1. Community
  2. Genito-urinary/Kidney
  3. Kidney Failure and CKD

High Creatinine Affecting eGFR

Posted , 4 users are following.

ann89493
ann89493

First post here. I am 83 year old female who lost left kidney to Cancer in June 2017 after years of UTIs. My eGFR has dropped to 34 after post op of 39. Over the year my Creatinine has risen and in April was 135. Potassium and Sodium are in accepted range but Serum urea and Creatinine are affecting my eGFR. I see a Kidney nurse every 6 months but have not seen either a nephrologist or Renal dietitian. i have regular cystoscopies due to the UTIs and the fact that I had bladder cancer in 2007 which was cleared up without problems. It was the urologist who referred me for a CT scan which i had today without any contrast dye because the radiologist told me the dye could damage the kidney.

My BP is quite high 165/89. I have a pacemaker and an artificial mitral valve.

I have been told that BP affects the kidney but as i already take losartan 100mg, Bisoprolol 5mg and Furusemide 40mg. I also take warfarin. i do not think they can give me any more meds to control it.

I have changed my diet and am no longer eating meat, trying to drink about 6 pints of water a day and I try to walk 30 minutes a day.

I wouldlike to improve my kidney function if that is possible, but that is not going to happen with my creatinine so high!

Is  there anything else i can do to improve things? i would appreciate any suggestions.

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • LynQ
    LynQ ann89493

    Posted

    The measurement of creatinine is involved in the the formula used to determine your GFR so they will be related. Reducing your blood pressure is the best thing to help to preserve your kidney.  I take 100 mg Losartan but also Bendroflumiazide and Moxonidine and it is this last that finally got my BP under control.  I was advised by my nephrologist who I see every 4 months now.  I am a 75 ye old female and my GFR is 23%.  I have been quite stable in Kidney function for around 10 years now.  I suggest you ask for an appointment with a consultant who can advise you on reducing your BP.  Good luck with it.
  • rick39522
    rick39522 ann89493

    Posted

    Ann our stories are very similar.  I had my kidney removed in July of 2017.  My egfr numbers were just exactly like yours ever since.  At first 35, then leveled out at about the 37 to 38 range.  They advised me to drink 70 ounces of water per day and my gfr went to 43.  Then the next test where I did not drink so much, it went back to 38.  Without a doubt your blood pressure needs better control and absolutely can be improved.  Your medications no longer work.  This happened to me also.  For years I took 20 mg of Lisinopril twice a day and had great pressure.  After the kidney removal it went way up.  We tried a lot of medications.  Finally we went back to the Linsinopril and added 5 mg of amlodipine twice a day.  It is very low now.  So see a primary care physician or a cardiologist and get this under control.  You take furosemide!  I did too, but 3 days before the kidney removal and ever since they stopped it.  The kidney doctor, the urologist, the primary care say to NEVER take a diruretic with just one kidney.  It will make all your kidney function tests terrible.  When we were struggling to find a good combination of meds to control my pressure in December I asked the cardiologist about maybe trying a diruretic.  He took blood tests first.  Then he had me try it for 10 days.  Then blood tests again.  The second blood test the numbers were out of control.  Stopped the diruretic.  You can definitely eat meat ann.  Just watch how much protein you take in each day.  SMALL portions.  You are 83 and your numbers are doing fine for just one kidney.  I am 68 and pray each night my numbers match yours when I am 83.
    • ann89493
      ann89493 rick39522

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply Ricky. Doctors keep me on diuretic because of my heart failure. I have an artificial mitral valve and three stents in my heart and I have heart failure which sounds bad but I am quite well ! The doctor who supervises the kidney nurse I saw even advised the GPto put my Furusemide dose back to 40mg a day although it had been reduced after the kidney removal. I do have a good cardiologist and I will make an early appointment so I can try to sort my BP out. I am impressed with the useful replies I have received here. Thank you all.

       

  • marj01201
    marj01201 ann89493

    Posted

    Ann,

    I agree with the others, the key to improving your creatinine (which will improve your eGFR too) is to lower your blood pressure.

    My nephrologist had me taking furosemide for blood pressure management too. I see a new nephrologist since last August. The first thing my new nephrologist did was discontinue the furosemide. My creatinine improved from 4.65 to 2.75 with an improvement in my eGFR from 9 to 18.

    In my case my blood pressure was running too low. I was also experiencing sudden plummets in my blood pressure (i.e., it would drop from 90/62 to 64/48 without warning) 4 to 5 times a day. Now that I am no longer taking furosemide or any other blood pressure medications my BP has improved. It comes in pretty consistently st 115/68 to as high as 120/72. My new nephrologist is happy with it in this range. I certainly feel better with it in this range. And, as my nephrologist predicted, the improvement in my blood pressure has caused an improvement in my renal function.

    Your BP challenges are just the opposite of mine. But from my understanding both low and high blood pressure are equally hard on our kidneys and can damage them. So, anything you can do to improve your BP will help your kidneys. As others have said, your doctors may need to try different BP meds or different combinations/dosages of BP meds for you.

    For me it is also important that I follow a low sodium diet as well as drink a specific amount of fluid on a daily basis, I'm not sure what you've been told to do along those lines, but it might be worth talking about those issues with your medical team as well.

    However, I agree with Rick. Your kidney is actually going well at this point. I've still got both kidneys and am turning 65 in August. I would love to have as much function as you do! So just keep doing what you are doing. Talk with your medical team about ways to improve your BP. And keep walking🐶

    Marj

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.