Kidney problems...anyone else?

[jml]

Hi Friends~
Just wondering if anyone is/has experienced kidney issues due to metastatic BC?
Last October I found myself in crisis w/Acute Renal Failure - in ICU for 4 days & hospital for a week. Both kidneys/ureters were completely blocked. I had to have emergency surgery to have stents placed in the ureters to open them up & allow the kidneys to empty. Fortunately, my kidney fuction returned to normal w/in 24 hours of surgery & I didn't need dialysis, Thank GOD!
The Urologists all indicate that it was probably BC mets causing strictures to the ureters, but the Oncs all say 'No' (I tend to agree) as it would be unlikely that mets would flare up & attack both ureters at the same time. Cancer/mets are much more random that that! And, PET/CT scans in Nov, Jan & April show disease in my chest nodes under sternum, but NED around my kidneys/ureters.
So I've been on, then off chemo & now have to start back on chemo again b/c of chest nodes.However, my kidney function has started to worsen again, as if the ureters are being strictured again. BUT still NED on the scans. FYI-symptoms are general abdominal pain, bloating, decreased urine output, constipation, hypertension (running ~150/96 lately!) & rising creatinine -everything in my belly just feels bloated, puffy, crampy, congested & stuck.
I'm starting on Tykerb/Xeloda this weekend & hope that it clears up the sternal nodes. I guess if it clears up the kidney/ureter strictures we'll know it is BC mets there too...
I'm confused, frustrated & ofcourse pretty scared b/c when I was sick last October, it was pretty horrible & frightening - I had siezures while in ICU- scared the crap out of my family.

Thanks for your input & thoughts,

Jml