Acute CKD - advice wanted
Posted , 9 users are following.
Hi, Everybody,
I searched before posting, so hope I'm not asking something that's already been answered.
Yesterday, my labs showed 1.46 Creatinine, 52 GFA. I looked up over 6 years of previous labs, including one from June 2016 which all showed Creatinine of either 1.0 or 1.1 and GFA from 77-66.
I have been taking more Ibuprofen than before, but never more than 800 mg/day. Could this be the culprit?
If not, what could cause such a dramatic increase in 7 months? Mentally, I handled this much better yesterday than today for some reason. Any ideas much appreciated.
BTW, I turn 60 this week. Happy ____ing Birthday, right?
- Forrest
1 like, 44 replies
rocky31676 forrestm
Posted
Having said that, it is difficult to say if 800mg /day could damage the kidneys, because aging also makes a difference in kidney function that decreases every year by one to five percent or so. Maybe it could be a combination of several factors. Anything else you can think of?
forrestm rocky31676
Posted
kathi70354 forrestm
Posted
First of all remember that responses to questions in this forum are from people with similar issues. . .not doctors. So, what I have to tell you is only that which both my urologist and nephrologist have told me. Never ever take medications with ibuprofen in them. Also, review your lab work. . .blood tests and urine analysis. Learn to read them. Are your sodium, potassium, etc. in sync? If not, adjust your diet to bring them in line. Above all. . .DRINK WATER!! Coffee and tea don't count. I am a 73 year old female who has lived her entire life with one kidney. After a FUN time in college when I did not watch my health I got smart and adhered to what I have told you. Last GFR was 39 and I know this will go down with age. BTW Happy Birthday!!
forrestm kathi70354
Posted
Most helpful, Kathi. As posted, I've made wholesale changes starting right after my results. You've done well handling the things you could.
You remind me of my college days. The first semester was a wakeup call, and my grades were poor. After that, I got serious and shaped up.
TCup kathi70354
Posted
Why doesn't tea and coffee count? I only drink coffee as I hate water on its own!
kathi70354 TCup
Posted
They are both diuretics. I agree that water on its own isn't that great! To help me get down my required 70 oz. a day I squirt lemon juice in the water. . .it helps!!
TCup forrestm
Posted
I too have been taking nsaids (in my case Nurofen aprox 2000mg a day for the past month or so) and I am ckd stage 3b. My doc hasn't been concerned about my kidneys so I never really thought about the Nurofen causing any damage to my kidneys until now so Ithink I will try and cut down. I only take them because I suffer from severe vit d deficiency and so I have painful bones and joints. And to be honest, the Nurofen has really helped wth the pain but obviously, at the same, they are harming my kidneys. I am due another blood test in April once my course of vit d supplements is complete so I will know then if any damage has been done.
I hope you get to the bottom of what is causing your levels to worsen. Hopefully if you cut down on the nsaids you take they will start to improve again and you feel better.
Happy birthday too x
TCup
Posted
Oh and my doc never warned me to not take nsaids - infact he has not shown any concern over my kidneys and I have not been referred to a specialist. So how are we expected to know what not to take or eat? I bet there are lots of people out there taking nsaids for all sorts of reasons and who also have kidney problems unknown to them! Scary when you think about it! I only had my bloods checked because I was tired all the time and the doc wanted to see if I was anemic. It was from those bloods he discovered I was at ckd stage 3b and had a severe vit d deficiency of <8!
forrestm TCup
Posted
Right, very scary. I live in Texas, a not particularly healthy place overall.
My error was not knowing about long-term NSAID dangers. As I posted to the forum, I've made wholesale changes to fight this thing. Best to you, too.
LynQ forrestm
Posted
Ibuprofen could certainly be the culprit. You should stop taking it. Only paracetamol is a safe pain killer. Hopefully yout GFR will come back up again. Don't want to worry you but any NSAID such as Ibuprofen can damage your kidneys if you take it for too long. Unfortunately, if you have pain (and I do, too), you have to seek other remedies. Acupucture has helped for me.
TCup LynQ
Posted
TCup LynQ
Posted
LynQ TCup
Posted
TCup LynQ
Posted
Thanks I will do. I have just been taking them for about a month
forrestm LynQ
Posted
Good to hear from you. I will do exactly that. Please note I've used Ibuprofen (far below the max) for 8 years +. I can see how long-term effects can show up, but don't see how it could happen between to labs which were only 7 months apart.
Good health to you.
TCup forrestm
Posted
LynQ forrestm
Posted
Lots of things can affect your GFR temporarily. Things like infections for example, but the test result can also be affected by whether you were sufficiently hydrated on the day- I always drink lots of water before and also by if you have eaten a lot of protein up to 14 hours before. NSAIDS are a really important cause of kidney deterioration though so it is good that you are stopping them. I expect that you have access to topical ibuprofen that you just rub on the affected joint. My consultant says that's OK in moderation, as it is absorbed by the skin and very little reaches your kidneys. It's worth a try if you are in lots of pain. I really need a knee joint replacement but have been advised that my risk is too high for surgery so I use that a bit. it seems to help. I also have acupuncture for the pain. It has helped me but does not help everyone. I wass very sceptical when I started but it really helped. I hope your GFR recovers.
forrestm LynQ
Posted
Yes, I've been wracking my brain to remember what my hydration, protein intake, etc., was prior to the sample. I'm about 99% sure I was somewhat dehydrated and know I had taken Ibuprofen regularly between that date and the previous lab test.
I wasn't aware of the topical, but will switch to Tylenol just to be safe, and even then use minimally. Given my age, I know a few people who have had knee surgery. Results have been mixed.
TCup LynQ
Posted
Aw I hope you get you knee joint surgery. It is awful to live in pain, esp wth ckd, when yu cannot take strong pain killers. I hope you get sorted soon. Isn't life cruel at times!
forrestm TCup
Posted