CKD Stage 3, Age 22 - is this CKD?
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hello Everyone,
A little background about myself:
I do not have diabetes or high blood pressure. I have no family history of CKD. I am 22 years old, Asian. I regularly go to the gym and did not have any signs of CKD until December 2016. I have no pain in my kidneys and mostly have little to no symptoms of CKD (however, I am aware that symptoms may not show until later stages).
I had a blood test back in December, 2016 and it showed a my eGFR levels to be below the normal range. It was around 75 then. I took another blood test in June and my eGFR levels went down to around 60. I started to see a nephrologist in June and he told me to drink more water and take another blood test in September. In September, my eGFR levels went down to 45, putting me in stage 3 CKD. I was also tested for creatine phosphokinase, CK, where my CK levels were 730 (normal range is 20 - 200). My nephrologist told me he believes it is rhabdomyolysis due to overtraining where the muscle is breaking down. However, i am very doubtful it is rhabdomyolysis because I did not have any of the symptoms and do not think I workout hard enough to reach that point.
Now my nephrologist told me stop doing strenuous activity - weightlifting and essentially exercising - and take another blood test and urine test in mid October. (this seems weird to recommend a patient to not exercise). I am constantly worrying about my health and am hoping this is not CKD and just temporary kidney damage due to some cause.
Questions I have:
1) Can people with CKD have a decline in eGFR levels of 30 within just 9 months?
2) Is there any relation between eGFR (or Creatinine; Serum) and Creatine Phosphokinase (CK)?
3) Is my nephrologist overlooking the possibility of CKD? Do I have CKD? Is there no medication available to slow the process of my CKD?
4) What should I do?
Thank you everyone who can help provide insight about my situation.
- Brian
0 likes, 7 replies
Pepasan brian80547
Posted
If you had no symptoms, why was a blood test done?
Why are you more keen on your problem being CKD than other explanations?
If you have a nephrologist, why disbelieve his or her expertise and advice?
I'm sure they didn't mean for you to do no exercise, just stop going to the gym for awhile. Walking, swimming, cycling may be better, at least for a while.
Have you overdone some of the dietary habits sometimes indulged in by gym / weight training enthusiasts?
brian80547 Pepasan
Posted
Hey Pepasan,
The first blood test was part of a regular physical. As far as my knowledge of kidney problems go, I thought there were only two causes to a decrease in kidney function: CKD and Acute Kidney Injury. I do not have symptoms of either CKD or Acute Kidney Injury, which makes me lean towards CKD since it can have no symptoms. My primary doctor initially diagnosed me with CKD and then referred me to the nephrologist. I am not doubting my nephrologist's knowledge at all, but I am slightly skeptical at his diagnosis as I do not have the symptoms of rhabdomyolysis. I did take supplements, which may have played a role in the kidney function decrease. My nephrologist is aware of all the supplements I have taken, which I have stopped taking since December.
Pepasan brian80547
Posted
As far as I know, CKD isn't reparable, but as we can all function on just one kidney, having half function isn't too much of a problem. 60 eGFR is OK, but as you are so young I agree there is cause for concern. This must be why you have been referred to the nephrologist. My eGFR went down from 53 to 44 last year in the space of 3 months, probably due to my age (67) and some repeated urinary infections. My gp is monitoring my kidney function and my urologist is aware of the levels, but neither seem too concerned at this stage. I hope you can get some reassurance that the nephrologist is being methodical and trying to identify the cause of your problem and that you eventually get the answers you need. It's easy to say try not to worry, be patient, but clearly you are doing the best thing to get things sorted, and I wish you well.
stephen_25073 brian80547
Posted
Hi Brian
Sorry to hear of your plight and while I can't offer a diagnosis I can tell you your situation was very similar to mine. Some years ago I was informed my blood pressure was high and was referred to a nephrologist. I was never given any numbers until I reached stage 5 and then I paid attention to my eGFR and creatinine levels. I am now on dialysis and waiting on a transplant. I did feel like a phoney turning up every 3 months for a renal appointment and last year I attended and told my doctor I felt awful. I was then operated on to have a fistula made and commenced dialysis in January this year. I'm sorry as I said I can't tell you if this is typical or not but I thought id give a brief insight into my experience as it does seem similar to your own. If I can help any more please feel free and ask away
All the best to you Stephen
brian80547 stephen_25073
Posted
Thanks for sharing your experience and process with your kidneys. Did you have any noticeable symptoms leading up to when you found out you were at stage 5?
helen54849 brian80547
Posted
Firstly exercise can effect GFR and creatinine which are both linked, as your GFR decreases your creatinine rises. It is not silly of a medical professional to advise you to stop exercise for a period in between blood tests as they are trying to see if there is a link between you exercising and your issues. I would take their advice and then you can see, your GFR etc can also be affected if you are dehydrated which may be the case if you exercise a lot so a lot of what you have been told makes perfect sense. Yes your GFR can drop that quickly right now you need to find out why. So do as you have been told and stop all exercise, ensure you drink plenty of water have your repeat test in October and take it from there. If your results are not the same or have declined further you will have further investigation, your team sound like they are on the ball you need to listen to what they say. I would not worry until you have something to worry about. Good luck
brian80547
Posted
I just wanted to update all of you on my status. I redid the blood test last week after not doing any type of exercise for a month. My blood test results came out showing my creatinine levels down to 1.1 and my kidney function almost back in the normal range (eGFR 81 right now). My nephrologist was correct in diagnosing me with rhabdomyolysis. I also did an ultrasound to see if there was any kidney damage and it came out negative. Thank you everyone for your replies.