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ckd stage four!

C

cheza31

Member
hi all im looking to talk to anyone with kidney problems. i have to go see a nephrologist in august and want to know what to expect. i have posted a couple of times but nobody seems to have ckd lol i cant be the only one surely!
 
Maybe title your post "Kidney problems?" I have no idea what CKD means. Would everyone you would like to talk to about kidney problems know what that abbreviation means?

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
have you got a print out of your bloods?

COMMON KIDNEY RELATES TESTS AND PROCEDURES

People with kidney disease undergo a large range of medical tests and procedures. Medical tests are an important part of making an action plan to meet your health care needs. They are needed to confirm a diagnosis, plan treatment or check progress. Some of the most commonly used tests for people with kidney disease are outlined here. Also see Kidney Glossary to find out meanings of terms used in tests.


Tests for kidney function and damage

Blood tests

  • Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) - The best measure of your kidney function. It shows how well your kidneys are cleaning the blood. Your GFR is usually estimated (eGFR) from the results of the creatinine blood test.
eGFR is reported in millilitres per minute per 1.73m2 (mL/min/1.73m2)

A GFR of 100 mL/min/1.73m2 is in the normal range so it is useful to say that 100 mL/min/1.73m2 is about equal to ‘100% kidney function’

A GFR of 50 mL/min/1.73m2 could be called ‘50% kidney function’

  • Creatinine - A waste product made by the muscles. It is usually removed from the blood by the kidneys and passes out in the urine. When the kidneys aren’t working well, creatinine stays in the blood. Creatinine varies with age, gender and body weight so is not an accurate way of measuring overall kidney function. When on dialysis creatinine levels are always high.
  • Urea - A waste product, which is made as the body breaks down protein. High urea levels suggest decreased kidney function.
Urine tests


  • Albumin Creatinine Ratio – Used to measure the amount of albumin (a kind of protein) that leaks into your urine when your kidneys are damaged. A small or ‘micro’ amount of albumin in the urine is called microalbuminuria, and a larger ‘macro’ amount is called macroalbuminuria
  • Urinalysis - An examination of a urine sample to detect medical conditions like kidney and liver disease, diabetes and urinary tract infections. This can be a visual examination for colour and clearness. For example, blood in the urine (haematuria) may make urine red or an infection can make it cloudy. A chemically treated strip or dipstick is used to test for pH, sugar (glucose), blood, bacteria or waste products. A urine sample can be sent to a laboratory for an examination under a microscope or to grow a culture if an infection is suspected.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
cheza31 said:
hi all im looking to talk to anyone with kidney problems. i have to go see a nephrologist in august and want to know what to expect. i have posted a couple of times but nobody seems to have ckd lol i cant be the only one surely!
Click to expand...
Hi there i am in stage 3B and have a GFR of 32, so almost in stage 4. What would you like to know?
 
Great links!

" Less than 1% of the people with CKD are aware they have this condition. "

Probably including me and most of the people on this site!

I will look for my print out to check my eGFR.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
my gfr is 24.9 im waiting to see the kidney specialist in august. I wanted to know what to expect when I see her and how other people are affected by ckd. im finding it hard to do just regular day to day things and im trying so hard to control my bg but they are up and down then this makes me worried of further damage to the kidneys. my urea and creatinine levels are so high and now I have high potassium I just keep thinking what next!
 
GFR = 33, so just on CKD3 side of CKD3/4 border
Dropped urea & creatinine levels by about 40% since diagnosis due to low carb/low Na diet
Nephrologist just playing an observer role as I do most of it myself
She thinks it won't get worse quickly as she suspects the damage was acute not chronic.
 
hi, Have had CKD stage 4 (diagnosed) for 21 years, only have one working kidney, now kidney function has dropped to 15% after recent bout of illness and hospitalisation. Basically my levels stayed very stable, (have been around 25% function for last 10 years) and slightly dropped with each pregnancy I had. No intervention was required by consultants, just ensuring weight, salt intake, cholestorol and blood pressure was kept under control. Any time I have gone, its been a weight, bp and urine test and blood test, and quick chat with docs going over previous results and normally get told to come back in 6 months.

Have appt with my consultant soon as recent events have meant that I am close to end stage renal failure so need to see what has to be done next.
 
thanks for everyones responses I have got my appointment in august but they are worried about my high blood pressure and potassium levels. when I was last in hospital I was told I may need a new kidney but now my levels have dropped slightly so fingers crossed I can manage it for a few years till this has to happen. my gfr is 25
 
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