Hi, everyone,

It has been a while since I have posted. Since diagnosis in Nov. 2011, I have mainly had sinus/breathing/joint issues, but not kidney problems. That said, I have major kidney stone issues, but no one believes it is related to GPA. I have been on injectible MTX since October 2014 (switched from oral, started in July 2012) along with more rounds of pred than I care to count. Right now, I am still on MTX, 30 mg. of prednisone daily, and started a clinical trial for Orencia (so not sure if I am getting the drug or not.) For several months now, I have had occasional swelling in my ankles (something I have never had in my life.) In the last three weeks, the swelling is significant and fairly constant. It will go away when I go to sleep at night, but is back within an hour or two once I get up in the morning. I am drinking about 100-120 oz of water a day to stay hydrated, which I would think would flush things. I am not allowed to take a diuretic b/c of a heart issue.

I can't shake the nagging doubt that something is going on with my kidneys. None of my docs seem particularly concerned at this point, but I am getting nervous. I want to trust what they think! My last labs did show a small amount of blood in my urine.

I don't actually know what the symptoms/signs are if GPA affects your kidneys, since that has never been my issue. Should I be concerned? What should I be looking for?

TIA.