Lupus Findings Questions
Hello Dr. Gehring... In the meantime, I have been to the psychologist, with new interesting perspectives on my anxiety... but now my lupus is causing me real problems, perhaps as an experienced doctor you could give me another assessment! In the blood, everything was fine, creatinine 0.7, however, the proteins in the spontaneous urine were quite high, higher than ever before! I believe I understood that it was 2.6g per day, similar to a finding from a year ago with 1.7g, but then the 24-hour urine produced 0.5, which is normal! So, the daily result could be lower now... At the beginning of the lupus, it was 1g! According to the doctor, I should go back to nephrology at the end of April with a 24-hour urine collection to better assess the situation! They want to see if there is lupus nephritis... The colleagues in nephrology said that a appointment in 2 months is enough... Additionally, the heart echo was initially okay, but now a possible, albeit small, pericardial effusion has been detected, which could be another reason for increased medication! Now my questions... I know you cannot give me completely reassuring answers, the younger doctor surely has less experience than you and told me not to worry, but she cannot completely calm me down... How do you see the situation? My fear is that the lupus is slowly taking its course, am I overreacting? Is the kidney treatable in lupus nephritis? A stage 4 cannot be present if the creatinine is not elevated, right? My fear is that in 3-4 years I could have kidney failure... Is the pericardial effusion still a cause for concern? Thank you and best regards.
