Will I have to pay for this advice? Because I went through all of my questions on another site and they wanted to charge me $54. Both my husband and I are out of work right now, so I couldn't pay that. In fact, I can't pay any money right now. I am 39 years old. About 16 years ago I was in a terrible car accident. My femur, radius and ulna and hip on my right side had to be replaced. At the time the doctors said my right kidney wasn't functioning. They wanted to take the kidney out, because they said it may cause trouble later if it tried to start functioning, but I had so much other surgery going on, they were hesitant. It was decided not to remove my right kidney. Three years ago I started having incidents where I would swell up all over and my hands would go numb. I was examined and they did a thyroid check. A short time later, I had my gall bladder removed. They did an MRI, and my husband, who has had some medical training, noticed that my right kidney was receiving some blood flow. The Dr. said to keep an eye on that kidney. Two years ago I had a partial hysterectomy because my pap smear results showed pre cancerous cells that were dangerously close to becoming cancer, in which my uterus and cervix were removed. At that time they said we needed to keep an eye on my other organs to make sure no cancer occurred. After that surgery my swelling incidents and numb hands didn't occur, and I was feeling much better. Then, about 4 months later all those symptoms started again, and now I had pain all over my body. I had no energy; was tired all the time no matter how much sleep I had. I went to the Dr. and explained all my symptoms and also told him about my right kidney. He ignored me, and said I needed to go on an Asian diet, which I did. I kept swelling, and hurting. I changed Doctors and told her about my symptoms and explained about my kidney, and that I
would like to be referred to a nephrologist. She ignored that request, and said it was probably my diet. She put me on a strict 100 calorie, salt free, sugar free, wheat free diet, and said I should exercise 30 minutes a day. I was in such pain I had to have help getting on and off the examination table. I was so swollen that I couldn't even fit into my shoes. I went home and stuck to the diet for a month. I didn't feel any better, was still swollen and in pain, and didn't lose even one pound. The next time I went back to that doctor, I again asked to be referred to a nephrologist; my husband came with me and added the information about seeing the blood flow on the MRI during the gall bladder surgery. We were both ignored and I was told to keep on the diet. When I said I was in such pain I could hardly walk around the house I was ignored. I came home and things stayed the same. The next time I made an appointment I was seen by the Nurse Practitioner, and she was fabulous. She listened to everything I had to say, and said I may have fibromyalgia. She prescribed Lyrica, but our insurance wouldn't pay for it, so she prescribed Fluoxetine 40 mg once a day at bedtime. She also prescribed Hydrochlorothiazide 25mg one tablet once daily as needed for edema. She also prescribed gabapentin 400 mg. 3 times a day. The Fluosetine helped a little with the pain, but it also made me extremely sleepy. I made another appointment to see if there was a better medication for my swelling and pain. Once again I explained that I was concerned about my right kidney and would like to be referred to nephrologist. The Nurse Practitioner then did an ultrasound; she said there seemed to be a large growth on my right adrenal gland and kidney. She ordered a CATscan which was done Wednesday of this week. They said the results would take a few days--maybe I would hear something on Friday. Two hours later they called and said I had a large growth on my kidney close to the adrenal gland, and they were making an appointment for me with a nephrologist, and would call back with the time and place. They haven't called, but the weekend came into play, I'm sure. To sum up:
1. My right kidney was non-functioning after my accident 16 years ago, and I was told to keep an eye on it because if it started to try to function it may cause trouble.
2. During my gall bladder surgery I had an MRI which showed some blood flow to the right kidney.
3. After my partial hysterectomy I was told to keep an eye on my other organs to watch for cancer,
I also just read on the internet today that Prozak, or Fluoxetine shouldn't be given to patients with kidney problems. I am so swollen no that I look hideous. None of my clothes fit. Most of the time I can hardly walk; although after taking Fluoxetine it is somewhat better. My hands are numb again. I am going to the Nurse Practitioner tomorrow.
So my questions are:
1. Is my taking the Fluoxetine aggravating my kidney and making my symptoms worse?
2. What exactly should I be taking to the appointment with the nephrologist in regard to medical records, etc.?