We are all told one of the important things is to stay hydrated. Drink lots of water. Above normal levels. Thought this would not only help kidney health but cause it to flush out more toxic things from our systems such as Creatinine, Phosphorous, etc.
I get blood tests every 3 weeks as part of my cancer treatment and it includes egfr, creatinine, etc. These tests are taken midday when I am hydrated. Since May, it is usually Creatinine 1.7 (once or twice 1.8). Bun (which the more hydrated you are the lower the result) usually is 25. This results in egfr of 42 (40 when Creatinine is 1.8).
Now I just went to my regular doctor (not cancer doctor not kidney doctor) who did blood work after I had nothing to eat nor to drink for 12 hours prior. So certainly dehydrated. The result was OPPOSITE of what one would expect. I got BETTER results being dehydrated. My Creatinine was 1.6 (lowest in 7 months). My Bun was 2 points higher (27) as you would expect as being hydrated. My egfr 44 (best in 7 months.
This is all contrary to what doctors preach. How hydration lowers Creatinine, etc.
We talked about it. This is NOT the first time this happened. My doctor says one of the primary tasks of the kidney is to remove excess water from the body. A kidney can only output so much fluid in a day. What happens is the kidney is "sorting" out so much excess water it is not given time to sort out excess Creatinine, etc. It is TOO much of a workload. Kind of think of it as the water is flooding the "exit door" of the kidney and not all the toxins are getting out. This fits with what my kidney doctor told me last visit to her. When I told here I was drinking 80 to 100 ounces a day she said there is no need. To just do whatever amount will keep my urine a light yellow color, like straw color. That drinking excess water really does NOT improve kidney health.
Keep in mind, I have only one kidney, so a Creatine level of 1.7 or 1.8 is considered normal for solitary kidney, for person age 60 or less. If older 1.9 can be considered normal.
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RickHow
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Well of course even drinking less there may be SOME times that, as you say, something else causes darker urine. But this is certainly an uncommon and not constant condition. Definitely, overall, the more you drink the lighter the urine.
HI Rick,80 to 100 is a lot.... you must be best friends with your bathroom. I was told to stay around64 ounce total. Thats water, coffee and my hibiscus tea that I drink. People forget how much fluids they take in and do not add it in their total. Things like soup or popsicles or even jello add to the equation. Once day I was crazy and drank a lot more water than normal and I actually felt terrible. People should ask their doctor because there are other factors in how much you should drink such as edema, heart issues and more.
Everything you said I think is correct too. I was speaking only of CKD. Other conditions might influence how much one drinks. I too stay now around 60 ounces. And yes, lol, at 100 ounces I wore a path in the carpet leading to the bathroom :).
Lol!!! “wore a path in the carpet “! That’s funny! I agree with you on the too much water. I’ve done that because all my doctors have ever said to me, is that the dehydration made my kidneys worse. But I have noticed that when I try to “flush” my kidneys too much, I feel so bloated and I also get highly irritable as well (probably because drinking too much water can also raise blood pressure). I do tend to feel much better, even more energetic, when I drink only what I want, and not try to force myself to over-drink. This is good to know Rick. Thank you for this post. 😊👍👍
Yes I feel that way too with too much water. Others have commented too they feel worse with larger water amounts. My doctors too, until recently, always yelled to drink a lot. Every visit to them is all i heard, drink a lot. But that is why I posted. When I drank less, in fact far less (12 hours nothing), my results were better. I think the kidney doctors advice is now the best (who too used to yell drink a lot but now says drink normally), to drink what keeps you hydrated by not overly.
I sure wish there was an easy formula for figuring out how much water to consume. Just as too much water can lead to high blood pressure, so can too little. Additionally, those who tend to produce kidney stones need to drink more in order to prevent them. And then there's climate conditions (humid vs arid), exercise sweat compensation, and a host of other factors. MAN, do I wish there was a water calculator formula. Wait, now that I think about it, I believe the general recommendation is to drink around half our body weight in ounces per day. Considering I'm a kidney stone producer, the 80 ounces per day that I consume is probably in the ballpark for me. My blood pressure hovers between 120-130 systolic (normal diastolic), so my Nephrologist is iffy about putting me on bp meds. Will have to follow up with him the next time I see him regarding water consumption, but in the end, I think they just don't know with any precision. - edited.
Well said. There is no simple answer. Each of us are different. I also find that each doctor has a different approach. Not totally different but enough. For example, you mentioned your blood pressure. For as long as I can remember the "ideal" has been in the 120-125/70. I see a cardiologist every 6 months (just precautionary as my father had lots of heart problems that if found earlier would have been better for him), and a primary care every 3 months. BOTH now want 130-135/70-75. Yes the "old" normal is still beneficial but as we age (I am 72) they prefer higher. I don't like it. I feel fine and all but after a lifetime of seeking in the 120's, when I see the 135, etc., I just don't like it. I practically beg for an increase in bp medication I take. But they say no. In fact they say if I get occasional 140-142 it is fine. It kind of reminds me of EGFR. We all know the usual range for each stage. But here too they have modified the formula for calculating egfr . And then they say that certain EGFR which we think is not so good, is normal for a certain age group. You drink 80 ounces (for kidney stone prevention, etc.). Seems like a lot. But I see they even recommend 10, 10 oz. glasses per day. Might as well move your bed and TV into the bathroom at that rate :). Best to you.
I'm going on 64 and we're in the same wheelhouse regarding our thoughts on bp. Recommended "normal" was always 120/80, but the researchers now say that the goal should be below that. Many docs, however, are dubious and believe it's an attempt to get more folks on bp meds. Here's what I know for sure; As one ages, blood pressure tends to go up. Exercise is extremely efficient at bringing it down. Stress is extremely efficient at bringing it up. I know both from first hand experience. When I exercise consistently, I can get my bp down into the 115-120/65-80 range. When I keep it in that range, my nephrologist is wary of having me on an ACE, even though he'd like to be on it to help protect my kidneys. He's afraid I'll get light-headed. And since my electrolytes are normal, he's also a bit wary of hyperkalemia related to the ACE. Of course, all this may change the next time I do bloodwork, especially in light of the fact that I'm at the tail end of covid and haven't exercised in a month. I'm pretty nervous about my next labs.Oh, and as one gets older, doctors should probably be more concerned about pulse pressure (systolic minus diastolic) than blood pressure. Anything above 60 on a regular basis tends to raise the potential for stroke. Just finished lunch 20 minutes ago. Bp is 129/78.
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