Creatinine - Potassium

[Pookie1028]

My Creatinine levels fluctuate the past few years. My most recent labs the Creatinine was 1.06 and my Potassium was 5.3. I never had my Potassium elevated. My GFR dropped to 56 from 65. When it was 1.06 in the past my urologist said it was fine and normal. I'm 62 year old female. I had kidney stones in the past, UTI's, and hyperparathyroidism and had surgery to remove the tumor. I see an endocrinologist and urologist faithfully, as well as my PCP. I just worry constantly. Seeing my endocrinologist this Friday, and my PCP on Tuesday. I saw my urologist at the end of June, and he tested urine, said all good everything was clear, and did an ultrasound of my kidneys which were also fine. Any insight? Thanks.

[purple-1974]

Hi pookie 1028

I had a similar incident earlier in the year, but mine started with experiencing incredible pain in my lower back and torso towards my groin area, I contacted my g.p and she ran some kidney function tests, I was diagnosed with an AKI ( acute kidney injury) most likely caused by a kidney stone, my creatinine levels were considerably higher and my EGFR was 26 and potassium was 6.1. My normal levels are Egfr 30 and potassium is 4.7. Since then I’ve had a ct scan and other tests and they have thankfully gone back to baseline. It’s not the first time I’ve had stones but this was the first time it affected my potassium levels to my knowledge, I also have hyperparathyroidism which is monitored by my nephrologist.

[Pookie1028 in reply to purple-1974]

Thank you my doctors monitor all my levels too especially my calcium . Thanks again.

[RickHow]

You are getting overly anxious about levels that are NOT terrible. First, remember that simply having an egfr level below what is considered "normal" is NOT enough to say that a person has CKD. Let's look a bit more closely at your levels. You had a Creatinine level of 1.06. Each lab is a bit different in what they label as "normal". If you search on the internet for "normal creatinine level for 62 year old female" you will see maximum "normal" levels of 1.04, 1.1, 1.0, etc. Quite a range. Creatinine level can change WILDLY based upon many factors. Something as being dehydrated (perhaps you took your blood test as a fasting blood test? This would absolutely increase your Creatinine level a bit). I recently did a post here, where I had my blood tested one day and my Creatinine level was 1.8. 24 hours later it was tested again, at the same time of day, at the same lab, it was 1.5. So DO NOT PANIC about a one time test that was simply a tad above normal!. AND remember as we age, we usually are always on the higher end of normal as body organs (kidneys) age. You had your urine tested, you had ultrasound. All looked fine. Relax. Simply wait a bit and get another blood test. You can NOT be labelled as having CKD based simply upon one blood test which came out so close to normal range, for some labs even within the normal range. (look at your blood test. It should indicated if your Creatinine was considered high (H) for your lab. It would say something like 1.06 H. Or it would stage the normal range.Now about egfr. As you are probably aware this is simply a formula. It takes your Creatinine level, age, sex, race, runs a calculation and produces an egfr level. A HIGHLY questionable process that many, many doctors question (I see 5 different types of doctors. PCP, Heart, Cancer, Urologist, Kidney). They ALL (even the kidney doctor) tell me to simply monitor my Creatinine level. A large part of society is labelled (incorrectly) as having kidney disease based upon the egfr formula. But your egfr is not a perfect measurement of your health. For example egfr does not consider other conditions that may be causing a bad result. Such as medications you take, other health conditions, if you have one or two kidneys, supplements you might be taking.

Any doctor would say you need at least 2 or 3 blood tests, over a period of 2 or 3 months, to make a good decision. And you are so close to the "normal range" and for your lab may even be within the normal range of Creatinine.

Your potassium level was 5.3. Here is from the Mayo Clinic (certainly reputable):

According to the Mayo Clinic, a normal range of potassium is between 3.6 and 5.2 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) of blood. A potassium level higher than 5.5 mmol/L is critically high, and a potassium level over 6 mmol/L can be life-threatening. Small variations in ranges may be possible depending on the laboratory.

You are .1 above the normal range (and again we don't know what your lab considers to be normal range). Certainly not enough to go into a state of panic. Yes it can be caused by kidney. But also medications, supplements, diet, alcohol use, AGAIN, dehydration causes increased levels too.

See what your doctors say.

[HisLittleOne in reply to RickHow]

You are such a blessing in this forum, Rick! You have a very stabilizing and calming effect on me every time I read your posts. God bless you and keep you in good health 😊

[RickHow]

ps. Your potassium level can also be increased by diet. Perhaps you consume regularly high potassium foods, especially near the day of your blood test. Especially since you were only VERY SLIGHTLY above normal range, it could easily be caused by diet:

One of the easiest ways to lower your potassium levels naturally is to reduce the amount of potassium in your diet. This means limiting foods and supplements that are high in potassium. Some foods that are high in potassium include:

bananas

nuts

beans

milk

potatoes

apricots

cod

beef

Talk to your doctor for suggestions about the best diet plan for you.

[Pookie1028 in reply to RickHow]

Thank you. I feel a bit better. This wasn't the first time my creatinine level was a bit elevated. And yes, it could be diet, guilty there. Thanks again.

[oceansplash]

Pookie1028,Wow you sound like me! I'm right about where you're at last reading gfr 56 1.08 creatine. Numbers have been better since I started the losartan for protein in urine. My gfr was stable at 64 for over 5 years before it slipped about a year ago to 51. I'm 60 yrs. old. Biopsy showed fsgs disease. Everything I read said it can take 2-20 years for my single kidney to fail. Doesn't tell me much you know? Also, my neph's voice quivers sometimes when I talk to her. I'm thinking I need a new neph! I sometimes think I'm making myself sicker than I am. Going to talk to a psychologist soon to get a grip on this. Not saying that I don't have kidney problems, but don't need to do the gloom and doom thing like I do at times. Rickhow has a great attitude. Thanks Rickhow!