Chronic Kidney Disease added to Chronic Heart Failure?

mikey
Research the effect of amiodarone on kidneys. My cardio doc is not checking bloods. Don't tell him, but I cut my dose in half to 100mg. Heart numbers are great.
LMK?

Ask -straight out. Anything in your chart you don’t understand - ask until you fi. Good luck!

@babheart Oops- until you DO!

@shmerdloff — Congrats on figuring out how to get great heart numbers! I promise not to tell your cardio doctor anything! Thank you for telling me about amiodarone! Fortunately for me, I have not had to take that one yet! I think pacing, pacemakers, and balancing may be in my future. I am trying to do everything I can to prevent or forestall that. I just started taking 40mg of Kerendia and I think it is helping me to stay balanced. I can walk and do gardening now without getting dizzy or short of breath. I think all the blood tests are helpful. They gave them to me to check on how I am doing on Kerendia. I am not convinced I now have Congestive Kidney Disease though. Good luck!

@babheart — I agree! And make them provide follow up testing and treatment, too!

@mikeydc2008, I remember your earlier discussion about switching from spironolactone to Kerendia for your HFpEF. It sounds like you’ve now made that change and are seeing some encouraging improvement—you mentioned being able to walk and garden without the dizziness or shortness of breath you were having before.

Seeing chronic kidney disease newly appear in your after-visit notes without understanding why it was added would certainly leave an important question unanswered. Since you’re already having blood tests to monitor the Kerendia, do you see an eGFR in those results? Have you also had a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) test?

Rather than assuming the new chart entry means you have CKM syndrome, I think I’d ask your nurse practitioner very specifically: “What finding led you to add chronic kidney disease to my chart?” That may help you find out whether this represents a new diagnosis and, if so, what test results and stage of kidney disease they are basing it on.

You asked what your next move is. Do you already have a follow-up scheduled to review the blood tests you’ve been having since starting Kerendia?

@jlharsh — Yes, I have been taking 40mg Kerendia daily for a month now (up from 20mg). I think it’s worth it and it’s better for me than Spironolactone. But it is a strong diuretic and has a few side effects (stomach acid/upset stomach and lapses in thought). Yes, my eGFR was more than 100. So, that’s excellent, right? I do not think I have ever had a UACR test. My creatinine levels have been low. And I have had trace amounts of blood in my urine. Yeah, it is too soon for me to assume I have CKM syndrome. I just “graduated” from a local heart failure clinic. LOL! And now I am trying to decide where to go next. I am considering Mayo Clinic Jacksonville for Cardiology and Heart Failure. I still use the VA (Dorn VA in Columbia, SC) for my primary care. Thanks!

EGFR over 100 and low creatinine and you were diagnosed with CKD ? Am I mussing something ?

@nycmusic — Yep, the trace amount of blood in my urine.

Mike, why didn’t you simply ask the NP or your docs? There is certain criteria for the syndrome you described that is easily searchable online. Since you know your health best see if you fit in the bucket for this.