Josh Martini’s Kidney Disease Treatment Journey from the US to Mexico: Living with Kidney Failure, Diabetes and Hypertension

When my kidneys became the part I worried about most

I had been living with diabetes and high blood pressure long enough that both had become part of the background of my life. I knew they needed attention, but I had also gotten used to having another number to check, another medication to remember and another appointment to keep. What changed everything for me was realizing that my kidneys were no longer just something my doctors were watching—they had become the part of my health I was worrying about most.

My blood work showed creatinine at 3.1 mg/dL, BUN at 62 mg/dL and an eGFR of 22 mL/min/1.73 m². My glucose was 218 mg/dL, blood pressure was 168/98 mmHg and potassium was 5.6 mmol/L. Protein was showing at 3+ in my urine, glucose was also 3+, and my hemoglobin and hematocrit were low enough for anemia to be another concern.

I didn't need to understand every laboratory term to know the overall direction wasn't good. The eGFR was the number that stayed in my head because it reflected how much my kidney filtration had fallen. The diabetes and hypertension weren't separate problems anymore—they were part of the reason my kidney health had become so serious.

Once kidney failure became part of the conversation, I couldn't keep treating diabetes, blood pressure and kidney function like three unrelated problems.

I wanted to know what else I could responsibly do

That was when I started reading much more seriously about chronic kidney disease. I spent evenings trying to understand what eGFR actually meant, why protein was appearing in my urine and how diabetes and hypertension could keep putting pressure on kidney function. The possibility that my kidneys could continue getting worse was difficult not to think about, and dialysis was one of those words that kept appearing whenever I read about advanced kidney disease.

I also started seeing information about regenerative and complementary approaches involving stem cells and exosomes. Some websites made them sound almost certain to work, which actually made me more skeptical. I wasn't looking for a reason to abandon the doctors already managing my diabetes, blood pressure and kidneys—I wanted to understand whether there was something additional I could investigate without pretending it was a cure.

A friend knew how much time I had been spending on the subject and told me he had used PlacidWay when researching treatment abroad himself. I didn't immediately change course because of one recommendation, but I remembered the name and eventually used it to compare international treatment options more systematically. That was how I came across MexStemCells Clinic in Mexico City.

What made me continue the conversation wasn't simply the word “stem cells.” I could look at a specific five-session program and ask what was actually included, what role nutrition would play and how the diabetes and hypertension that contributed to my kidney problem would continue to be addressed. Having those details in front of me made it easier to evaluate the option without turning it into something it wasn't.

In Mexico, the kidney treatment was only part of the plan

At MexStemCells, the complementary program included five treatment sessions using 250 million umbilical cord cells, 6 billion exosomes and activators. Those were the details I had spent the most time reading about before traveling, so naturally they were what I expected to focus on once I got there. I understood, though, that the program was complementary and wasn't replacing the established care I still needed for kidney disease, diabetes or hypertension.

The nutritional counseling ended up staying with me almost as much as the treatment sessions. I received individualized dietary guidance intended for someone managing diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease at the same time. That made sense because the same conditions that had contributed to my kidney problem were still going to be there when I returned home.

I remember sitting in my hotel room reading nutrition labels and looking at food differently than I had before. Sodium, carbohydrates and serving sizes suddenly weren't abstract advice from a handout; they were things I was going to have to think about when I went grocery shopping again. Five treatment sessions had an ending, but managing the conditions affecting my kidneys didn't.

The follow-up gave me something more encouraging to work with

Once I was back in the United States, most of the work became ordinary again. I had meals to plan, blood pressure and glucose to keep watching and regular medical follow-up to continue. I tried not to treat every day as a test of whether the treatment had “worked,” because I knew kidney disease doesn't become simple just because you've added another part to your care.

When the follow-up testing came back, the kidney-related changes were the first things I looked at. Creatinine had decreased from 3.1 to 2.1 mg/dL, BUN had fallen from 62 to 38 mg/dL and eGFR had increased from 22 to 38 mL/min/1.73 m². That higher eGFR meant the estimated filtration had improved compared with where I had started, although 38 still represented reduced kidney function.

Other parts of the medical picture had moved in a more favorable direction too. Glucose decreased from 218 to 132 mg/dL, urine glucose changed from 3+ to negative and blood pressure was 128/77 mmHg instead of 168/98. Urine protein decreased from 3+ to 1+, potassium fell from 5.6 to 4.7 mmol/L, and hemoglobin and hematocrit increased from 10.1 to 11.8 g/dL and 31% to 35% respectively.

Seeing several areas change at the same time was encouraging, but I didn't look at those numbers and decide my kidneys had been fixed. My care had included the complementary treatment program, nutritional changes, diabetes management, blood-pressure management and the rest of my ongoing medical care. With all of those things happening together, I couldn't responsibly say that one component caused every change.

My kidney function improved, but my kidney disease didn't disappear

The difference between an eGFR of 22 and 38 mattered to me. So did seeing lower creatinine and BUN, less protein in my urine and better control of the diabetes and blood pressure that had contributed to the problem. But I also understood that an eGFR of 38 was still reduced kidney function, not normal kidneys.

I still needed to manage diabetes. I still needed to watch my blood pressure, follow the dietary guidance that made sense for my conditions and stay connected with the doctors responsible for my kidney care. The improvement gave me something more encouraging to work with; it didn't give me a reason to stop paying attention.

That is probably the biggest difference in how I think about my health now. Before, I spent a lot of energy trying not to look at the numbers because I was afraid of what they would tell me. Now I would rather know where my kidney function stands and keep doing what I can to manage the conditions affecting it than go back to pretending the problem will take care of itself.

I wasn't looking for perfect kidneys. I wanted to see whether the direction could become more encouraging, and then keep taking care of what still needed attention.