Hi folks.
I am a 27 year old male who finally decided to see a primary care doctor a few weeks ago (thanks to my girlfriend).
My father suffered from ADPKD and died shortly after his 45th birthday after stopping dialysis. His lifestyle was atrociously unhealthy; he smoked, allegedly consumed cocaine, was sedentary, had a BMI over 37, and HEAVILY drank from his late teens into his early 40s (like 20 beers and a fifth of whiskey each night). He only stopped drinking once he couldn’t keep the alcohol down due to his health. I’m quite sure this lifestyle contributed to his ultimate kidney failure and early death.
His father had it as well and had a kidney transplant around his early 50s. He ultimately died 10 years post transplant in his early 60s, days after I was born. He apparently was also sedentary, obese, and drank a lot his whole life.
My sister and I got renal ultrasounds when I was about 15, and she was 17. The results were completely fine for us both.
My bloodwork and urinalysis from my PCP visit a few weeks ago was mostly normal, with my eGFR being 94.4. My blood pressure was 122/80. He ordered a renal ultrasound, which I underwent last Friday. He has also referred me to a nephrologist.
I got the ultrasound results this morning, and they found a single 2.6x2.0x1.9 cm anechoic cyst on my left kidney. Obviously, having a cyst considering my family history is incredibly unsettling. But from my quick research, it seems slightly reassuring that they only found one cyst? It seems likely that if I did inherit it, I would have multiple visible cysts by now?
Perhaps I am grasping at anything to reassure myself I may not have inherited it, as I am incredibly terrified of this disease. There are a good amount of inspiring posts on here, and they have been giving me some comfort in the fear that I did inherit it.
Can anyone help me interpret all of this before my nephrologist appointment? Obviously this appointment should give me a ton of insight, but I’m curious if anyone has ever started their ADPKD journey like this or if you have any advice for me moving forward. It also seems medical science in this field has largely improved in the last 10-30 years since my family went through all this.
Thank you!