Kidney assessment day

Before I donate a kidney, it's mandatory to have a host of tests to make sure that my kidneys are healthy enough that I can live a long life without developing chronic kidney disease myself.  Of course it's not a guarantee, but if I have none of the risk factors/warning signs then I'm unlikely to become one of the 5% of the population who have some reduction in kidney function.  So, firstly, the risk factors:

being of African-American decent, older age, low birth weight and family history of kidney disease (I am/have none of these)

Being obese (I'm not) because it increases the risk of having high blood pressure and diabetes

Having high blood pressure (I don't) because it damages arteries in the kidney and reduces blood flow, this means kidney tissues don't get enough oxygen/can't get rid of waste

Having diabetes (I don't) because high blood glucose damages the kidney filters, making them more 'leaky' and eventually causes scarring which reduces the kidneys' ability to filter the blood

 
Today was my kidney assessment day so I spent most of it running around Guy's Hospital.  Here's a list of all the tests I had and what they were for:

8.30am, kidney clinic:
Bloods taken - to check fasting blood glucose to make sure I'm not diabetic
Blood pressure - to check it isn't high

9am, nuclear medicine
A protein containing radioactive dye is injected to see how quickly my kidneys can filter it.  This is my glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and gives an indication of how well my kidneys are functioning.

10am, cardiothoracic clinic
An ECG is taken to check I have normal heart beat and rhythm.  (I do* - this is the only test which produces an immediate result!)

11.40am, 12.40pm and 1.40pm, nuclear medicine
Return to clinic to have blood taken via a cannula for analysis

2.30pm, imaging
Renal angiogram; abdominal and chest x-ray
This test also involves dye, so can't be done until after the GFR is completely finished as it could affect the results.  Dye is injected via the cannula which highlights the blood vessels.  A CT scan shows how the dye is progressing through the renal arteries.  Together, these tests show the physical state of my kidneys - where they are and what they're doing. The results will be examined by the consultant nephrologist.

And that's it!  I actually had a really lovely day - I had coffee, caught up on emails, read my book and saw two friends who happened to be nearby during the breaks.  None of it hurt, though I did feel a bit pincushion-esque from all the injections. 

I get the results in two weeks time when I meet the consultant. So far, so easy...

UPDATE TWO DAYS LATER.... nice cannula bruise coming up!

* actually my heart rate is a bit slow (50 beats per minute), but it's normal for people who exercise a lot to have low heart rates so it's not a cause for concern.