“I was diagnosed with PKD (polycystic kidney disease, in which cysts grow on kidneys and cause kidney failure) when I was 15. My doctor at the time said it was no big deal. My mom and I went home and researched it. It felt like I won the lottery from hell,” says Caitlin Flanary, a 24-­year-­old college student who discovered UCLA Health and PKD specialist Dr. Anjay Rastogi two years ago. “I’m in a clinical trial, and the medication is supposed to slow or maybe halt the progression of the disease.  It’s showing promise so far. I have high blood pressure and a couple other side effects, but all my labs are stable, which is good. I try not to let PKD affect my life too much; I try to live as normal a life as possible. I hope this trial, and others like it, help advance better treatments for the disease, and eventually lead to a cure. I feel lucky to be able to do this; it’s really amazing, and I couldn’t ask for a better PKD team.”

Tags: clinical trial, cysts, Dr. Anjay Rastogi, high blood pressure, Kidney Disease, kidney failure, kidneys, Nephrology, PKD, polycystic kidney disease