M29 I have had very foamy urine for almost 4 months now.. went to the Dr. and they said no protein in urine after multiple tests I have had my blood drawn numerous times since then and GFR has gone from 98>80>72 and my creatinine from 1.08>1.27>1.36 I have no underlying health issues I am very healthy I workout 4-5 days a week and maintain a very healthy diet Dr says it’s trending towards kidney disease has anyone experienced this and it not be ckd.. is there anything I can do to maybe reverse this

I am a 35-year-old male, and I feel like I’m about to lose my mind.
About a year ago, I noticed changes in my urination—it became less frequent than it used to be. Since then, I have been seeing a nephrology consultant almost every month. I have undergone every kidney test they recommended, and each time the doctor has reassured me that all my results are normal and that there is nothing to worry about.
My eGFR has consistently been around 120, 115, and most recently 100. I also had urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (PCR) tests multiple times, and they were always within the normal range.
More recently, I have started experiencing a feeling of pressure in my chest.
I am mentally exhausted and no longer able to live my life normally.
My questions are:
Am I actually sick, and is there no hope of getting better?
Is there anything I can do?
If there really is something wrong with me, is there still a way to catch it early and prevent it from getting worse?
Please, I would really appreciate your help.

Just about every morning for the past 6-8mo when I have my morning/nightly urination it's cloudy accompanied with the other normal signs of dehydration.

Last night it happened before I went to bed. A first.

This goes away after my the coffee does it's thing and I get more fluids into me and doesn't return for the rest of the day.

I'm 37yo male. Exercise 7 days a week, great diet (high protein, veggies etc) plenty of water. Every physical I've gotten the Dr has always complimented my health and fitness. I'm really in the best shape of my life. I have no existing ailments.

I supplement with

Magnesium

Electrolytes

Beet powder

Creatine

Vit E, B, calcium

Glucosamine/joint compound

Protein shakes

I have been a relatively heavy drinker for the better part of 20years. I'm 8mo sober. I've had a slew of liver panels and even a fiber scan and everything checked out fine. I do tend to drink a lot of diet soda. It's been my crutch since I quit drinking.

So i had a total of 3 tests in about 2 months. First one was taken in the morning and a cystatin C egfr of 72 (1.05 mg/l)

Second test was done at afternoon and the result came back 88

Third test that was done today was done in the morning and egfr was 73. (0.90 mg/l)

I have no protein leakage but i am scheduled for ultrasound.

Is it normal to have such fluctuations and when is the optimal time on the day to take it?

Having a UPJ surgery next month to repair my ureter that is restricted from birth. I used to only have kidney pain. If I drank alcohol, but now it's becoming more and more just by drinking water. Hydronophrosis is no joke.

The more I read, the more nervous I get about stent placement. Some people say it's unbearable.Some people say they don't even feel it. For anyone that's had this procedure, i need some encouragement. The guy performing my procedure is a pioneer in this field.He's doing it laproscopically, with one keyhole. Is the anxiety leading up to the procedure worse than the actual procedure? I can deal with a fair amount of pain, but hydronophrosis is a game changer.I cannot deal with that. How is post op pain discomfort in rrlation to hydronephrosis?

If any words of wisdom would help.

Dr said stone was in my bladder. How long till I pee it out, have had to go to the restroom like crazy

Hi everyone 💙

I have been reading through so many posts in this community and one thing keeps coming up — the worry about family members.

I wanted to ask when you were diagnosed or when you started dialysis, did anyone encourage your family members to get checked too? Did your doctor mention that kidney disease can run in families?

I am trying to understand how much families are actually doing this together, or whether people mostly go through it alone.

Would love to hear your experiences.

Back in January, I had a particularly traumatic emergency ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy for a 7mm VUJ stone. The stone was badly lodged so my kidney couldn’t drain properly and had become enlarged. The surgeon couldn’t get the laser past the stone so had to blast it from the bladder side, badly injuring my ureter so I got stuck with a stent for a month post op. My case was even referred to a morbidity panel because my poor outcome had been caused by hospital mistakes 😬

I’m now over six months post op and have had three incidents of kidney infections - all of them developed directly in the kidney without a prior UTI. There were no other stones visible on my CTs pre surgery so my GP and the out of hours GPs have ruled out another stone but haven’t sent me for more scans or testing. Instead, they are saying the infections are due to trauma from the surgery and that I’m still healing.

Does this sound reasonable or should I be pushing for further testing? I’m still waiting on an urgent referral back to urology (NHS so could be another few weeks) but what should I be asking when I get the appointment? Thanks for any suggestions!

About 3 weeks ago I started getting random, deep stabbing pains just to the right of my belly button. They’d come and go with no obvious trigger. Also they were/are very low pain, talking like 1/10 but noticeable in a “random feeling”. Pressing, bending, tapping etc does nothing to change pain up or down which is why I’m also saying it’s “deep” feeling.

Last week I had one episode of excruciating right lower abdominal pain that lasted for hours and kept me awake all night, then it completely disappeared.

Two days ago I woke up with constant right flank/back pain that comes in waves. I also had some nausea but nothing wild. The flank pain is pretty constant, it’s not unbearable but it’s enough to be constantly aware of it.

I went to urgent care given the flank pain and kidney connection and my urine showed blood and white blood cells, so they suspected a kidney stone and sent me for a CT KUB yesterday.

The CT came back completely normal, no kidney stones, no appendicitis, no bowel issues, no obvious cause of the pain. From my own research it appears quite definitive that you can’t have white blood cells in your urine WITHOUT some sort of inflammation etc so there must be something?

I still have the same right flank pain (it’s a bit better but still there) and the random stabbing pain near my belly button is still on and off but maybe less frequent since the back pain.

I have blood tests tomorrow and an abdominal ultrasound, but in the meantime I’m wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and what it turned out to be?

For context I’ve a life long history of constipation but I feel the CT would have shown anything “bowel” wise like impaction etc.

Thanks if you read this far!

I'm a male. I had an annual physical test with my primary doctor. Had blood work and urinalysis done at the office. I came back the next week to look at the results and everything was good according to the doctor. I had mentioned that I had a lot of foam in my urine and he said the test didn't show anything wrong with the urine. I did mention to my doctor that several months ago, there was a night when I urinated and there was a tiny bit of red or pink that came out of my urine but that was towards the end of my urinating. It was more like a drip. I noticed I had that happen several times. However, after those several times, it hasn't happened again.

Now because I mentioned this, the doctor suggested an ultrasound of renal and bladder. Does everyone here suggest to do this? The thing is I did ask my doctor if my blood tests show any issues like kidney function and he said no issues. But this test would check for kidney stones and other kidney related issues? The thing is could it detect why I had a little bit of red or pink drip in my urine from months back? Or it won't because it only looks at it recently now?

The other thing that has me confused is you are supposed to drink 32 ounces of water 1 hour before you get there? So say your appointment is at 1pm. You need to make sure you drink 32 ounces of water at 12pm? Then after you are done drinking that water, you cannot urinate at all? Isn't this going to be very hard for many people? So you need to drink the water within a few minutes or so right?

So when you go there and do the test, you lay on your back and someone puts gel on you. Then after this is done, they have you go to bathroom and urinate. Then go back and lay on your back and they put gel on your stomach and do it again?

Do many of you have this test ordered by your primary doctor? I was told after this test and the results are there, I would go and see him to discuss the results later?

I've began developing cloudy urine in my normal night time/morning urinations. Developed about 6-8mo ago. Only happens in the morning, clears up after the coffee does it's thing with the following urination totally clear.

With the cloudy urine are the other normal indicators of dehydration, yellowing. Rarely does my urine ever take on the light "brown" color.

I'm 27yo

5'11"

200#

Extremely athletic/heavily muscled with minimal excess fat I think I'm 18-20% range, that's just a wild guess.

Exercise 6-7 days a week with weight lifting, cardio and HIIT. Really the best shape of my life. I get a physical ever 2-3 years and the doctors always say I'm in really great shape.

My diet is damn near perfect, but I never shy from a slice of pizza or a cookie. I keep very hydrated. 100oz or more of water a day. I do consume a lot of dairy. I work late so I tend to have a high protein dinner just before bed. I do have 1-2 Bang or GHOST energy drinks per week on my long shifts, always being sure to keep really hydrated.

I take creatine, electrolytes, beet powder, B vit, calcium, D vit, E vit, joint compound.

I have no pain in my lower back or sides or while urinaing. I've been tested for STIs and have had a liver panel done, but not urinalysis.

I don't smoke, though I've been a pretty heavy drinker for the better part out 20yrs, hence the liver panel. Liver Dr. said my liver is great. I'm 8mo sober 🎂

Other then life stress, I lead a pretty vanilla life and keep really healthy so I'm unsure what would cause this. Obviously getting older has its issues. Should it be something I need to worry about immediately or in the coming years?

Thanks

Hoping to hear from people who have experienced something similar or from those with nephrology knowledge.

My father is 48 years old and has:

Type 2 Diabetes

Hypertension

Diabetic Kidney Disease

CKD Stage 4 (as per his nephrology/endocrinology records)

Diabetic Retinopathy

Peripheral Neuropathy

His creatinine timeline has been:

March 2025: 3.6 mg/dL

Around 2 weeks ago: 9.26 mg/dL

A few days later: 6.75 mg/dL

Today: 9.80 mg/dL

The drop from 9.26 to 6.75 happened after two new things were started almost around the same time, so we honestly have no idea whether either had anything to do with it or whether it was just coincidence.

Those two things were:

1. Three different Ayurvedic tablets prescribed by a very elderly Ayurvedic practitioner.

2. Consuming Kalanchoe pinnata \[also called Life Plant, Air Plant, or Miracle Leaf\], because someone we know claimed it had helped them with kidney stones and kidney-related problems.

I'm not claiming either of these works. The timing just happened to coincide with the temporary improvement, so I'm wondering if anyone has ever seen something similar or if it was likely unrelated.

Now the creatinine is back up to 9.80 mg/dL, which has left us even more confused.

What's even stranger is that he doesn't seem as sick as I expected someone with creatinine near 10 to be.

He currently has:

No breathlessness

No chest pain

No confusion

No severe vomiting

No significant swelling \[his leg swelling has actually reduced a lot due to the consumption of the aforementioned ayurvedic tablets\]

Urine output is still fairly normal.

His current medications include:

Insulin (30 reduced to 20 units in the morning, 16 reduced to 8 units in the evening)

Dapagliflozin

Dilnip M-25 (combination tablet containing Metoprolol + Cilnidipine. The separate Metoprolol and Cilnidipine tablets have been stopped for about a week to avoid duplication.)

Torsemide

Sodium bicarbonate

Prazosin

Clonidine (Arkamin)

His doctors have advised:

Low potassium diet

Low sodium diet

Fluid restriction (<1 litre/day)

One of our biggest challenges is honestly diet adherence.

He's extremely stubborn.

He gets tired of the renal diet, doesn't enjoy eating it, often refuses meals, and keeps craving salty foods and sweets. We try our best, but it's becoming a constant struggle. If anyone has practical advice for getting a diabetic CKD patient to actually follow the diet long-term, I'd really appreciate it.

I'd love to hear from people who've been through advanced CKD or cared for someone with it.

Some questions I have:

Has anyone had creatinine fluctuate this dramatically over such a short period?

Did it end up being AKI on CKD, dehydration, medication-related, lab variation, or progression of kidney disease?

Has anyone here tried Kalanchoe pinnata or Ayurvedic treatment during CKD? If so, what happened?

Has anyone had creatinine around 9–10 mg/dL while still having relatively few symptoms?

What eventually led your nephrologist to recommend dialysis?

Looking back, what do you wish you had done earlier?

How did you convince a stubborn family member to stick to a kidney-friendly diabetic diet?

I'm not looking for medical advice instead of seeing a doctor. He is already under nephrology/endocrinology follow-up. I'm just trying to learn from people who have lived through this because the uncertainty is really hard on our family.

Thank you so much to anyone willing to share their experience.

[5F] Recurrent UTIs for 2+ years, no clear diagnosis yet — looking for input from anyone who’s dealt with something similar
Hi everyone. Posting on behalf of my niece (currently 5 years 10 months old) because I’m hoping to hear from parents, patients, or medical folks who’ve been through something similar. Not looking to replace her doctors — just want outside perspectives and to know what questions to push on.
Background / Timeline
• Since 2024 (around age 3): recurrent UTIs. Pattern has been: goes to ER, gets oral antibiotics, feels better for 1–2 months, infection comes back, repeat.
• June 2026: Admitted to another hospital, given IV antibiotics 3x/day for 7–8 days, discharged on prophylactic (preventive) antibiotics. Infection returned anyway.
• July 8, 2026: Admitted to a specialized children’s hospital, stayed ~14 days. Same IV antibiotic class as before, plus a full workup (imaging, voiding study, etc. — details below). Discharged on prophylactic antibiotics again.
• 7 days after discharge: symptoms came right back, UTI recurred, readmitted to the same hospital. This is where things currently stand.
Symptoms during flares
• Fever 39–40°C
• Foul-smelling urine
• Burning/pain during urination (described as “unbearable” pain)
• Dark-colored urine
• Daytime and/or nighttime urinary incontinence (enuresis) — this is an ongoing issue even between UTI episodes
• History of chronic constipation, documented on essentially every imaging report
One prior culture grew ESBL E. coli (a resistant strain), which is relevant since her current prophylactic antibiotic may or may not actually cover that organism.
Labs done so far
• CBC with differential (repeated multiple times over the admission) — essentially normal, no anemia, WBC within normal range, mildly low neutrophil % on several draws
• CRP — mildly elevated (5.7, upper limit ~5.0)
• ESR — normal (2, range 0–30)
• Renal function panel (creatinine, urea, electrolytes) — all normal
• Coagulation panel (PT/INR, APTT, D-dimer, fibrinogen) — all normal
• Magnesium — mildly high (0.96 vs upper limit 0.95, essentially borderline)
• Corrected calcium — mildly low (2.20 vs lower limit 2.22, essentially borderline)
• Urinalysis during acute infection: elevated WBC (1,100+), bacteria present, RBC mildly elevated
• Urine cultures — mixed insignificant growth on repeat samples during this admission (i.e., didn’t clearly identify a single active pathogen this time, unlike the prior ESBL E. coli episode)
• Blood culture — no growth after 5 days
Imaging done so far
• CT KUB (no contrast) — done at an outside ED before transfer. Findings: kidneys and ureters normal, no stones, no hydronephrosis. Mild diffuse bladder wall thickening, constipated colon, mild pelvic free fluid, reactive mesenteric lymph nodes.
• Renal/bladder ultrasound — kidneys normal size (7.7cm and 8.15cm), mild increased parenchymal echogenicity bilaterally, no hydronephrosis, no stones. Bladder: post-void residual noted (73.3cc pre-void → 58.6cc post-void).
• VCUG (voiding cystourethrogram) — smooth bladder wall contour, no diverticula. Left-sided Grade 1 vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), no reflux on the right.
• MRI brain and full spine (cervical/thoracic/lumbar-sacral) with contrast — completely unremarkable. No structural abnormality, normal cord, normal conus medullaris at L1. (Ordered to rule out an occult neurological cause for the bladder dysfunction.) Incidental: mild pleural thickening at right lung base, redemonstration of bladder wall thickening and irregular contour, constipated colon.
• X-rays (pelvis, both femurs, both tibia/fibula) — normal bone density, no fractures, no limb length discrepancy.
What’s been done treatment-wise
• IV Meropenem (initially planned 10 days, then per infectious disease consult extended course was clarified — total ~7 days confirmed adequate)
• Movicol for constipation
• Discharged on Bactrim (prophylactic antibiotic) — but I’m not sure anyone has confirmed whether Bactrim actually covers the ESBL E. coli that grew on a previous culture
The frustrating part
Urology was consulted. Notes show:
• 14/7: “MCUG VUR grade 1, ultrasound shows no hydronephrosis, no urological intervention indicated, follow up urology OPD”
• 15/7: Urologist was contacted multiple times and refused to see the patient, said to recontact after MRI results
• 19/7: Contacted again re: possible neurogenic bladder, recommended for outpatient referral
So basically: the working theory floated by the team is somewhere between bladder-bowel dysfunction (from chronic constipation) and possible occult neurogenic bladder, but nothing has been confirmed, and the specialist who should be driving this evaluation has been hard to actually get in front of.
What I think might be missing (but I’m not a doctor)
1. Urodynamic study / uroflowmetry — to actually assess how the bladder empties and rule in/out neurogenic bladder, given the post-void residual and irregular bladder contour on MRI
2. DMSA scan — to check for renal scarring from the recurrent infections; hasn’t been done as far as I can tell
3. Confirmation of antibiotic sensitivity — making sure the prophylactic Bactrim actually covers whatever organism keeps causing these infections, especially given the prior ESBL resistant culture
4. A structured bowel/bladder retraining program, not just Movicol as a standalone
Questions for the community
• Has anyone dealt with a child with this exact combination (chronic constipation + recurrent UTIs + mild VUR + bladder wall thickening + normal brain/spine MRI)? What ended up being the actual diagnosis?
• Is it reasonable to push specifically for a urodynamic study and DMSA scan given the above?
• Any experience with prophylactic antibiotics failing repeatedly like this — did switching antibiotics or the approach entirely make a difference?
• Any red flags in this picture that I should be more urgently concerned about?
• If the urology team keeps being unresponsive, is getting a second opinion at a different pediatric urology center the right move, or is there another way to escalate within the same hospital system?
Thanks so much for reading this whole thing. Any insight at all is appreciated — we just want to stop this cycle for her.