I had my annual blood test recently as I am hypothyroid and Dr rang me to tell me that I have Stage 2 Kidney disease. (Gfr was 72. ) This came as a bit of a shock! Everything was Ok last year. Seems to be one thing after another since Peri!
Dr just asked me if I took a lot of Ibuprofen -which I don't and what vitamins I take - which he said were not a problem. I didn't ask a lot of questions as I was unprepared for this. No advice given really except to drink lots of water and don't take ibuprofen.
The whole call was no more than 5 minutes and now I am wondering what this diagnosis means and what I should be doing to look after the kidneys ? I do not have any symptoms.
Appreciate any advice. Thank you.
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Swangirl40
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Dr just said to do a repeat test in a year. I did not have a urine test-don't know if that is needed.
I do have a healthy diet already, no red meat, just fish, veg, fruit and occasional poultry. Low ish on carbs and only wholemeal/brown carbs. No sugary foods, do not drink alcohol. Not sure what a CKD diet would involve -need to look into that.
I was quite dehydrated and tired out when I had the BT as I had been up all night looking after a sick family member, I don't know if that makes any difference to the GFR results?
Yes, dehydration could have led to this diagnosis. Consider yourself lucky to be made aware of this so early. Many of us found out much later. Your best course of action is to learn all that you can (some resources
• Renal Support Network provides many support and advocacy services including a phone support line.
• AAKP is a comprehensive resource focusing on the quality of life for kidney patients through education, advocacy, patient engagement and the fostering of patient communities.
• National Kidney Foundation provides a portal for patients too.)
Thank you for this and the resources. I certainly want to find out as much as possible. Just wish the Dr had given me more information and advice at the time. You have all been very helpful
I have been diagnosed since 2017. Had a lot of time to research.
--Resources that have helped me:
- The doctor's kidney diets : a nutritional guide to managing and slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease / Mandip S. Kang, MD, FASN;
-Renal Diet Cookbook for the Newly Diagnosed: The Complete Guide to Managing Kidney Disease and Avoiding Dialysis
by Susan Zogheib
These were the first two books that I read and used. The first was from the library and I purchased the second.
-I have used the DaVita site, but I also check the amounts of sodium, potassium and phosphorous in the recipes, and some I decide not to use;
-Every new entree that I plan on preparing, I list the name of the entree, and then either follow it with ckd, or precede it with renal friendly or kidney friendly. This is time consuming, but I then have a pretty good idea of what is going into my mouth and through my kidney.
-One of the names that came up often through my searches is Mathea Ford, RD/LD. I have found that her books have been quite helpful. The ones that I have so far are:
-Living with Chronic Kidney Disease--Pre-Dialysis;
-Create your Own Kidney Diet Plan (which I have done in order to track sodium, potassium, phosphorous and protein, as well as carbs and calories);
-and her last book that I purchased, The Kidney Friendly Diet Cookboook.
From my various searches, I have various lists that I will get back to or that I found important. They are:
Yes, I would ask for repeat labs - either ask your doctor to run them or you can pay a lab directly - Labcorp, Quest, etc. Dehydration can definitely influence lab results. If it turns out that you are indeed in the early stages of CKD, please make sure to discuss any diet modifications you intend to make with your physician or a nutritionist. The renal diet manipulates electrolytes (potassium, sodium, magnesium, etc.) that can influence other organs such as your heart. If these things are in the normal range, you are fine with what you're doing now.
Hi, I was not aware of any link between them, Dr did not mention that. Thank you for the link I will take a look. Thank you for your suggestion re Nutritional Therapist.
Hi, check what your urea and potassium levels were. These should be considered when confirming CKD. Where you heighdrated before the test?. I'm am 55 , my egfr is 72, creatinine 82, urea, 2.3 . Water sample all ok, ultra sound all ok. I don't have kidney disease. My egfr has been roughly the same for the last 30yrs. Are you in UK? GP here say egfr over 60 is fine providing other blood results don't indicate kidney damage and water sample checked . As we get older our egfr will be less it's a natural progression with age unfortunately.
Hi, Thank you so much . Yes I am in UK. Interesting what you said about efgr over 60 being Ok here. Dr just said to me it was concerning and mine is 72.
It was such a short call and he mainly asking me if I took ibuprofen which I don't and which vitamins I took which he said were OK.
I was dehydrated prior to the test as up all night looking after family member and rushing around that morning. There was no urine test or ultrasound done or mentioned though, just the one routine blood test.
Just looking at my full blood results now:-
serum creatinine 79 in normal range
serum urea level 5.6 in normal range
serum potassium 3.8 normal range
*serum bicarbonate 25 (normal is 24-32)
*serum sodium 143(normal 135-144)
So the last two * are on the outer edges of normal.
All the results under heading of urea and electrolytes come into normal range. I haven't included them all here but all normal_ Except the GFER. Thank you
T he are similar to my results. My urea is 2.3. I had a look back over 30 yrs at my blood test results on kidney function. They are roughly all the same. I was told because everything in range, and water sample ok/ ultra sound ok. I don't have CKD. Get your water sample checked. That can reveal a lot. get a recheck in the next couple of weeks. Drink a lot of water prior to your test as dehydration can alter things alot.
Thank you , that is reassuring. I was quite surprised that all my other levels were normal, I was expecting at least several to be way off.
Yes I think a recheck is the way to go and a water sample if they will do it for me. Dr was saying next check in a year but I do think now would be better to have another BT and water tests done. Thank you so much.
You can take water sample to GP and they they will do a dip stick test. Remember with age kidney function won't be a 100 percent. UK gp look at other factorsinyiur blood that would contribute to loss of kidney function not just you egfr . In USA they seem to suggest you egfr is below a certain level then you have CKD. It's not that here in UK.
You very early on in the disease. Have you been referred to a nephrologist? If not maybe ask about that. The only advice I can give is watch your diet slow down on the protein and salt. You could ask if you could be referred to a renal dietician. I cannot give medical advice nor can anyone on hear. I'm just speaking from experience and hopefully if you watch your diet you can live a very long life without ever having to worry about kidneys failing. I was never ever told about a diet or renal dietician at all ever. I found out on sites similar to this one. Had I been told maybe I wouldn't be stage 5 now, waiting for a transplant. However I've had the disease for 22 years and I'm 64 so all of that plays in to the disease as well. I wish you the very best.
Thank you. No I have not been referred to a nephrologist. I never add any salt to meals and we cook everything from scratch so no processed food anyway. I don't eat any red meat, just fish and occasional poultry and occasional cheese.
I am sorry to hear you were not given advice in the early stages and I do wish you well and hope you are not too long whenever you receive a transplant. My Dr has just said repeat the BT in a year, no other tests so I think I need to have a discussion now I know more thanks to people here.
Seems many of us felt the same as you. I am 73 and have been blessed with great health until about a month ago a dr told me I had stage 3A chronic kidney disease. There is a diet you should follow to help slow the disease. My GP told me not to worry about it so I found my own nephrologist. He is a wealth of helpful information. I did not know there was a stage 2 but it seems that you are in the beginning stages. They will probably want more blood test. I would encourage you to get help now and take care of yourself. Good luck!
Hi , Thank you for sharing your experience and wishing you all the best. I hope the diet helps and its great you found a helpful nephrologist.
Yes I am gradually finding out more and apparently there are stages 1-5- stage G1, G2, G3a,G3b,G4 and G5. This is in UK anyway , not sure about other countries measurements.
The sites I am looking at also talk about an ACR result, but I am not sure what that is and cannot find mine anywhere so I don't know if it was done. Is that the urine test? Another question I need to ask !
Maybe it is called something else in the US. American College of Rheumatology is what my Alexa says. Certain types of rheumatology can impact your immune system I think-but who knows if Alexa knows what she is talking about. Better check with your doctor.
hi Swan girl. From my own experience I was told I had a slight kidney problem and not to worry with an egfr of 60. I was 60 years old at the time. I’m now 73 and my egfr is around 45. I am tested every 6months. So what I’m saying is , it depends on your age. I’d still be pleased with your egfr compared to mine but if you’re still very young then all the advice sent by the other contributors will help you. Maybe it was the dehydration so see if you can have another one after hydrating properly. Take care
Hi Thank you for sharing your experience. I am late 50's so not especially young! Yes will see about further tests perhaps to do them in a few months time, when I can get an appt with Dr. Hopefully that will give me a better idea where I am. Take care of yourself too.
Usually, CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) is not diagnosed before getting results from 3 tests over a period of a few months. It's not unusual for an eGFR (e for estimated!) to fluctuate. And absolutely request for a Urine Albumin/Creatine Ratio! It is imperative to see if you are spilling protein in your urine, because that typically indicates a faster progression of disease. Best wishes!!
Thank you so much for this information. Dr seems to have diagnosed me based on one Blood test and no urine test so I need to request repeat bloods in a few months and a specific urine test. Thank you, best wishes to you as well!
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