Numbers jumped in 5 days

[civin76]

Hello

Went for labs and the 24th and my eGFR was 31 went again on the 31st and now it’s at 26 low potassium leg cramps,dizziness and nausea but they tell me not to worry I have resistant hypertension can this be reversed?

[Andreli]

eGFR is an estimate and a quick indicator that is not really accurate.

If you drink 3-4 glasses of water before your test eGFR will be much higher.

[HealthBuddyMelissa]

It is hard to say whether it can be reversed and we are all different. Most doctors will say no once the filters are damaged they don't regenerate but if it is the tubules those can regenerate. Controlling your BP is probably your best option to slow the progression.

[RickHow]

Of course this is concerning to you. However I would guess you have had experience with eGFR measurements in the past. As your egfr slowly declined to its current level. So you probably know that egfr can easily fluctuate 5 or 6 or even more points between measurements. I have often told my experience where I had a blood test one day by one doctor (my kidney doctor), then the next day by another (primary care) and the results were different concerning egfr. And both doctors used the same lab. We do not know all about your health as do your doctors. But it seems you are indicating your problem, per your doctor, is blood pressure related. So while it is resistant, it still needs to be addressed aggressively to prevent decline and damage. This needs to be your primary focus. And with the vast world of blood pressure medications, it can likely be helped tremendously. You mention low potassium. Change your diet and include more foods which are high in potassium. I assume you are working with a kidney specialist who should be helping you with your diet and things to do to improve or at least maintain your current egfr. Someone wrote and advised drinking water before your test to improve your number. Yes, this might improve your number, but so what? It does NOT really improve your kidney function. It just kind of fakes out the blood test. I think of it like this. Say you have a pulled muscle. It causes pain. So you take a pain pill. It "hides" the pain but the muscle is still "pulled". Same with the water trick. It fools the blood test to give you a higher egfr, but it does not really "fix" the kidney. It is advisable to drink water, all the time. To clean your body of excess toxins, Creatinine, etc., which are in your body due to poor functioning kidney.

[civin76 in reply to RickHow]

Hi thanks for the reply I’m on 8 different meds for high blood pressure and water pills have been battling this for over 5 years tried different doses and nothing eating low sodium diet non processed foods with my blood pressure like this I feel like a ticking time bomb. Kidney doctor says don’t worry but I do I have a disabled child I care for and I feel I need to be ahead of everything so I can plan care for her.

[WYOAnne]

Please remember that GFR is but an estimate of how well your kidneys are doing. I have had a transplant but also take a water pill daily. If I don't drink enough water during the day, I will be light-headed, feel nauseated, have low potassium, and get leg cramps as a result. Dehydration really effects your GFR and how you feel. Keep up with your fluids everyday and then repeat the test. I am willing to bet that it will be back to what it was.

[civin76 in reply to WYOAnne]

Thank you for the reply that’s what O don’t understand I drink water all day long

[RickHow in reply to civin76]

Yes you are drinking water all day long. However you also mentioned that you take a "water pill". So what goes "in" is going "out". For example. I do not take a water pill. My kidney and primary care doctors won't give me because these pills are "harmful" to the kidney function. Case in point. When I first started to fight my blood pressure, they prescribed a "water pill". But my BUN, Creatinine (and therefore egfr) were negatively affected. To prove this was not the kidney causing the problem, they stopped the pill for a month. Took my egfr. It was improved a lot. So we fought the blood pressure with other medications. This MAY be the reason, or one of the reasons, your doctor says do not worry. They know why your results are low and what is causing it, and believe a large part of it are the medications. BUT, whatever the reason, question them!!!! They owe you an explanation. You may be feeling like a time bomb, needlessly. They should not just say "don't worry". They should say "don't worry because here is the reason".

[WYOAnne]

If you do...then you really need to see your nephrologist and see if he can't piece this together and find the cause