GP not worried about my drop in egfr? - Kidney Disease

Kidney Disease

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GP not worried about my drop in egfr?

EttaBurb profile image
13 Replies

Hello. Me again. Thanks for all of your replies last time I posted. I just had a text from my GP saying that she isn’t concerned about my drop form 67 egfr to 55. She has suggested that I do another fasted blood test though. Isn’t weird that she isn’t worried? I have still stopped eating meat apart from the occasional bit of chicken and am keen to make sure I keep my health in check.

I would love your thoughts. I hope you are all well.

Henrietta

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13 Replies
Bassetmommer profile image
BassetmommerNKF Ambassador

YUP, docs are often not concerned with stage 3 CKD, because they do not know how to manage it. Please, see a dietician. Check your medications, no NSAIDS. If you keep having your GFR go down, see a Nephrologist. Check not only your GFR but your BUN, or UN ( urea nitrogen) and creatinine. If those are climbing, something is going on. See what your glucose levels are also. Modifying your diet is excellent, but there are also new medications out there to slow the progression. Best to you.

barbara55109 profile image
barbara55109 in reply toBassetmommer

Also check sodium, phosphorus, pottaisum and PTH. Those can be problematic with ckd.

EttaBurb profile image
EttaBurb in reply toBassetmommer

Thank you. I will push for a referral after my next blood test, if results are still bad.

Helloyall profile image
Helloyall

Its not the meat eating tgat is affecting it and remember its ESTUMATED GPT. I. Yoy were a littke dehydrated then your BUN woukd be high for instance and rhat would throw off the ratio. The number my former nephologist was more interested in was the creatinine. He also said that he never goes by a single ready but looks at the trend so your GP is following good practice. Not to worry. Drink water and exercise avoid processed food. Coffee no more than 2 cups a day now and always chase it with water. Have a good day

RNMeemaw profile image
RNMeemaw in reply toHelloyall

Excellent advice. I couldn't have said it better myself!

EttaBurb profile image
EttaBurb in reply toHelloyall

Hello and thank you for your reply. Can I just ask then - what creative level did your nephrologist feel was okay? Mine is high too at 103 umol.

I have the fasted blood test next Friday and then see from there.

Thanks!!

Darlenia profile image
Darlenia

You only have "one" functioning kidney. The lab reports generally don't know this. So the numbers for one functioning kidney are generally adjusted by the doctors and determined if the data is appropriate based for one kidney at your age. If you are curious about this, you may wish to have a nice conversation with your doctor.

EttaBurb profile image
EttaBurb in reply toDarlenia

I am pretty certain my second kidney does function but at a very small amount. It is small and shrivelled. I remember being told at about 8percent or so.

missdc profile image
missdc in reply toDarlenia

I was born with a solitary kidney and didn't know until 2018, but I was never told that and I have so far been treated as if I should have the numbers people with 2 have. I also have renal tubular acidosis which I found out that same year. I've been through 3 nephrologists thanks to the pandemic retiring people early.

I was told that I have CKD because I only have one kidney and it wears out more quickly. I am often on the brink of stage 2 but sometimes my GFR is the same as no CKD. However, my other numbers are high when it comes to chloride etc.

Darlenia profile image
Darlenia in reply tomissdc

There is definitely a difference with having one kidney versus two kidneys. Late Stage 3 and Stage 4 are concerning in my personal view. Mother Nature often gives us two of everything, but it's never the same as having both. The good news is that, with proper care, one can usually life a full life under the circumstances. My husband has a transplant, a single kidney, so I approached our nephrologist with that question. Here's his answer I wrote up earlier to another post. "Did a single kidney really take over the work of two? He answered that in young individuals, a single kidney can indeed grow and increase capacity. But it can't completely take over the function of two - it will only reach the 85% point at best. Overtime, because it is only one kidney, the labs will reflect the wear and tear on that kidney. So nephrologists will keep that one kidney situation in mind when reviewing lab data. That led to a discussion on how mother nature often gives us 'one and spare' in case one fails - two eyes, two ears, two kidneys, two ovaries, two testes, etc. And he added, 'If you need to lose something, it's better to lose a kidney than an eye. One can live well on one kidney. Sure, the eGFR and creatinine may be out of the normal range to some extent, particularly as the aging process set in, but I usually tell my patients to live their lives! Just be sensible - keep weight in check and so on and don't let anyone damage it (like a car accident or rough sport)!'"

missdc profile image
missdc in reply toDarlenia

If my one kidney fails, it fails just as much as 2 kidneys failing, I'm in my 40s and I have one kidney, renal tubular acidosis and CKD. It will no doubt fail just as much as another, and there will have to be a transplant sooner because of it, if I qualify.

I have high blood pressure and a host of other issues. I have never been told my kidney is as healthy as one kidney, just that it is larger and compensating but not well enough.

missdc profile image
missdc in reply tomissdc

Perhaps if I didn't have a brain cyst or heart issues, it wouldn't matter so much. But I was born with other congenital issues, and must take medication for them, so I guess my future is different

Darlenia profile image
Darlenia in reply tomissdc

Yes. You're right. Your single kidney is undoubtedly suffering. You have a number of conditions affecting it. It's those conditions which are harming you. Those without conditions, often do fine with one kidney. That's why people are generally given "one" kidney in transplants (and healthy people can actually donate "one" as well). I know very little about renal tubular acidosis, just that a number of factors can prompt it. Depending the specifics and behavior of one's underlying condition(s), most don't transfer to a transplant or not to the extent it does in the native ones. And that's good news.

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