Can stress cause gfr to go down 24 pts in a month ?

[Kindsong]

Hi All, I was in Stage 3a of CKD until this week, when two lab tests taken 3 days apart showed a drop of 24 pts, from 54 to 30. I have been extremely stressed because of a severe mental health crisis going on with my adult son since Thanksgiving. I live a few hundred miles away, and with Covid and my CKD, am not travelling right now. But I have been involved by phone on a daily basis. Nothing else has changed for me, including meds, diet, sleep or other lab values. I am talking to my Nephrologist today, but I just wondered if anyone had a comment on this dilemma. Thanks ....

[Hidden]

Stress effects your blood and blood flow which is cleansed by your kidneys, so yes, excessive stress can do some damage to your kidney function. How much of a drop and how quickly is unknowable. Are you following a kidney-friendly meal plan, staying hydrated with water, controlling any other health issues like hypertension and diabetes, and following an approved exercise regimen? One thing to keep in mind when dealing with stress. Stress can be caused by both positive and negative events. I know this sounds hard but you have to learn to not be stressed out by things that are beyond your control. You can either find a doctor who will help you deal with those issues and how to not let them effect your everyday life. You can't fix what you don't control.

I know that when you deal with an adult son who lives a long way from you you have concerns and travel may not be possible where you live. I've recently had to deal with a (minor) family member who also lives a long way from me and knowing that there were limits to what I can do, I had to make hard decisions. There are always limits to what you can do even if they lived across the street or across the country.

[Kindsong in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your input. I am trying, on my own, to pay attention to my diet. I have a consultation with a renal dietician next week. I am not exercising because of extreme shortness of breath and dizziness, but am doing stretches and QiGong at home. I don't have diabetes, high BP , but do have several autoimmune diseases: Sjogrens, Reynauds and RA. They are all being addressed by my Rheumatologist. So, hopefully my Dr today can fill in some blanks for me.

[Hidden in reply to Kindsong]

Then you are doing all that can be expected with the health issues you have. Outside issues are a problem because of the the stressors and the end results. It's not easy to distance yourself from someone you love when they have problems but controlling your involvement is necessary to prevent an undesirable outcome. I wish you all the best in dealing with everything. One thing to remember is that the GFR of 54 was just a snapshot of the time the labs were drawn. So was the GFR of 30. Stay focused on the things you can do and do what you can to minimize the outside events that you can't do anything about.

[drmind]

So sorry to hear about your son's mental health issues. But, be at peace with yourself and offer him as much emotional support on the phone as possible. The most important thing we can do for our kids is to be there for them but not try to he in charge of their lives. Its very hard to step back.. Most of us have been there many times and know the feeling. Bless you. Please take care of yourself and let us know how things are going. We care.

[Kindsong in reply to drmind]

It makes a difference to receive such wonderful support ! I did talk to my Nephrologist and Rheumatologist yesterday, and they were worried about my gfr number, increased protein in my urine, and worsening anemia. I am to double my prednisone to 20mg, and do more extensive blood tests in a week. Both of them said that stress would NOT cause this drop in my gfr. I am thinking that stress is a piece of the puzzle, but not the whole story

[DEZIN]

The last three months i was on track with nutrition and exercise for my kidney healththe week before my labs were to be taken it was an awful stressful week. My gfr went

down. Stress is a factor. I have made up my mind not to let the family member control

my mindset. I have to do what is best for me in order to take care of elderly parent.

Do what you need to do to ease your mind and relax. For me it is music, prayer, and

a bubble bath. I wish you well.

[Dllfb]

Please keep us informed as to what your future results of tests/appointments bring. I too have a gfr number that has been going down even though I’ve been eating a renal diet and don’t have diabetes or hbp. A couple of weeks back it went from 61 to 54 in a week. I was so stressed about my number dropping from 74 in Sept to 61 two weeks ago so I went for another test the week after and it was even lower at 54. I have high anxiety...especially when I worry about my health and gfr. Maybe I should go on anxiety meds.

[Kindsong in reply to Dllfb]

Lol. I'm doing the same thing: one piece of my diet at a time. I am anemic, so need to eat all my alloted 38 grams of protein everyday. Also, red meat sometimes, which of course is rich in phosphorus ! I am counting on the renal dietician to help me figure things out

[drmind]

Its difficult not to let our GFR numbers dominate our lives. But, as someone said before, its only a number on a specific date. After worrying for a few days, I try to focus on what I can do to improve things. I'm especially trying to improve my diet and I've decided to do it on a piecemeal basis. Now, I just paying attention to reduce some animal products for 5 out of 7 days. In a few weeks, I'll work on another item. At first, I felt overwhelmed by all that I had to change and almost gave up. Now, its going to be slow and I'll be tackling one area at a time. The sames goes for exercise. And, hopefully, in time, the lab numbers may change or they may not, but I know that I'm doing what I can to improve them. Good luck and take care of yourself. Keep us posted as to how things are going.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to drmind]

I also monitor other bloodwork numbers rather than only the eGFR; such as those for red blood cells, anemia, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium, related to CKD.

[Kindsong in reply to orangecity41]

Right. The only bloodwork that was off was my phosphorous; I can talk about that with the renal dietician.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to Kindsong]

Keep us posted.