About two and a half years ago, I got a 1.23 creatinine level in a yearly health check. I consulted with a GP who told me that because I am a big foreigner it was likely normal.
The next year it was 1.4, but for reasons I took no action. Note, at this time I was taking creatine occasionally, but believe I had been off it for a week before this test.
My last one, last August, was 1.37. I'd been thinking about going to an English speaking hospital and put it off, but then just pulled the trigger and went to a different local GP. He told me I am CKD stage 3, that I have kidney function of about 42 - though I don't know where he got that number. He order a urine and blood test and the results will come back about next Sat. According to my results from August, there was no protein in my urine, but I have been concerned about the amount of bubbles in the toilet after I pee.
The doc has told me to cut my intake of protein and salt, as well to lay off dairy.
I'm 56, 6", 198lbs, not diabetic, have low-to-normal blood pressure, don't smoke. I am moderately active and get 10,000 steps at least most days. I have a heavy sweet tooth and my diet up till now has definitely been high salt and protein.
As all of you know from experience, being told you have CKD is a bit terrifying. I don't have a specific question at this point as I'm going to wait for the results of my test, but it seems some people here have been able to improve their kidney function through diet. I'm interested to see what people's impressions, advice or really anything are for someone in my position.
Thanks in advance for any and all comments.
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manort
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It’s not that you improve kidney function really, but you can put less stress and burden on the kidneys allowing them to work better. The function lost to damage never comes back though. It’s just about making it easier for the kidney to do it’s job through healthier diet and exercise amongst other things. If your bp and blood sugar is normal, it would be a good idea to look into other factors that may have caused it such as autoimmune disorders and such. Good luck!
Hi. Additional lab information will give you a much clearer picture. Over time, age begins to impact lab data. Declining organ function is common over the years and this includes our kidneys - humans simply have a limited lifespan. Also, your height, weight, hydration, exercise, and more have an impact. My husband is tested often for creatinine and it's very clear that hydration, for example, makes for better numbers. And, of course, supplementing with creatinine isn't advisable. I noticed you have no protein spillage as of August so that's good! Hopefully it will stay that way. Throughout, you're extremely fortunate not to have diabetes. That's a big driver in kidney disease; it took out my hubby's kidneys. Your doctor seems to be reliable and knowledgeable. As he advised, adjustments in diet are very helpful in easing the load on your kidneys. Some renal diets advise lowering sodium. Make sure you clear that through your medical professionals since you have low to normal blood pressure. Sending encouragement that you see positive outcomes for yourself!
Serum creatinine is reported as milligrams of creatinine to a deciliter of blood (mg/dL) or micromoles of creatinine to a liter of blood (micromoles/L). The typical range for serum creatinine is:
For adult men, 0.74 to 1.35 mg/dL (65.4 to 119.3 micromoles/L)
For adult women, 0.59 to 1.04 mg/dL (52.2 to 91.9 micromoles/L)
The range actually differs from test type and labs. They use either Jaffe method which is on higher side 1.4 and for enzymatic method is 1.2.
I also live in Japan and currently on 2 month vaction to my home country. I went for Annual check up here just to find out I have 1.5 serum creatine. Last year it was 0.7.
I researched alot and I spoke to lab radiologists and doctors and got to know it could be because of high protein diet and dehydration. I am asked to retest in 4 weeks.
From what I understand if the number on subsequent tests is above 1 then it the deterioration starts from there.
Good news is there are drugs now available that can prevent the deterioration substantially.
Did you see a nephrologist in Japan or a physician?
Hi. Thanks for the comment and questions. I have seen that there are different methods they use to test creatinine, but I don't have a good way to check which they used right now. All I have to go by is the legend in the results that says 'normal range.'
I had three high yearly readings - 1.2, 1.4, 1.37 before my last one of 1.09. This last one is .01 outside of normal range.
During the time I was getting those high readings, I was using creatine and working out, somewhat consistently, with heavy weights. I was also on a high-protein supplemented diet. I stopped the creatine after the 1.37 reading.
When I check my eGFR using Kidney.org's creatinine and cystatin C calculator which includes inputs for height and weight, it seems my eGFR is absolutely fine.
I have spoken only to a Japanese GP, not a neph.
After doing a lot of my own research, I think my body mass, high protein diet, creatine, and dehydration (company yearly check up at offsite locations that had me hoofing it in the Tokyo July heat) contributed to high readings. Still, I want to see if I can remove all the danger markers, so I've been losing weight, stopped protein supplements, cut way down on processed foods and junk, etc. I'll be doing another yearly company check up in July and will then consult over those results with my local GP.
I can see why a yearly jump from .07 to 1.5 is concerning. Do you have protein in your urine, high serum electrolytes, high serum uric acid, etc? One high reading might not mean much without other red flags, and protein in urine does seem to increase the amount you need to worry. Fortunately, mine came back negative.
I hope your next test comes back lower. I was on tenterhooks after showing my GP the 1.37 reading and being told I had an eGFR of 42.
Thank you for your response and detailed description.
I had trace protein(Albumin) in my urine and the reference range was negative. Apart from that everything else was in the range.
Based on my past experience with Japanese doctors, I felt their diagnosis are more on bookish text rather than through experience and are bit unclear at times. I hope I can find a good doctor this time.
Good to know your numbers are on decreasing trend.
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