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Mum told creatinine level high..confused

Posted , 3 users are following.

angel40049
angel40049

Hi my mum is 86 and has cervical cancer and now has problems with her kidneys but she doesnt have diabetes or high blood pressure...her potassium is normal and she is very weak and has lost her appetite. The dr says she has mild to moderate kidney failure..she went into full blown kidney failure when the tumor blocked off her uretheras but recovered well from that ...im concerned as to why her kidneys are failing as she doesnt have symptoms like others do for this stage...i just hope she wont be weak forever and will pick up her appetite...she had radiotherapy for bone mets and that might be knocking her around..is it true that most elderly people who have kidney problems die from heart disease or heart attack...any advice would be greatly appreciated

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • louise5027
    louise5027 angel40049

    Posted

    I don't think its true that most elderly people die from heart disease etc but it is `normal' for elderly people to get kidney problems. Also it is quite possible that her kidneys won't deteriorate at all. Has the doctor given her any medication and I would be asking exactly what he means by mild to moderate. Kidney disease usually has five stages;so ask what stage she is at. It could be that the kidney problems are are result of the damage from the blockage. You don't say what problems she has with them so if you give more info others may be able to give you more advice.
  • helen54849
    helen54849 angel40049

    Posted

    Hi,

    I am sorry to hear about your mums health issues.  I know what you are referring to when you say old people with kidney issues die of a heart attack.  Basically if you have bad kidneys you are more at risk of a heart attack or stroke, so if you have heart issues as well as renal failure and you are older you are more than likely to have a heart attck before your kidneys will fail so the medial professionals say.  As Louise has said I would ask what stage renal failure she has as you say if her potassium is ok its more than likely in the early stages.  You will probably find that its the radiotherepy thats causing the appitite loss and tiredness, a young person would feel this way never mind someone of more mature years.  Can you provide the creatinine results, to put it in perspective mine was nearly 500 and I was put on dialysis.  

  • angel40049
    angel40049

    Posted

    Hi Louise and Helen thanks for your replies.  My mums creatininie level was at 188 at the last blood test but i read that its the eGFR reading that is critical and the most worrying but i dont know what that is at this stage.

    Also because of her cancer im worried that it may not be her kidneys causing her the symptoms but the dreaded cachexia that comes at the end of cancer and kills most people.  Im hoping its the kidneys that are causing her problems as harsh at that sounds but at least there may be some hope to help her feel better if it is.

    She has some protein in her blood and slighly anemic too which i think is a sign of kidney problems and may be why she feels so weak. Also mum hasnt had any heart problems. I was told her kidney problems may be due to just normal ageing of the kidneys too.  I just hate seeing her so weak and not eating much..she as no appetite but she is  trying to force herself and is eating a bit more now than a week ago and she isnt losing anymore weight. I know that with cachexia people keep losing weight even when they are eating but mum lost some weight cause she wasnt eating...and im also worried about her muscles wasting away too. As with the radiation she only had one session a month ago and im not sure if she would still be feeling the effects of that or not.  Just so worried. She was in such good health before she got the cancer. Maybe her kidneys never really recovered from being blocked or were damaged beyond repair but without having a cause for the kidney problems im at a loss. Just hope the tumor in her pelvis hasnt come back and is starting to block of the tubes again. Just wish the drs were more understanding and caring but all they can say is she is too old and should not be here anymore...hate them for saying those things..everyone whether 1 or 100 should be treated exactly the same and not just told to go home and die.!!!

    • louise5027
      louise5027 angel40049

      Posted

      I can only imagine the worry but this is being made worse by the doctors attitude. Everyone regardless of age should be fully informed. Can you ask for an appointment for you to sit down and discuss this, if this doesn't happen I would write a letter of 'complaint' Ask what her Gfr is as this will give you a really good indication of the level of ckd. You don't say where you are which would help others as results are read differently in countries. I'm glad she's putting a little weight on and hope she continues to improve.
    • angel40049
      angel40049 louise5027

      Posted

      hi Louise

      I am in Australia and I am so sick of these doctors attitudes towards my mum.. the oncologist is the same.. he keeps questioning why my mum is still here.. he gave her a year to live in October 2013 and told mum to enjoy Xmas cauwe the next Xmas was a long way away... and every time she goes to see him it's like he is looking for something on her like more cancer spread and seems annoyed when he can't find anything. Her gp says there is nothing he can do for her kidneys but if you have to die then kidney kfaikures a good way to go!!! OMG I'm sure there is something that can be done to at least stop her kidneys getting any worse.. I also read it could juat be ageing kidneys which most of the time don't progress into end stage

      I just hope it's not because the cancer has come back and she has the dreaded wasting away before people die from cancer

      Have u heard of anyone who has been weak and lost their appetite due to kidney problems and been treated and got their energy and appetite back? mum is anaemic too which could be why she is weak and tired. hope this is why causs then she could have some iron tabs and might feel better

    • louise5027
      louise5027 angel40049

      Posted

      Hi, your doctors sound awful. People with Ckdcan suffer from anemia, it's worth asking a pharmacist about iron tablets or request a blood test to confirm. Your mum has been through such a lot that the symptoms she has could simply be her body trying to get better which I imagine would be a slow process given her illness and age.

      The term chronic kidney disease given to people with kidney problems is an unfortunate term as I implies something serious when infact it isn't necessarily so,the seriousness is down to individual results. It may be that your mum's isn't as bad as you imagine so you really need clarification. Can you ask for a second opinion?

    • angel40049
      angel40049 louise5027

      Posted

      Hi Louise

      My mum had another blood test and it showed that her creatinine levels were at 170 not 188 and have been at that level for over a year. But she now has other problems...her iron was tested and she has virtually no iron in her body so i now know why she is so weak and tired.  She will be getting an iron infusion done soon as this is better than taking an iron supplement cause these can cause upset stomach.  She has also found out that her sodium levels are very low and has to get them back up or go to hospital for a sodium iv infusion as well.  I was told she needs to cut back on the water cause her kidneys the way they are are having to work even harder to expel the extra water and diluting her sodium.  All of this is happening cause her damn doctor told her she didnt need a pap test anymore once you hit 70 years old.  If she had been tested the cancer would have been found and cured and her kidneys wouldnt be suffering like they are now.  It makes me so mad that all this could have been prevented if her doctor had done his duty of care... its so frustrating.

    • louise5027
      louise5027 angel40049

      Posted

      Hi,its good they have identified the low iron etc,she should feel much better when she's had the infusions. We use the Gfr figure to determine the level of kidney disease so could you ask her doctor what hers is. Mine is around the 50 mark which means in level3 but I have remained there ever since diagnosis back in 2000.
    • angel40049
      angel40049 louise5027

      Posted

      Hi Louise

      Its not good..her gfr is 23 but im not sure if she has kidney disease or whether its damage from the tubes being crushed and having gone into kidney failure...her new doctor who is awesome and wonderful doesnt seem too worried because he says the readings are that true because of everything she is going through at the moment..im so glad i found this new doctor he is very thorough and very nice and also practices and believes in alternative therapies and good nutrition..i just hope my mum isnt going to feel weak and tired like this for a long time..she seems a bit confused at times too and her memory is shocking...but i read that low sodium can cause this problem so i want that sorted out asap..its funny how they say u need alot of fluid to flush the kidneys out but when you have low sodium and kidney problems you are supposed to cut back on the water so the kidneys are working harder to expel the extra water...sort of a catch 22 really..also have her on a new alternative therapy for her cancer cause all the other doctors and her oncologist have given up on her...they didnt even care about treating the low iron and low sodium..i guess that was because they think she is going to die soon anyway so they just didnt care...appauling i think..i just hope its not too late for  my mum..i just know she has many years left...

    • angel40049
      angel40049

      Posted

      sorry meant to say her readings arent a true indication...ooops
    • louise5027
      louise5027 angel40049

      Posted

      Hi,I'm really glad she's got a new doctor,that in itself can help. The low gfr is a sign of kidney disease but as you say is probably from the cancer so there's no reason or should get worse. I hope she's on the mend and you both get many more years together.The term kidney disease can be frighting but it is just a generic term for any imparement even if it's mild.
  • helen54849
    helen54849 angel40049

    Posted

    Hi,

    I'm glad your mum is having her iron sorted out, I was a bit worried when you said your doctor uses alternative therepies? You have to be really careful what you put into your body when you have kidney problems and never change your diet unless its to counteract an issue, for example if potassium is at the 6 mark you would limit your intake of foods that contain potassium or the same for phosphate but unless there is anything wrong don't remove any food groups.  With a GFR of 23% she will feel week and she will have memory problems.  As my GFR dropped I was week, tired, forgot everything and couldn't bare to look at food never mind eat it, the thought of it made me feel sick.  I'm not allowed to take any medication accept paracetamol as everything else can effect the kidneys so I wouldn't risk taking alternative anything you could make the problem worse.  Once I started dialysis I started to feel a bit better.  Also you say its fine as they are not true readings, a GFR is never 100% accurate unless it is done under xray conditions with a dye however its not that far off that its inaccurate.

    good luck with everything

    • angel40049
      angel40049 helen54849

      Posted

      Hi

      My mum had another blood test the other weak and when we got the results i was shocked. Her creatinine level has gone down from 170 to 120 and her GFR which was 23 back then has now risen to 36 which has put her out of stage 4 and into stage 3. Im not sure whats going on but i was under the impression that when you had kidney failure or disease it doesnt improve.  Well the tests say her kidneys have improved.  Im now wondering if mum even has kidney disease or whether her kidneys are still recovering from being cut off when she had the cervical tumor.  I just hope they keep improving but she is still very fatigued and her legs are very weak but she had her iron injection this weak and is going on vitamin D tabs as she is low. Her potassium is normal too.

      Can i ask if anyone else has experienced very weak legs and is there anything that can be done for this...im hoping once the iron kicks in she will improve but that may take awhile yet. I also read that arthritis in the back can cause weak legs which mum has in her spine.

    • angel40049
      angel40049

      Posted

      Oh i also forget to mention that my mum doesnt have diabetes or high blood pressure which are two major causes of kidney disease. Her blood pressure is acutally quite low and her sodium is low too so her wonderful new dr has told her to up her salt intake which  pleased her because she likes her salt.  Her calcium is also good. So once again i am at a loss at to whether mum has kidney failure or disease or this is an acute problem that can be treated and reversed.  I just wish she could have a bit more energy so she can at least get around without a walking stick and get back out into the garden which she misses so much sad
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