Follow
Share

my mom is 87. she has afib, had chf, and now out of the blue gfr 26.6 bun 26 creat 1.7 bp normal no diabetes. stage 4 chronic kidney disease. surprise! SHE is on lasix 40 kidney dr raised it to 80 mg some fluid in legs. she does not need dialysis. urine and rest of bloodwork good. stay on low sodium diet, maintain normal bp, and sent us home . see in 3 months with more urine and bloodwork again. i am upset i have no support. when she asked dr how am i he replied excellent..........a call to family dr who was not in office about this. nurse stated talk to your kidney dr for concerns. no support. i feel like we are being pushed aside because of mom's age. i am upset and a wreck. please reply with your experiences. i wish everyone good health always. thank you

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Find Care & Housing
Is your mom having symptoms that need to be addressed? Perhaps others with more medical knowledge can address to specific blood test results.

You say she "had" CHF; do you mean she "has" CHF; I don't think it goes away. What was the surprise, the chronic kidney disease? Does she have any dementia? Is her regular doctor a geriatrics specialist?

I'm sorry to ask so many questions, but I'm not understanding the source of your upset.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

My Mom has similar situation as yours -- afib, CHF and kidney disease. Her kidney disease is Stage 5 (GFR 8) but at age 96 she decided against dialysis. She is on Lasix 40 mg and most days I cut the pill in half so she gets 20 mg, because the Lasix "pushes" her kidneys which is additional strain on them. If she starts to get fluid buildup in her legs, I increase the Lasix to the full 40 mg but usually only for about 3 days which so far has been enough to reduce the fluid buildup, because I don't want to continue to "push" her kidneys unless it's necessary. I also make sure she gets some potassium via food (half an orange, half a banana, etc.) on the days when I raise the Lasix dose. I ran all of this past her doctors before I began doing it this way and they approved, and I keep notes so her doctors can see what I did on what dates in case they need that info -- you might want to talk to her doctor and see what he thinks about this as a way of managing her kidneys and fluid buildup (as well as buildup from CHF) issues.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

If you want interpretations of the specific values of tests, you can check
https://labtestsonline.org/. But interpretation of them individually as well as in conjunction with other tests needs to be done by a medical professional. This is not within the province of someone w/o medical knowledge and experience.

Call the office of the doctor who ordered the tests and tell his nurse or nurse practitioner (better yet) that you'd like interpretations. however, if told your mother she's excellent, it might be that taken altogether (tests, her age, condition, etc.) she's all right.

Is there some reason you're specifically concerned? Do you think some aspect of her health hasn't been addressed to the level you feel appropriate? If you're concerned that he/she glossed over the test results, raise that issue specifically. The doctor is really the only one who can give a good perspective b/c he or she has more information on your mother's conditions.

You twice wrote that you have no support - you probably know that doctors are only going to offer limited support within the confines of a visit? You might think about some kind of caregiving support group at which you can discuss your concerns.

Or elaborate more here on what your concerns are - is it just that you don't feel the lab tests provide enough information? What are your other issues of concern?

BTW, I always ask for copies of lab results to be sent to me so I can do my research before the next doctor visit and ask questions then.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Look up the side effects of Lasix. There's lots of them including lower GFR and higher BUN , higher creatinine and low potassium. Anytime you get an Rx, read the patient information sheets. Arm yourself with knowledge and don't be afraid to ask a pharmacist about side effects.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

thank you all. we are going to visit the primary dr in feb. i am just thinking here what if she goes into kidney failure. they don't seem concerned right now, but i sure am. i remember in the hospital one time her kidney function wasn't good and they stopped the lasix all together. she does need it due to chf episode she had last march. it is very scary. has anyone here had a gfr of 26. i would appreciate your experiences and again thank you for responding. it does help
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

well I just looked at my lab results same tests and your numbers are slightly high. example high normal for gfr my lab is 25. but i guess all labs are different
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

helpus, I am sorry I misread the lab values and I posted really bad information.
so don't ever listen to me.I hope things get better and your Dr. will start being more helpful again I am sorry.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter