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Confused

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Deb-davis793
Deb-davis793

Ckd stage 3

Hi , I'm a lot confused about blood results and the minefield of ckd . I feel like things aren't going so well sometimes . However I do have High bp that's responding to medication .

New symptoms muscle weakness & twitches , pins and needles , fatigue and heart palpitations . Tummy pains Insomnia

Latest blood results

Potassium 3.2

gfr 48 reducing every blood test

Serum creatinine 90

I read somewhere that potassium is low if it's 3.2 . I'm seeing nephrologist in august .

Initially he said I have ckd stage 3 mildly .

What does that mean ! I'm not sure .

Many thanks for any info

Debs

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • LynQ
    LynQ Deb-davis793

    Posted

    Hello Debs,

    CKD has 5 Stages.

    Stage 1  Normal GFR is greater than 90-Normal

    Stage 2 Mild CKD GFR= 60-89

    Stage 3A Moderate CKD GFR=45-59

    Stage 3B Moderate CKD GFR=30-44

    Stage 4 Severe CKD GFR= 15-29

    Stage 5 End Stage GFRis less than 15

    Things to remember.

    Many people at Stage 3  (about a third never progress further. Kidneys decline with age. You don't usually have many symptoms until Stage 4 except perhaps tiredness.  However, you need to keep your BP at lower than around 130/80.  You need to watch out for CKD related anaemia and get it treated if your haemoglobin falls. It can be very scary when you first find out and many symptoms can be due to anxiety or other causes.  Most people find their life is not very much affected until the later stages.  Worry makes it worse though it can be hard not to..

    • Deb-davis793
      Deb-davis793 LynQ

      Posted

      Thank you lynne

      It's good to see the numbers you put , it's felt like a lot of info but also not enough info . Really confusing . I will see gp about heart palpitations as I do have ectopic heart beat too . Peace of mind . Thanks for taking time to write , really greatful

      Debs

  • sonia68053
    sonia68053 Deb-davis793

    Posted

    Everyone loses some kidney function as they age with no apparent ill-effects/symptoms. Once eGFR shows signs of dropping fairly quickly, along with other things like Creatinine rising rapidly, nephrologists begin to keep a closer watch on blood results because, at the moment, little can be done to repair damaged kidneys.

    Your heart needs potassium. Damaged kidneys cannot handle excreting excess potassium. Your body uses what potassium it needs and excretes the rest. Pot. of 3.2 is low for a healthy person. For someone at Stage 4 CKD, pot.needs to be below 5. Only your nephrologist can advise you what the right level FOR YOU would be, taking into account the rest of the blood results.

    (In passing, at end stage CKD on dialysis, I managed to overdo the potassium but by eating too many cashew nuts and bananas!)

    Stay interested but lose the anxiety!

    Wish you well.

    • Deb-davis793
      Deb-davis793 sonia68053

      Posted

      Thank you for taking time to reply . I will bare all that in mind . I do have an appt in Augusta so will maybe write all my questions down this time , I'll ask about potassium too levels , really helpful

      Thanks again Sonia

  • helen54849
    helen54849 Deb-davis793

    Posted

    Hi,

    Potassium is normal between 3-5, your creatinine is not worryingly high so I wouldn't worry about either of those figures. Your symptoms could be linked to other issues and please bare in mind that certain BP meds can reduce your kidney function and cause all kinds of nasty side effects.

    There are many BP meds on the market so it may be worth trying different ones, it took me ages to find bp meds that worked that didn't cause me to feel like rubbish and I no Mrs O will back me up as she has had the same awful trouble.

    • Deb-davis793
      Deb-davis793 helen54849

      Posted

      Thanks for that . It's reassuring . I did change bp meds . So it could be that . I do have ectopic heart beat too . My potassium has reduced slowly but. contimuously since 2014 . A good year befor any diagnosis of high bp or kidney disease . But I probably had both at that time . Gp and nephrologist in next few weeks so will discuss with them to , I do feel a sense of relief , so thank you . A productive afternoon as far as I'm concerned 😊

    • helen54849
      helen54849 Deb-davis793

      Posted

      Aw glad its helped a little, scary stuff all the figures and things.  Just watch your potassium as if it goes too low that is as bad as too high Bananas and chocolate are high in potassium.  Dont go over board but to get it up a little eating these in moderadtion will help before you start merily mucnching your way through these foods just check with your neph next week x

       

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