Kidney Scare

[bucketman]

Recently I had a physical because I hadnt had one in a while. At the time I was taking creatine (5 grams a day), whey protein shake after my workouts, glucosamine for my joints, a mulitviatmin, and stackers probably every other day. Well I left the doctors office with everything ok. I took an ekg which was great, gave blood and urine. Well 2 days later the doctor calls me back and says it looks like my kidneys are failing. Ive tried gear once in my life about 6 years ago for a week and got off it. Partied some but nothing crazy. I was like whatttttttttttttttt. Anyway the doctor told me to stop taking everything I was taking and in a week everything was back to normal. Moral of the story : be careful what you ingest, what works for one person may damage someone else. I've stopped taking all of that and am trying to get everything i need just eating a balanced diet. Its hard I really want to swalow some pills, creatine and stuff but after watching my mother cry thinking I was going to need new kidneys was a major wake up call.
Anyway I hope this helps some people
Peace
bucketman

[-TDS-]

I don't mean to question the reality of your recent scare, but can't some supplementation skew results? Was your doctor well versed in your particular supplements?

Memory could be way off here, but I recall something like creatine supplementation increases your urinary creatinine levels, the latter of which is used as a marker for kidney stress. So just taking creatine makes it look like your kidneys are in worse shape than they are (I think the excess creatinine was shown to be due to excess intake, not intake-induced stress).

[Fudomyo]

Sounds bizzare. Let us know what happens. Can't say I've been through "kidney failure" but my dr always tells me that my kidneys are "under stress". Yeah, whatever.

Fudo

[Merrida]

I've always been concerned about my kidneys as well. Not to mention my liver.

My last year's physical came back fine, but you can't help but wonder....

My doc doesn't always favor the things I'm on or things I try, (so for a while we monitored functionality every 6 months)...my dad had kidney and heart failure, and I just recently found out that while I thought everything on the mum's side was A-ok, that there's heart problems there too. Lots of family history of immunological problems and inflammation,....

When you're 20 you think the world is your oyster and you're invincible..... it's really true what they say about hindsight....

[bucketman]

I have a new doctor, and what you said sounds right about the creatinine levels. What bugs me most is that i told her I was taking it. Shouldn't she have maybe said that could be the cause instead of you have possible failing kidneys. I wanted to choke her when I found out

[Fudomyo]

Biotch!

Oh yeah, and when she tells you that your liver values are a little high, (ALT/AST) that's because those exist in muscle too. Heavy lifting will tear muscles and release those proteins into the blood stream. GGT is the best liver value to check.

Dr. Fudo

[bucketman]

Where in NH? I've lifted at Olde Iron gym in Dover and at Planet Fitness in Rochester and Dover.