Point me to the right group for this question.

[erinlough]

My father, 87, who has decent heart, lung, prostrate functioning suddenly has end stage renal failure with no cause. I'm here on DU, so you know I question things, but today when the urologist told me they are finding a "Mysterious Protein" in his body that they can't figure out, my mind went to the recent dog and cat food contamination.

My question is how would anyone suggest I proceed to get the answers. I am very suspicious of the lack of their ability to isolate the cause and they have run many tests. I feel he is getting excellent care and the doctors are sufficiently concerned. I need advice.

[damntexdem]

1. Unfortunately, you may be too far ahead of the curve.

This sounds like the type of diagnosis that later cumulates into awareness of a threat to the food supply. There is so much evidence of dangerous contamination of foods, especially those from China, that there is no surprise that "mysterious proteins" may be showing up; but that could also be the result of excessive domestic processing of "food-like substances."

There are, of course, two issues: (1) taking care of your father to the best of your and the system's ability; and (2) finding out what caused the ESRD. Given that your father's other systems are in good shape, it is important to push for the receipt of dialysis benefits under Medicare (assuming you are in the US). The longer-term issue is what caused the ESRD, where the "mysterious protein" came from, whether there is malfeasance in the food-production and distribution system, and so on. On the second front, getting the story out to the media might be an important step.

[nashville_brook]

2. post this in the Chronic Conditions DU Group

i don't have an answer, but know that that's a great place for mysterious medical situations.

[Warpy]

3. The contaminated gluten in pet food produced massive numbers

of small kidney stones that plugged the ureters (tubes leading from the kidney to the bladder). This would be ruled in or out with an intravenous pyelogram, a study with contrast dye that would show a blockage if this is the case.

They might be able to pick it up on a standard X ray, but it's a little trickier.

Just ask his renal doc if stones and ureteral occlusion have been ruled out. If this stuff is going to show up in humans, it'll be in the very old and very young.

Sudden renal failure can be produced by a lot of things. Severe dehydration is the most common cause in elderly patients.

Acute renal failure from dehydration is managed by temporary dialysis.

[erinlough]

4. Thank you so much

I will ask the question. Dad's kidneys have completely failed and he is already on dialysis every other day, perhaps every day. We are eventually going to train to do home nocturnal peritoneal dialysis and switch to that when they give us the OK.

A oncology doc came in tonight and said they will be ruling out multiple malignant myeloma(sp) with tests, he said he didn't see the indications but they are trying to rule out what it is not.

No dehydration in my father, also no infections and no adverse drug reaction either. For the last few months he has been inside the house taking care of my mom who died one month ago of a stroke. She had been ill for a few years. We were doing the cleaning and stuff so he wasn't even exposed to any chemicals.

The reason I worry about the food contaminations is because he had a bad habit of buying snacks from the dollar store to save money. I threw them away all the time. They are those pig things, fried and icky, but he has strange tastes.

Thanks again for the advice.