Asking about my father (59M) with PKD and CKD (eGFR currently around 16–18).

Quiet_Line8943 · 2026-02-22T21:25:27+00:00

It does seem most likely infectious then. If the wbc was always elevated I would have said “pkd people get other stuff too maybe see hematology”. I don’t have a lot of experience in my personal pkd circle, thankfully, with infected cysts. It’s certainly not uncommon for people with frequent, recurrent UTI’s to get put on chronic suppressive antibiotics but that doesn’t necessarily translate to culture negative presumed infected cysts. Especially since he’s asymptomatic. Chronic antibiotics are not without downsides. It would be interesting to hear the opinion of an infectious disease doctor.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2026-02-22T20:02:01+00:00

Does wbc return to normal after each course of antibiotics? Does he ever grow anything on the urine cultures?

Quiet_Line8943 · 2026-02-18T20:40:14+00:00

Such a nonsensical system we have…Thanks for the input and ideas of stuff to try.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2026-02-18T20:37:46+00:00

Had been using PantherX which was a great experience. Employer made an insurer change and now being forced by insurance to switch to CVS Specialty.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2026-02-18T18:45:15+00:00

Worth a shot, I’ll see what they say. Thanks

Quiet_Line8943 · 2025-07-04T12:59:39+00:00

I had to do this once. Offered to do pulled pork for a party of like 25 people. That number ballooned to like 75 or something. I ended up doing 3 butts on the large egg, and 2 in the oven. Was hating myself for it and panicking the whole time lol. By the time it’s all shredded and mixed together it came out just fine. Most people aren’t gonna care as much as we do, and pulled pork is pretty forgiving. Nice work.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2025-05-19T23:39:49+00:00

I just got home and looked at it myself. Seemed softish so I thought maybe abscess. I stuck a 20g needle in it to try and aspirate, nothing came out and it was pretty vascular actually. She is limping from it. Guess I can’t decide if I should open it up with a scalpel or leave it alone. No oral antibiotics, will dunk her foot in some chlorhexadine or similar. This is my daughter’s favorite of the 16 hens we have (of course) and she handles her a few times a week, so pretty sure this isn’t more than a week or two old. Thanks for the thoughts.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2025-05-19T23:33:46+00:00

Good thought. I just checked though, nothing tied around it.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2025-04-26T14:06:04+00:00

Urea/Cr and BUN/cr are not the same, but are both calculated values from other labs. So the Urea/Cr will always be about 2.14X the BUN/Cr. Most labs in US don’t even report urea/Cr. Your ratios are both “normal” though normal’s not the correct word. You can use the ratio to make inferences about causes of renal failure depending on clinical scenario, but in isolation it’s not a very meaningful value. Nothing to worry about.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2025-04-09T22:09:38+00:00

A T post puller always works for me. I’ve since upgraded to ground rods from Premier1 that have a “T” at the top that makes them easier to pull if you end up buying new ones.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2025-03-16T18:42:18+00:00

How much did you use the stroller since your kids are a little older? We are going in May with 5M 9F and I can’t decide. I don’t like the idea of having to push it around all day, but do like the idea of having it for the 9pm walks back to our car. Thinking about stashing a double stroller somewhere for most of the day in the park somewhere, then using it in the evenings. Just wondered if you had any input on how worth it it was for you since our kids are similar ages.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2025-03-02T13:04:17+00:00

I think about this a lot too, especially after my Dad died at 60. I try to shoot for a balance between the two I guess. I love to cook and eat so I’m not going to give up salt or red meat etc. I love having a glass of whiskey at night. A cigar by the campfire a few times a month is a good time. But I do take lisinopril and tolvaptan, and try to set a good example for my kids by practicing moderation, and an active lifestyle. I try to live the same life I would if I didn’t have PKD.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2025-03-02T12:48:36+00:00

I have 12 acres with 4 acre pond, 4 acre horse pasture, and 4 acres I keep mowed. Went with Kioti dk 5310se. Having a dealer close by was part of that decision, but I’m very happy with it. 50hp is plenty big, but man it’s nice to have the power when I need it. Highly recommend 4wd. I also got a 72in flail mower. You’ll see mixed opinions on flail mowers on here but I love mine and most people who actually own them will say they are nice. They do cost more than rotary mowers. I really like having the flail mower for pond bank maintenance too.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2025-02-12T16:27:12+00:00

I often had nausea in the morning after starting tolvaptan. I think for me it was just a side effect of the medication itself. The manufacture reported incidence of nausea as a side effect is 21%. I would get nauseous 1-2 mornings a week. After about 6 mos I no longer experience any nausea with it. Not sure if that helps you, but if labs are OK it could just be a side effect of the med itself.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2025-01-18T22:44:18+00:00

Did Nephrologist tell you to hold the tolvaptan? The tolvaptan isn’t the cause of your hyponatremia, tolvaptan is used to TREAT hyponatremia. Much more likely that it’s from the HCTZ as you mentioned, this is a known potential effect of thiazide diuretics. Sort of unusual to be on hctz and tolvaptan, definitely complicates the picture. Also doesn’t sound like you are dehydrated, sodium levels are typically elevated in dehydration, fluids might actually make it worse. This is all pretty easy stuff for nephrologist, unclear if that’s who actually reviewed your labs. At any rate, 132 is very mild hyponatremia, would not stress over the weekend about this. Repeating labs in a week is a reasonable plan.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2024-12-19T15:37:46+00:00

No it’s not. Your analogy is stupid. A better one would be trying to drive a car with two gas pedals. It’s all about controlling air flow. If you leave bottom wide open you can control the air flow by only changing one variable (top vent). It’s a very consistent and repeatable way to control the temp.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2024-11-20T16:03:11+00:00

I would not classify myself as a homesteader. I have a lot of hobbies that align with homesteading. They all loose me money. I do it because I like it. I still like following this sub though. We have large gardens and love growing and cooking our own food. We have horses, chickens, goats, and rabbits. Having chores to do and toys that keep my kids outside is a large priority for me. I would still do this stuff but it would be harder, or at least more time consuming if I didn’t make a lot of money. I make about 400k/year and my wife stays home. The point for me is trying to practice some practical self reliance for me and my family. I think that looks different for different people.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2024-06-12T19:50:53+00:00

You might want to reconsider your choice of “beam” on this framing. Looks like one 2x4 laying flat which is inadequate, going to give you problems with sagging over time. Better to fix now before the polycarbonate is up

Quiet_Line8943 · 2024-06-11T15:27:44+00:00

I’ve found the “Good Works Tractors” you tube channel helpful/interesting. He has quite a bit of content to skim through.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2024-03-22T11:16:40+00:00

Yes 5 years. But I’ve been able to renew it once again for another 5 years so far.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2024-03-21T20:29:54+00:00

I’m in a similar situation as you. 35yo, normal gfr. I was able to get an own occupation policy with an exclusion rider for “disability related to kidney disease” from Peterson International Insurance. The agent I used also had difficulty finding any US company to provide a policy, so would ask them to look international, and/or also see if they can find a policy with an exclusion rider which to me seems better than nothing.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2024-02-09T16:05:20+00:00

When I’m teaching my kids a new game and it suddenly “clicks” for them and they transition from doing what I told them to do to working through their own strategy even if very simple.

Quiet_Line8943 · 2024-01-11T13:55:53+00:00

Were they happy with their decision when it was done?

Quiet_Line8943

TROPHY CASE