Steroids and declining kidney function, do I have CKD?

[jaysoncraig11]

Long story short i did steroids for quite a few years (i know i brought it upon myself) and i'm 28 years old, for the past year or two my pee has been very foamy and dark, unless i drink like 50 water bottles a day, and recently got diagnosed with crohns disease and put on prednisone, i wake up often to pee at least once a night within the past couple months, i go for blood tests quite often, and a friend of mine recently got diagnosed with FSGS (which is what i'm thinking i have but i'm not a doctor)

these were some of my results and the dates, so bare with me it's a lot to read..

Febuary 13th

Creatinine 109

ref 67-117 umol/L

Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR)

81

March 7th -

Creatinine

HI 123

ref 67-117 umol/L

Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) 70

Protein HI 0.3 NEGATIVE (<0.3)g/L (not sure why it says HI and than negative as a reference if it's high)

Leukocyte Esterase HI 25 ( not sure what this even is)

gfr dropped like 11 right there, creatinine high, protein in pee

April 19th -

Creatinine

HI 124

ref 67-117 umol/L

Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) 69

dropped again and creatinine still high, at this point i dropped all anabolic steroids and got started on prednisone for crohns which i believe is used for kidney disease too? also stopped going to the gym altogether.

this last test i have no idea what it means, because things seemed to improve, but i also diluted my pee because i thought it was a good idea for better results, so i must of drank 10 water bottles and went to get the test so my pee was finally really clearish, not sure if diluting pee would affect GFR or anything but these were the results last week

MAY

Creatinine 108 ref 67-117 umol/L

Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) 82

and some other tests i have no idea what they even mean yet

Albumin (Urine) <5 mg/L

Creatinine (Urine) LO 1.6 ref3.5-24.5 mmol/L

Albumin/Creatinine

Unable to calculate Albumin/Creatinine Ratio

as the concentration of the Albumin is less than

the lower limit of the analytical range of the

method.

I know there are probably no doctors on here but if anyone has any idea about anything let me know, i just want to know regardless, after diluting my pee my gfr increased back up (and stopping steroids/starting prednisone) also creatinine went down a bit, i'm guessing if i went in the morning when my pee was more foamy and dark my results would of been just as bad as before, not sure if drinking more can increase gfr or anything though

[DeanSamson]

Hi Jayson.

Do you mean anabolic steroids? If your levels are up and done this could be down to the amount of muscle mass you have?

[jaysoncraig11 in reply to DeanSamson]

Yes, and I didn't know that could make a difference, since stopping steroids my weight has dropped alot

[lowraind]

Just a comment, but I have seen on several occasions people writing about doing things right before the tests to improve the results. It seems to me that the purpose for the testing is to see how my kidneys are doing, and for a true result, I should keep doing what I have been doing. As a result of my last labs, I do not have to go back for a year, unless there is something wrong. I guess I could live it up for the next year and ignore all the good things I have done to improve my kidney function and then get back on track right before my next labs. Who would I be kidding and who would I be harming? I guess it just rubs me the wrong way.

[Bassetmommer]

Hi Jayson,

Yes, drinking a ton of water before labs will affect the results. But that does not benefit you to dilute them so much that there is a false reading. You need to be hydrated for a good lab, but not saturated to the point of dilution. One or two glasses of water would have been good. However, you were at at a GFR of 81 before so it may be from just stopping the steroids.

You need to speak to you doctor about your concerns with your kidneys. At this point, your GFR is still stage 2 and at the higher end so it is noted as stage 2a. Stopping the steroids and over doing it at the gym is a good thing. Be careful with your medications for Crohns. Make sure your doctor explains completely what each drug does and how it impacts your whole self. I hope it will help you

kidneyfund.org/kidney-disea...

[jaysoncraig11 in reply to Bassetmommer]

Thank you, I asked my doctor to repeat labs so I'll get them done again properly this week

[Bet117 in reply to jaysoncraig11]

Exactly!

[Bet117 in reply to Bassetmommer]

Much agreed, Jane.

Many, many factors can impede or distort lab results; from over or under hydration, who spins tge labs, diet just before or even the time of day that the labs were drawn and urine sample given.

It is imperative that a discussion takes place between patient and doctor. Drug interactions and side effects should also be a part of this discussion. Drugs.com can help as a start.

Many medications have duel purposes; same med as Humira is used to treat different disorders. You are right.

Thanks for the great link and post.