High BUN and Creatinine Levels

[ginnyrdhap]

I just got a copy of my latest Blood work that my GI ordered. My BUN is 23 and my creatinine is 1.26. Also the Anion Gap was high at 13 and and GFR was low at 45. My GI thought I might just be a little dehydrated. But I drink the same amount of water as usual. When I looked up these values online I read that it could indicate that you are eating a lot of protein, which I am, on the Specific Carbohydrate diet. But I am also concerned about my kidney function because I have strong urgency and frequency to urinate. My bladder (as well as my guts) feel very bloated. I'm seeing the urologist tomorrow for cystoscopy, so I'll show him the blood test results. But in the mean time, I'm just wondering if anyone knows anything about these tests and if my numbers sound like anything to be concerned about. I checked my previous test results and these number were always in the normal range.

 

[ginnyrdhap]

Oh, I forgot to add, at the time the test was done, 11/7/12, I wasn't taking any meds. Only a multivit, miralax, and metamucil.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I had the opposite happen - my BUN and creatinine levels were low when I last got them checked. My BUN was so low in fact that if it dropped any lower, my GI said I would be considered to be malnourished at that point (and I'm in remission, so if I'm borderline-malnourished when in remission then I dread to think what my BUN was doing when I was actively having flares!). I'm on Asacol which can in rare cases cause kidney failure, which is why I had those levels tested. Higher levels like yours might indicate that your kidneys are a bit stressed, I don't know for sure though. Sorry I'm not able to be of more help but I hope everything is okay. Please keep us posted with what the doctor says! Good luck!

 

[sneezey]

I no doctor either, but my understanding is kidney stress is what it means. But what's causing it could be a bunch of things. High protein intake definitely stresses the kidneys, you probably want to scale back on that even if temporarily. From the urgency you mention maybe it's a kidney or bladder infection. The urologist should definitely be able to figure out what the issue is.

 

[ginnyrdhap]

Cat-a-Tonic: thanks for the response. Sorry to hear that your BUN and creatinine are low. Is your Dr. going to adjust your Asacol dosage because of those levels?

sneezey: I appreciate your input also. I'll let you know what the urologist says. I will try to scale back on the protein, but it's hard to find things I can eat that don't cause my symptoms to get worse.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

No, my Asacol would only be adjusted if the BUN & creatinine were high. I guess it's better for them to be low than high so my GI isn't too worried.

As for finding low-protein things you can eat without symptoms, have you tried juicing? There are a few threads about it in the diet & fitness section of the forum. I have a hard time with fruit and veggies, but the juicer takes all the fiber out of them, and fresh homemade juice is always really easy on my tummy. If you don't have a juicer, see if you can borrow one from a friend or if you can find one for cheap second-hand. I got mine for $10 at a garage sale and it was one of the best things I ever bought!

Good luck at the urologist, I hope you can get some answers about this and that it's nothing bad with an easy fix.

 

[ginnyrdhap]

Thanks for the suggestion to juice. I actually have a great one and was doing some juicing a few times a week but then recently got out of it. I love the juice, hate the cleaning of the machine. But I think I need to get back to it. Just needed the motivation.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I usually let my husband clean the juicer. Ha ha. It is a pain - we try to make a big batch when we juice. Drink some right away, and put some in the fridge for later. It keeps for a few days. My mother said she juices every other day - she makes one to drink now and one to put in the fridge to drink tomorrow. So maybe something like that would be easier on you cleaning-wise.

 

[ginnyrdhap]

I never tried that. Duh, that's a great idea. The juice seems to separate after it sits for awhile but I guess you just need to stir it up.

I started thinking about what else could be messing up my kidneys and I realized that maybe the 4x's a week miralax is a problem.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Yes, I stir it well and add a few ice cubes after it's been in the fridge for a bit, and it always tastes just fine. Don't leave it too long, I wouldn't keep it for more than 2 or 3 days tops, but definitely one day in the fridge is fine.

As for the Miralax, I would wager it could be stressing your kidneys through mild dehydration. I'm assuming you're taking it for chronic constipation? If so then hopefully the doctor can suggest something else that would be easier on your kidneys. I tend towards diarrhea so I only take Miralax when I'm doing colonoscopy prep so I am not much help here.