Who Wants to Hear a Good Report?

My kidney appointment went really well yesterday. I have a lot of updates so will do so in chunks:

• My glomerular filtration rate (GFR) has improved and my kidneys are functioning better than they were six months ago! I went from a GFR of 59 to a 78 -- meaning that I'm now at Stage 2 of chronic kidney disease instead of Stage 3. This change is due to a reduction in my creatinine level; there's less chemical waste in my blood.
• My diastolic blood pressure (resting heart rate) is still high. The systolic number (pressure when the heart is beating) is good.
• I still have high levels of protein and blood in my urine. This, coupled with the high diastolic blood pressure, made my doctor decide to increase my blood pressure med; I'm now at the max dosage. I have another urine test in four weeks to reassess and see if this change is working.
• There's some talk about doing a second biopsy if the proteinuria cannot be controlled. But we're in wait-and-see mode.
  
• My file was changed to officially list my diagnosis as: IgA nephropathy (chronic). This was a change from the more generic diagnosis of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis. This may not seem like a big deal, but for me it's important. I like specificity.
• I have (ugh!) gained 25 pounds since being diagnosed with kidney disease. (Did I say "ugh" yet?)
• Quote of the day: "You put me to shame." -- my doctor, when I told her that I ran a 5K two weeks ago. :) 

All in all, not a bad visit!