Is this bad news

[Twenty2]

On the scale that should be between 90-200 mine is 56. Looks to me like stage 3 but my Doctor has told me to increase my fluids and go for another blood test in a fortnight. Can you do anything to make it better 😢

[rabbit01]

I don't know what scale you are referring to? But certainly being well hydrated is really important for kidney health and your doctor seems to be suggesting that you may have been dehydrated at the time of the last blood test this as he has asked you to increase fluids. The best fluid for your kidneys is good old fashioned plain non fizzy water. Good luck with your next blood test.

[Martineella]

Hi there , I think you are referring to the gfr levels , 56 is below normal but sometimes this can be healthy for some, the levels can be reduced for many reasons such as medication, infection and trauma. The doctor will probably just want to monitor the gfr to see a trend if it maybe goes up and down. Keeping a low salt diet excersise and a good healthy bp you should be fine !! You only start to become sick or get symptoms of low function when the gfr hits around 20-30. I hope you are ok and good luck

[Bassetmommer]

Hi Twenty,

I am not sure exactly what you are asking. If you are saying you GFR is 56, then with other factors, yes, you could be at stage 3. Was this just one test? Has there been others? Do you know what the levels were a year ago or more? Diagnosing CKD is based on trends. In other words, more than one test. You can have an infection and drop you GFR and then have a better level when the infection clears. Also, there are other factors such as creatinine levels, age, body type and other readings from your labs to indicate what is going on.

If in fact that it looks like you do have CKD, then there is a lot you can do once you find out the cause. It can be many things from medications, diabetes, high blood pressure, cysts, stones and many other things. Finding the cause can often improve the prognosis.

Once you know what is going on, you can do things like diet and fluids to help yourself. The best thing to do is to become educated on CKD.

Let us know how your next batch of tests come out. Make sure that before you go, starting the night before, you drink plenty of water, do not do any strenuous workout and keep drinking water before the test.

[Hassmac]

Hi- 56 is a little below normal certainly, although the range seems to constantly change- I was told a normal GFR was 60-120, so I would check that firstly. I would also recommend taking to a deititian and starting to control your intake of salt. Be careful though- it's high potassium which is more dangerous to kidneys than high sodium- so don't go taking 'Lo-Salt' or equivalent. You do still neeed SOME potatssium and sodium in your diet however.

I am not an expert, but I am a kidney transplant patient and I keep myself healthy by limiting red meats, processed food and foods high in potassium, like bananas and potatoes. Again though, try to get a break down from your next blood test, as this will tell you what your salts etc are running at. Drinking water is excellent advice and is helpful to general health. Try not to worry- you can live a perfectly healthy life with a GFR of 56. Good luck anyway.

[Twenty2]

So I have drunk about a litre of water a day for 2 weeks and my GFR has gone up to 87

[Zakcho]

What was your previous gfr? Thank you.

[Twenty2 in reply to Zakcho]

57