Mild kidney damage/stage 3a

I believe creatine levels can vary quite a bit for several reasons, including what you eat. Here is an article that may help explain this:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3383162/

@livinglifeodb Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease can certainly send us into a tailspin, as you have experienced. I am glad to know your stage is 3A at this point, and now you have the opportunity to slow any progression.

As the article @donsunlover linked shows, it is important to consider the overall lab results, not necessarily specific values. Likewise, looking at trends in results is important, unless there is a dramatic change.

Now is the time to take control over your situation. Following a good moderate exercise plan, keeping stress levels at bay, and following a good renal diet, will all go a long way to slow progression of kidney disease. If your CKD is the result of high blood pressure, getting and keeping that under control is paramount! We have a few great threads in this group that talk about our diets and what works for people. Please take a look through them and see how you can fit that into your lifestyle! It's a balancing act, and we need to work at it, but the rewards are better health.
Ginger

Hi there. Sounds like your getting some good advice here. I would also ask what your age is? As we age our kidney function naturally declines. Eating clean and very little, if any red meat ,excercising and getting plenty of water spread out t/o the day will go a long way toward taking some of the workload off our poor little kidneys. And, as mentioned, looking at your trend line of egfr and creatinine will give you a longer view. You could also have your urologist order a mag 3 screening on your actual kidney function and develop a timeline with that as well. If you need help with diet of excercising plans feel free to ask me . All the best Johnmacc

@livinglifeodb

The best test as I am told by my PA nephrologist is the Cystatin C lab test marker which checks for future kidney problems especially those with high blood pressure and/or type 2 diabetic high A1C concerns. The eGFR works in tandem with creatinine measurement and is quite often associated with levels of hydration. Regardless of which one or both you have done, the most important factor is the trend of these numbers over time that count the most, not just one at any one time.

Those that answered previously have offered positive comments as well.

In total agreement with the above comment. I had a kidney transplant one and half years ago, I was able to delay my transplant till age of 73 by incorporating a plant based diet along with fish protein. Plant based diet in my own opinion helped me overall. I had tailspin due to the fact that I experience toxemia eclampsia in my younger years and also was breast cancer survivor. Check into a plant based diet with a kidney dietician. Even if you don't totally eliminated animal protein, if you cut down significantly this may lower your creatinine numbers. I have incorporated the use of tofu cooking meals. IT' all how you season tofu and incorporate it into different recipes. Library has load of recipe books using Tofu/ My favorite is used in stirfrys and to make delicious chicken salad. Season is the key again. In my situation. IT was my mind telling me I craved animal protein not my body. I am ever so glad I turned the corner delaying my kidney transplant for years using plant based diet. The craving was gone for meat. My doctor wa very happy.

So glad for you! Latest research seems to point pretty definitely towards plant based diet for best results. Phosphorous from plants not as readily absorbed as from animal products so even though content appear high, not absorbed in the same way.

@donsunlover are you talking about creatine or do you mean creatinine?

They are related. Creatinine is what shows up on the bood test.

Creatine is an amino acid that is made primarily in the liver. It is then transported to your muscles, where it is used for energy and muscle activity. As an amino acid, creatine can do great things for your body, while creatinine is a waste product that occurs due to creatine breakdown in muscle cells

I am 88 years old my eGFR was 38. I started to exercise, walk and most of all I started to read labels on all foods including sodium phosphorus, protein and potassium and got. My eGFR up to 53. Personally, I think the food we eat has a lot to do with what our eGFR.

Thank you for this website to provide reader to a clear insight about creatine levels. Understanding the reason nephrologists/dietician's explain to patients the reason to limit animal protein in diet is one part to greater understanding creatine levels are in our labs.