Hi, I have had stage 3 for a few years now. my blood shows I am dehydrated sodium low red blood count low and potassium on the higher side. my egfr is 42, and my creatinine at 1.5 sometimes 1.7. my urea nitrogen bun all above normal. I drank about 6 16oz bottles a day with this blood work... SO I took it upon myself to add more water, more salt low potassium diet this past blood work, my blood work came back perfect! creatinine at 1.35 but my rbc was still alittle low.
is this normal with kidney disease so early? I am trying to tell my doctor something else is going on, all my doctors but they seem to just blame it on my kidneys. I cant go on drinking 10 16oz bottles a day and taking the salt shaker to my tongue. My blood pressure is VERY low also in the morning 99/56 and as the say goes on it goes up, then sometimes it drops to 101/60, its all over the place. ugh. thanks in advance for any info!! :)
Following this post, because I have similar issues. My salt levels, however, are high or high normal. I’m listed as stage 2/3 CKD. My blood pressure is what is known as labile. It’s been as high as 250/210 and then drop (on its own) to 56/40!!! Headache! These swings, though usually not as extreme, happen out of nowhere. I’m maxed out on medications. Some even prescribed beyond what is normal. I’ve been recently advised that I’m a candidate for renal denervation. This was determined after a consultation with two doctors at the kidney center. But that would just be a possible remedy for the BP issue.
I have to watch drinking lots of water; because I wind up retaining fluid.
oh my blood pressures are crazy. I wake up with a 98/50 blood pressure then as the day goes on it goes up to 144/70 then it goes down again to 98/50. my doctors don't believe me. everytime I go to their office its about 118/70 sometimes 144/80. I went to er a few weeks ago and my blood pressure was 155/90 when I got there, about an hour later it went to 120/69. then they checked it before i was discharged and it was 160/80? huh? so when i go to my doctors they say Im fine. I pee all the time and my kidney doctor seems to think its in my head.
I think the problem is we are suffering from adrenal fatigue?Aldosterone hormone? or one of our hormones may be out of tune because of our heath issues. Do you have any kind of thyroid condition/disease? I do, hashimotos. I have asked my doctors to check my hormones, but they say I don't need them checked.
what does your blood work look like?
Have you had a doppler test of your kidneys to rule out renal artery stenosis? and have you had your blood renin and alderstones check by your endocrinologist? My endo just did it and its low renin and high alderstones. it causes spikes in blood pressure and it messes with your sodium and it could be caused by the RAS. I have to go for a doppler test.
Sorry…it’s not like me to not follow up. But, I was hospitalized immediately after my last response. High blood pressure. I spent a few days on the cardiac floor. All of my prior meds were replaced. Since then my heart has been racing along at 120-135bpm resting and close to 200 with any exercertion (minimal)!!! Exhausted!!! I’ve had lots of blood work and an xray…spent a few days battling high BGs from being on prednisone. That was a nightmare. My Dex just read High.
My nephrologist referred me to a cardiologist specializing in arrhythmia. I will soon be wearing a holter monitor and having an echocardiogram. Oh yes, and a 24 urine collection–yea.
I have had Doppler test of my kidneys. They also checked for the possibility of a tumor. Negative.
As you see, I’ve been a little preoccupied. I have an appointment with my pulmonologist tomorrow morning–high heart rate…out of breath.
They also checked for this:
Pheochromocytoma
This rare disease stems from a tumor in the adrenal medulla leading to overproduction of adrenaline and noradrenaline. About 800 cases of this adrenal tumor are diagnosed per year in the U.S. Primary symptoms of this tumor disease include high blood pressure, headache, heart palpitations and excessive or inappropriate sweating.
I am in the same boat you are. Stage 3 for a few years, but semi-stable at the moment. Make sure they check your Vit-D level, mine was down to 4 when mine was checked years ago. Vit-D should at least be over 30(over 5 is even better)! My first kidney doc never check it. My second neph did as routine and found the low. My eGFR has been as low as 35, but last check about 41 or 42.
I fell and busted 5 ribs 2 yrs ago and some have still not healed.
hi sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Have you had your PTH parathyroid checked? Yes my vitamin D is low and my PTH is high, just started taking 50,000/ 1x a week. Did any of your other labs look low high?
I am in stage 3 and my potassium levels are slightly high - blood pressure and other things are normal. Dr says kidneys at 30% function. Recently creatinine levels are starting to rise, so I am getting nervous. Dr sent me to "kidney school" which makes me even more nervous! Advice from others is welcomed!
I don't even have a nephrologist at the moment. For me its been a waste of time. I can not even get them to look for ANYTHING other than write it off as DIABETES?
I went to Kidney school(??), a class for stage 3 by DaVita. No big deal. For now I think I am holding on ok.
how long have you been stable with your kidney function? My creatinine has been stable for about 20 years my egfer is decreasing because of age. That just comes a long with it. Are you type 1 or 2 and how is your a1c?
My nephrologist has been helpful - expecially in explaining which over the counter medicine could make the kidneys worse. He also started me on Vitamin D because mine was near 0.
The standard recommendation for stage 3 kidney disease is to watch fluid intake to avoid edema, keep salt intake low to avoid hypertension, and take an anti-hypertensive. Since the kidneys play a major role in maintaining normal blood pressure, and since normal blood pressure is essential to the health of the kidneys, the relationship between the two is a vicious cycle, with the worsening condition of the kidneys worsening the hypertension which damages them. The only way to break this cycle is taking anti-hypertensives.
An additional approach you might want to try is taking the Japanese drug AST-120 (Kremezin), which is a modified charcoal supplement which absorbs the toxins which accumulates in the body from defective renal function and eliminates them through the intestines. Since these toxins also damage the kidneys, absorbing them into the intestines and eliminating them slows the renal decline which proceeds on its own once diabetic renal disease begins. Here is a recent study on AST-120:
Case Rep Nephrol Dial. 2018 Jun 8;8(2):107-111
Importance of AST-120 (Kremezin®) Adherence in a Chronic Kidney Disease Patient with Diabetes.
@mesms01 - I’m not sure if you realize you’re replying to a post that’s almost 6 years old. A great number of those who posted back then no longer visit this forum.
