I am a 31 (almost 32) year old, Caucasian female with an EGFR of 66. Although is “normal” ie above 60 I am wondering if I should be concerned. 1 year ago my GFR was 91 so this seems like a somewhat significant decline. My doctor has said this is not an issue and is nothing to worry about. I’ve decided to track my GFR for the next three months myself via bloodwork I to see if it fluctuates. I am wondering if I should push my doctor into taking it more seriously or trust him that it’s fine. I do not have any serious symptoms other than hair loss, night sweats and some bouts of insomnia. Any thoughts/opinions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Note- I am 120-125 lbs, drink lots of water, but do not work out as much as I should.
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Jirv
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HI Jirv, Ah yes, you should be concerned. Although a GFR is a snap shot of the day you had the labs done, a almost 30 point drop is significant, especially at your age. Keep track of it and see if it goes back up. If not, then it is time to find out a cause. There are many tests to make sure it is truly CKD and it takes time and patience. But to find out at this stage is so much better than to let things progress and decline. Let us know what the next blood test show.
Hi and welcome to the community.It never hurts to be concerned regarding your own health.
A significant drop, and 30 points is significant should be taken more seriously by you and your doctor.
I would insist on a series of blood and urine labs over the next few months to get a better handle on where your kidney function is.
The two primary causes of CKD are diabetes and hypertension. I happen to have both. My diabetes is controlled by my kidney-friendly meal plan and exercise and my hypertension is controlled by medication. There are other causes and your physician could be running diagnostic tests to determine what else may have caused the decline.
While you are waiting on future tests you can be proactive and make some changes, in case those tests show that your kidneys are in decline.
Begin a physician-approved exercise regimen that you can do indoors and outdoors in all types of weather. I walk and bike ride when the weather permits and use an indoor machine when it doesn't.
Your tracking the labs is a great start. I use a spreadsheet to track everything on my blood and urine labs. Pay special attention to your protein, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen or BUN, and your creatinine albumin ratio.
When a lab report shows something outside the reference range I highlight the number. Red if it's high and orange if it's low. That way I can easily spot trends and prepare questions to ask my doctors.
Hope for the best, but plan for the worst and towards that end, I'd recommend going to davita.com and registering for a free, virtual, 90-minute Kidney Smart class. You'll get a lot of information and resources that will be beneficial either way. Also, on the DaVita site you can look at their RECIPES. There is no cure for CKD but you can slow the progression. A kidney-friendly meal plan and an exercise regimen, plus controlling any underlying causes are the way to handle this chronic illness.
I know it seems like a lot but if you do have CKD you'll be off to a great start in managing your health. If you don't have CKD you'll be wiser and know what to look for down the road.
One of the dangerous things about kidney disease is that it might not have outward symptoms until you have practically no kidney function left. I trust you want to avoid the situation where your only two options are dialysis or transplant. I would suggest seeing a nephrologist and start monitoring your GFR on a monthly basis because that's a lot of kidney function to lose in a single year. Best.
Hi Jirv, I’m facing the same situation with my Dr. he thinks is not serious just because my GFR is 65. Four years ago was 90 and has been dropping every year. About 6 months ago I noticed foam in my urine and my blood work shows an abnormal level of protein leakage. We both are in stage 2 CDK. I have an appointment with my Dr. and Im going to demand to get a referral to a nephrologist and a renal dietitian. I’m following Mr_Kidney’s recommendation and being proactive with my diet. My Dr is a good man but I need to take care of my kidneys. Good luck and stay in touch. I’ll keep you posted.
I have had 40 creatinine eGFR one month and 80 the next month. My Cycstatin-c eGFR however has remained around 90 and as high as 115. No major studies have examined what is the normal range of eGFR in healthy adults. One small study in Europe tested healthy people and found the normal range for healthy (no kidney disease) people was anywhere from 50 - 120. You need to have more than just elevated creatinine to determine if you truly have CKD. Get a 24 hour urine test and a cystatin-c test if you are really concerned.
I agree I think you should take it more seriously and so should your doctor. I'm in the same situation only my doctor never said anything to me until now when my GFR dropped to 52. Every other year he never mentioned the numbers because it was within normal limits. But when I pulled all my prior lab work online and looked at the history it's been going downward for years! They say the GFR fluctuates so he one time reading is not necessarily proof that it's kidney disease but they look for a trend over time. Then my case for 5 years ago it was at 90 in its been dropping ever since. Day we did mine recently 2 months later and it dropped again to 50. I really wish he would have made me aware of this years ago so I could have possibly worked on my diet were made some lifestyle changes before it got this low.
Hi Lucy, if you read my reply to Jirv above you know that I’m in the same boat than her and you. My Dr saying don’t worry, it’s within the normal range (over 60). Like you my GFR was 90 4 yrs ago and dropping every year.. 85, 75, 71, and last week 65. I keep asking because for the last 6 months I’ve been leaking protein in my urine.We need to be proactive, I have done some changes to my diet and have a Drs appointment next week when I will demand a referral to a nephrologist and a renal dietitian. Good luck and keep us posted.
Thank you everyone for taking your time to respond. This has been very informative and I will definitely follow up with my doctor and ask about additional tests as well as use the resources you all provided me with. Thanks again!
I would just strongly encourage you to request a referral to a nephrologist. 2 of 4 nephrologist’s I've seen have specifically said that they wished primary care physicians would refer patients in for an initial visit specifically when the patient’s labs show a sudden, significant drop in renal function. Your labs have shown a sudden, significant drop in renal function. It’s time to see a specialist who can get to the bottom of what’s happening...
Thank you for your input. I think I’ll consider doing my lab work a little earlier than anticipated to confirm (or not) my results and go from there. Based on what everyone is saying we need to be our own advocate and push our doctors. I appreciate everyone’s advice and will definitely seek additional tests
I agree with what everyone has stated here. Please look into why your gfr is dropping- you definitely need an additional lab report to determine whether or not this is of concern. If you're truly on a significant downward trajectory, things can be done to stabilize and even reverse the trend to a certain extent. Diet is one way to do so. But be aware that the "renal diet" messes with your electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, etc.). If those get too low, they will produce serious cardiac problems, prompt muscular cramps, fatigue, etc. So check those electrolytes as well - are they in the high range? Do you get frequent blood draws to monitor them? (Once yearly is not enough.) If so, then you can likely proceed. But I would get my doctor's approval and oversight to ensure nothing goes off track. I speak from experience. Trust all goes well with you.
I agree, my doctor isn't concerned at all either. Mine wasn't such a big drop - 64 to 50, but it might not concern our doctors, but must concern us. At least we've all found this forum ! I can additionally recommend Lee Hull's books. He has lived with CKD for 22 years and has researched extensively with back up details. Educate and eat your way out of this ! Good luck
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