Hi, I'm 63, Creatinine 1.11, eGFR 55, BUN /Creatinine 6. No high blood pressure or diabetes. As of October 15th 2024. I found this out when I went for a yearly physical in June . My primary gave a diagnosis of AKI ( acute kidney injury) yet when I researched about kidney disease, I thought I should be staged 3a. Not AKI, but what do I know, I'm not a well educated physician who only spends 15 minutes in a room with you. I do have an appointment to see a Nephrologist in December. I did see a Dietician and she suggested upping my protein to 15 mg x 3 times a day for a total of 45g due to weight loss. I had MRI on Nov 24th and it was negative. I follow a plant based diet , which according to Dietician is preferred. I'm here to learn all I can about CKD.
Newbie: Hi, I'm 63, Creatinine 1.11, eGFR... - Kidney Disease
Newbie
Yes you do appear to be stage 3a, as my mum has been for 14y. Dont be surprised if the medics are quite laid back at that stage, even the nephro.
Re protein increase "due to weight loss", I presume you mean to reduce your weight? Make sure you see someone specialising in weight loss for that - personally Ive found qualified Nutritional Therapists better than dieticians.
Hi Userotc. Thanks for response. No, I am losing weight very quickly, the concern is that I will be underweight if this keeps up. Dietician recommended 45 mg of protein a day divided up into 15 g at each meal. I eat a plant based diet so it's challenging. On Dec 2, I will finally get to see the kidney doc . I agree , I think It's stage 3a and not AKI like my primary doc said. Hope your Mom is doing well. My primary Doc does seem laid back. I did have an abdominal MRI the other day and that was normal. I will check out a Nutritional Therapist and if my insurance pays for one.
userotc is a nutritional therapist in the uk.UK. he is not a trained or licensed medical professional. Registered dieticians have degres,degree, licensure and profession standards and ard covered by insurance. His profession is not.
Absolutely not AKI…I had AKI in 1996 8 days after my CKD diagnosis. My heart stopped, three times, 13 pages of flatline…AKI is an immediate and life threatening emergency somewhat like a “heart attack of the kidneys. Thus that would be the last visit to that doctor because he/she is either clueless, uncaring or incompetent. I wouldn’t accept a NEW contradictory diagnosis from a Dietitian though…Also, a typical CKD patient has REDUCED kidney function most of the time an INCREASE of protein in the diet is harmful to a “typical” CKD patient. I’m not sure I’d take a chance on protein increase unless I knew for sure that my CKD caused protein DEFICIENCY as opposed to an increase in protein causing an AKI! I certainly wouldn’t take a contradiction from a dietician UNLESS they were a regional Registered Renal Dietitian. I would agree that your initial diagnosis may be suspect based on the EXTREMELY limited info you provided. My kidneys look fine on an MRI as well (maybe a tad bit small but negligible) and an MRI in my opinion is useless in diagnosing CKD. Just because you don’t have 2 of the 3 leading causes of CKD doesn’t mean you CAN’T have CKD…might be familiar skipping generations here and there, could be environmental, but I’d be sure. To me the tone of your post seems to indicate you believe both of the medical specialists you saw are idiots but the dietician is “correct” because the doctor, “only spends 15 minutes in a room with you.”
I’d go see a trusted physician and get a proper diagnosis because according to the NKF in the US:
The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) shows how well the kidneys are filtering. An estimated 37 million adults in the United States may have chronic kidney disease (CKD) but nearly 90% are unaware of their condition. When found early, people can take important steps to protect their kidneys.
It’s not to be underestimated or taken flippantly. At least if I were you I wouldn’t be satisfied until properly diagnosed or properly cleared, but that me…it your health and NO ONE will advocate for your best health except you. CKD is life altering and can be life threatening…it’s not stage 4 cancer YET, but untreated or undiagnosed it can turn into that sort of deadly disease and certainly can shorten a life if untreated…BUT it’s your health and your life so ultimately your choice…My best to you!
Thanks for the reply, Blackknight1989. I agree with you about my primary not knowing what she is doing by coding me "AKI" I did go back to her office and asked her to change it, bc the description didn't fit me at all. But, of course she didn't change it. I never saw her actually, one of the nurses told me she wouldn't change it. And If I were in that bad of shape why wasn't hospitalized? Not going to let that stop me. I am learning more and more each day re : CKD and will get the proper diagnosis, which I feel is CKD 3a, from the kidney doc on Mon. Dec 2 . Hopefully she is better than the primary. My Dietician is a Renal Dietician, but someone said in an earlier post , perhaps I should see a Registered Nutritionist. Thanks for the info. I am learning so much on this forum. Peace to you.
please take userotc'userotc's advice cautiously. He had a certificate in the UK as a nutritional therapist. He has a private business selling his services. He is NOT a medical professional. He is NOT licensed as a medical professional. He is not trained in medicine. There is no such thing as a liscensed or registered nutritional therapist in the us.
OH! thanks for letting me know barbara55109. I haven't heard of a Registered Nutritional therapist before. I LIVE IN THE US. I have had 3 blood test in a row and the levels suggest CKD 3a. it's the primary who said AKI. That's not it. I will see kidney doc on Monday and post what she says. Where are you at in your journey?
I'm 62, currently stage 4. I have ckd from long term dehydration. I lost my colon at 30 and that's what absorbs our liquid. In 2020 I got a migraine and an aki which dropped my egfr to 7. I had to lose weight to get on the kidney transplant list. I also went on 2 anti diarrhea meds. My eGFR bounced back enough I'm current inactive on the transplant list. I'm at 26 now. It is a six year wait for a kidney. I have an unused dialysis fistula. Dr's were convinced I'd be on dialysis two years ago. I'm grateful because I need to keep working, both for the income and I provide the health insurance. My hubs is 6 years younger and I have to work until 72. It will be very hard to work while on hemo dialysis.
Sounds like you have been living with major health issues for a long time, My heart goes out to you. It's such a shame the way the system is designed regarding health care and you still having to work to keep health insurance. And of course...for us humans it always comes down to the money. ARGH. Let's hope you can continue on w/o hemo dialysis for the time being. Much light to you.
thanks. I hope you get some answers from nephrology. I got ulcerative colitis as a teen and hav we dealt with the consequences all my life.life.today there are lots of drug treatments, but not in the 80 s.
For your information, see below links for:
(i) A definition of NTs theanp.co.uk/therapies/nutr...
(ii) Details about their registration and regulation. Note that only qualified NTs meet this standard. bant.org.uk/our-standards/
Note that BANT has operated for almost 3 decades and is British but practitioners can operate globally with most online.
(iii) Differences between NTs (which work holistically) and dieticians.
wpa.org.uk/hw-pdf/WPA-Nutri...
I hope that you find this information interesting and useful. Also that this and my responses to you based on personal experience are not in any way tarnished by anyone that is unaware of the information and my experiences.
it takes at least 3 repeated egfr test to diagnose ckd. Because lab results vary, are one moment in time, and can be impacted by how hydrated you are the day of the test, don't jump to conclusions. You need repeat testing first.
"AKI" is not a stage of kidney disease, it just means that your eGFR declined abruptly rather than slowly. Slow decline is more typical. Kidney function that declined rapidly may improve with treatment, which is not likely if the eGFR decline was slower. Your Doctor did not stage your kidney disease probably because it has not been confirmed by further tests, especially tests when you are well-hydrated. You are right that eGFR of 55 would put you at stage 3a. Your doctor should have spent enough time with you to explain all this, especially since you had questions and were disturbed by this diagnosis. Good for you for seeking out your own answers.
I went on a strict plant-based kidney diet when I was diagnosed with 3a, which has turned out to be very good for my general health and energy. My eGFR has bounced around a lot, and I am not sure what it is right now, because I seem to have been over-hydrated for the last couple of tests- check your "osmolality" which is an indication of your state of hydration.
Wow! that was some very great info! Thanks, WildIris! With the info you provided I just looked at my blood work again for 3 consecutive draws. June 18, 2024 eGFR was 57, Oct 15 2024, it was 56, then the primary told me to drink lots of water before the next blood test which was Oct 21, 2024 it was 55. So perhaps that's why she diagnosed it as AKI? Bc it dropped 3 points in three months. I know since the last blood work I have been drinking around 64 ounces of water and I feel better than I did in Oct. Weight loss seem to have slowed down or stopped. YAY! I will get the verdict on Monday and will update then. Glad you eat a plant based diet! YAY! Peace to you.
BTW, you are absolutely correct! primary should have discussed/ explained her findings with me. I will see her again on Thursday and will let her know she has to be more open with me. Bc it's more than overwhelming to find out you may have a chronic disease, and to top it off, doc doesn't explain things! How and what is osmolality? How do I check that?
Fluctuating egfr
Lupus nephritis 
Not Sure What All the Lab Results Mean???
MY CKD JOURNEY..FROM EGFR OF 11 TO EGFR OF 84.. FROM AKI 5 TO CKD 2.. STRUGGLING WITH LOW SODIUM LEVELS.
