Confusion over efgr numbers.

[JON59]

hi everybody I am a new member here and already asked multiple questions and got great advice thank you.Last three years stage 3 ckd efgr late fifties got a large aged stone removed month later went to 60 efgr I beleivestage 2.I live in Glasgow renal nurse said I was 60 or greater as its 60 or over that do not give numbers is that correct.Although any increase is great I still have protein in my urine and blood with the dipstick test.Sometime in the future I will have to fill out insurance forms I just wondered where I was at with kidneys.Any advice or experiences would be great.I hope my second post is acceptable.

Jon.

[JackRussellTerrier]

In the UK if your creatinine level is over 60 your eGFR is not calculated automatically by the lab as I understand it. The eGFR is a calculated value based on your creatinine, age , gender and race.

If your eGFR has gone up to 60 that sounds like good news. Your kidneys may still be healing after removal of the stones. Look on other posts on this site about diet and fluid intake and speak to your GP about your concerns.

[JON59 in reply to JackRussellTerrier]

Thank you for your reply.

Jon.

[RickHow]

The increase in gfr is good news for you. Yes most report only you are "normal" if it is 60 or over and not a specific gfr level. The blood in urine could be residual from the kidney stone (depending on how recently the removal). The protein in urine you do not mention how much. Everyone has some level of protein in urine. But it should be very low. Some treat this condition with ACE inhibitor medication (but not if your blood pressure is already normal). You need to have your urine tested, but NOT by dipstick. Dipsticks can easily report incorrect numbers. I recently had a dipstick test at doctor. It indicated I had a urinary infection (high numbers). I was sent to the hospital for a urine test there (non dipstick) and all was well within normal ranges. Ask doctor for another test. OR, you can buy your own dipsticks (not too expensive) and check at home. If you get continually reports of protein (above normal) or blood, then press your doctor for some action.

[JON59 in reply to RickHow]

Thank you for your detailed reply asked Doctor again about level he eventually said as my left kidney had 70 per cent damage I did have kidney damage but normal function.Refused to say it was stage 2 seems all Doctors do not recognise or are in denial unless its stage 3 or less.One other thing surprised me today at Doctors he would only give me paracetamol for arthritus and refused to give anti inflamitories because of kidney function one minute I am normal the next minute not.I know I should be grateful it could be a lot worse. Thank you again for your reply.

Jon.

[RickHow in reply to JON59]

Hi. So it seems what your doctor is saying is that you have one "bad" kidney (70% gone) but your other is doing a good job and keeping you overall in the normal range. Just for information, I only have one kidney. So if you have one doing a good job and one at 30% I would not worry too much. And take normal precautions. What your doctor said about anti inflammatory medications (NSAIDS) makes total sense. They are bad for the kidney. And he/she does not want to hurt your 30% kidney even further. For pain avoid NSAIDS and aspirin. Take Tylenol (or generic). There are many doctors who avoid the staging classification. It is too simple a formula. It just takes your creatinine level, age, sex, race, and calculates a result. It is too general. It does NOT take into consideration such factors as mine (only one kidney), or yours (one kidney only at 30%), which would produce poorer results. It does not take into account if the person has other medical problems, such as diabetes. Now with the detail you provided your doctor sure seems on the right track, giving you great advice. You will be fine.

[JON59 in reply to RickHow]

Thank you RickHow, For my heart failure I take an asprin in the morning Doctor not said any differentAlso seen my gp yesterday and asked for medication for arthritus in my ankles and knees he sais well your sixty what do you expect he then told me I can only have parecetomol due to kidney damage and possiblr further kidney damage to kidneys with anti inflamitories.I am still confused two minutes before he sais I was normal kidney function and stage 2 does not exist.He also found blood in my urine yesterday and has referred me to urology.Thank you again for your reply.

[RickHow in reply to JON59]

lol. I am 70. I too have doctors that when I tell them my ankle has been hurting a lot, or my back, that just give me the you are old what do you expect! You are not alone with the confusion about staging. This stage thing I have had doctors who tell me not to pay attention to it at all, it is not accurate. the "normal" is too broad a range. They say anything over 60 is "normal". But really it is not! Depending upon your age. "Normal" can be as high as 120 or more. Again, age dependent. Many, many, many can be called "normal" (over 60) but with the CKD formula be labelled as having CKD, even if their kidneys are functioning normally. They say the figure to watch is Creatinine. Well my Creatinine level in blood falls within the "normal" range. My urologist, my kidney doctor, my gp, are pleased with it. But if you apply the CKD formula (a mess that it is) it reports me as stage 3 CKD. It's crazy. I hope your urologist finds the cause of the blood in urine. There can be so many things that cause it, not just kidney disease. Infections, a stone, enlarged prostate (for us older guys), medications. Keep us posted.

[JON59 in reply to RickHow]

Thank you RickHow,

For your reply and taking the time of going in to so much detail which has helped a lot.I will just have to accept my gp tells me one thing and then does another.I now can only await my urology appointment.

Jon.