to post them here for everyone.

Honestly, terms like "the kidney is retaining blood" just leave me totally spinning... it’s just as nonsensical as saying someone was "given a third of new blood"... or talking about being "treated with homeopathy." When you throw all that in there along with the fact that we're missing so much of the actual medical history, it makes it pretty much impossible to offer any kind of sensible advice at all.

I really think we need a bit more info to go on here...

I am honestly not quite sure how to best explain this to you all, perhaps I should try it in English or French instead!

She actually received more than a third of her "new" blood through a transplant, which was done specifically to prevent the onset of leukemia. It seems unlikely that you haven't heard of such a procedure before... just to add some context, before she underwent that transplant, she was suffering from intense headaches every single day; she would wake up with them, work through the entire day with them, and go to bed with them, consistently for three months straight, not to mention dealing with incredibly dry skin and brittle nails. Now, she truly feels like a completely different person because the treatment helped her so much—the headaches are gone, her nails look brand new, and her skin isn't dry anymore (those are just a few examples of the improvements). However, this isn't the only part of the therapy, as she will be undergoing the same process again in September, since a single round simply isn't enough. If you weren't aware, those two hospital stays cost about $4000, and since supplemental health insurance only covers about half of it, we had to cough up $6,000 out of pocket, plus any homeopathy treatments have to be paid for separately.

I know I drifted slightly off-topic here, but I just wanted you all to understand everything she has been through.

As soon as I find out anything more regarding the kidney situation, I will be sure to post an update tomorrow.

Please keep staying active here and participating in the discussion, thank you so much.

Simon, look, I get that you’re spooked right now. You don't know what's going on with your girlfriend, but you have to realize that everything you're writing here is scattered and honestly doesn't make sense. We've got actual doctors chiming in on this thread, and they aren't trying to pick on you—they just can't wrap their heads around what you're actually asking or what the situation is. (I'm just a layman, so some of the stuff you wrote is totally incoherent to me).

Do yourself a favor: sit down and write a longer, more detailed post where you actually explain things clearly. For instance, what on earth does a transplant have to do with developing leukemia? (I mean, do you see how that lacks any logic?? First off, I'm assuming you meant a transfusion rather than a transplant, though maybe I'm wrong; second, please clarify how leukemia fits in since you were talking about anemia earlier). If you lay it out properly, people might actually be able to give you a meaningful response or some useful advice.

I was actually thinking about a transfusion, yeah... I think I'm starting to lose my train of thought here.🙂

How can anemia have nothing to do with leukemia? (In my opinion, there's definitely a connection) because the body—specifically the bone marrow—starts producing more white blood cells than red ones, which essentially leaves her blood feeling almost "watery." Since she’s been diagnosed with acute leukemia, she went to Washington, D.C. five days ago to get that blood transfusion so her condition wouldn't take a turn for the worse.

Her overall condition improved quite a bit after the procedure, but then this happened... I know it might sound silly or uneducated, but as a layman, the best way I can describe it is that her kidneys are "holding onto" or "accumulating" blood, rather than urine... they aren't passing anything at all. The doctors told her it was blood, and well, anything is possible—maybe a blocked vessel or something else entirely. They are planning to filter it, perform a puncture, or perhaps even surgery... they should find out later this week.

I promise that if I learn more, I'll write back... specifically regarding the medical side of things and using the proper terminology.

crimsonharbor50 said:I was actually thinking about a transfusion, yeah... I think I'm starting to lose my train of thought here.🙂

How can anemia have nothing to do with leukemia? (In my opinion, there's definitely a connection) because the body—specifically the bone marrow—starts producing more white blood cells than red ones, which essentially leaves her blood feeling almost "watery." Since she’s been diagnosed with acute leukemia, she went to Washington, D.C. five days ago to get that blood transfusion so her condition wouldn't take a turn for the worse.

Her overall condition improved quite a bit after the procedure, but then this happened... I know it might sound silly or uneducated, but as a layman, the best way I can describe it is that her kidneys are "holding onto" or "accumulating" blood, rather than urine... they aren't passing anything at all. The doctors told her it was blood, and well, anything is possible—maybe a blocked vessel or something else entirely. They are planning to filter it, perform a puncture, or perhaps even surgery... they should find out later this week.

I promise that if I learn more, I'll write back... specifically regarding the medical side of things and using the proper terminology.

It's hard to say much of anything here.
Now you're bringing up acute leukemia into the mix. Look, just saying "acute leukemia" isn't enough because not all types are treated the same way—you've got acute myeloid, acute lymphocytic, and all those different subtypes. No one can (not that they won't) give you any real advice or an explanation right now because, at this stage, it's simply impossible to know.

I honestly had no idea that the whole process could be this complicated... it’s truly hard to wrap my head around how much everything is interconnected and how much every little detail actually matters.

I suppose people generally know what the protocol is when dealing with something like kidney stones, and there's a standard procedure for that... I just assumed that when it comes to bloodwork, you'd be able to give me some clear answers and insights too.

It seems pretty obvious now that I need to compile a complete history of all my previous illnesses and treatments🙂

Hey everyone! To the mods: if this thread already exists, please just merge it instead of deleting—don't be that guy. Anyway, getting this started because I really need someone to make sense of these results or at least give me some advice. So, my mom went in for a kidney ultrasound the other day. Here’s what the report says:
Ultrasound examination of the hepatobiliary tract, pancreas, spleen, and kidneys. The adrenal glands and the renal pelvis/bladder area are clearly differentiated within the pelvic system. In the right kidney, there are several hyperechoic foci, the largest being about 2 cm, with significant dilation of the renal pelvis—basically Grade 1 (Roman numeral one)/2 (Roman numeral two) hydronephrosis. Within the parenchyma toward the upper pole of the left kidney, there is a round hypoechoic structure measuring approximately 4.6 cm with posterior acoustic accentuation. The remaining ECHO-nalaz for the abdominal organs, renal pelvis, and retroperitoneum looks pretty normal.
So, I guess the diagnosis is 😕 🤷
Nephrolithiasis with Grade 1(I)/2(II) hydronephrosis, right side
Left renal cyst. Thanks, guys

Thomas Rodriguez14 said:Hey everyone! To the mods: if this thread already exists, please just merge it instead of deleting—don't be that guy. Anyway, getting this started because I really need someone to make sense of these results or at least give me some advice. So, my mom went in for a kidney ultrasound the other day. Here’s what the report says:
Ultrasound examination of the hepatobiliary tract, pancreas, spleen, and kidneys. The adrenal glands and the renal pelvis/bladder area are clearly differentiated within the pelvic system. In the right kidney, there are several hyperechoic foci, the largest being about 2 cm, with significant dilation of the renal pelvis—basically Grade 1 (Roman numeral one)/2 (Roman numeral two) hydronephrosis. Within the parenchyma toward the upper pole of the left kidney, there is a round hypoechoic structure measuring approximately 4.6 cm with posterior acoustic accentuation. The remaining ECHO-nalaz for the abdominal organs, renal pelvis, and retroperitoneum looks pretty normal.
So, I guess the diagnosis is 😕 🤷
Nephrolithiasis with Grade 1(I)/2(II) hydronephrosis, right side
Left renal cyst. Thanks, guys

1. What symptoms or issues led to getting the renal ECHO?
2. Is she currently on any medication or therapy?
3. How old is she?
4. Does she have any other underlying health conditions or diagnoses?
5. Were there any other lab results available?

I’ve got a quick question. Can a standard urinalysis—you know, the kind where they take a sample during a routine checkup—actually catch if something is wrong with your kidneys? In other words, is it possible to get a perfectly clean report even when there's an underlying issue with the kidneys?

melloworca6 said:I’ve got a quick question. Can a standard urinalysis—you know, the kind where they take a sample during a routine checkup—actually catch if something is wrong with your kidneys? In other words, is it possible to get a perfectly clean report even when there's an underlying issue with the kidneys?

When it comes to urine, you might see things like casts, proteins, or the usual suspects like white or red blood cells.
As for a Complete Blood Count (CBC), if someone is dealing with advanced kidney disease, it might show up as normocytic normochromic anemia. However, an iron deficiency could also be lurking in the background.
So, yes, the results can absolutely look fine on paper.

So, can a urine test come back totally clean even when there's actually something going on with the kidneys?

I'm asking because I've never done a 24-hour urine collection before. They always check my kidney function using just the standard urinalysis, and the results always look fine. I'm trying to figure out if that basic test is actually enough, or if I should be pushing for the 24-hour test instead.

melloworca6 said:So, can a urine test come back totally clean even when there's actually something going on with the kidneys?

I'm asking because I've never done a 24-hour urine collection before. They always check my kidney function using just the standard urinalysis, and the results always look fine. I'm trying to figure out if that basic test is actually enough, or if I should be pushing for the 24-hour test instead.

If I recall your situation correctly, there was absolutely nothing wrong with your 24-hour proteinuria levels.

I’ll probably just check in with my doctor about it, just to be safe. Thanks for getting back to me on those questions. 🙂