LOW creatinine level??

[alyfaye]

Hi all!

So I finally heard back from my coordinator today and all of my results came back good (these were the initial clearance labs) except for my creatinine level. It was low. I don't know much about creatinine but it was my understanding that a lower number meant more efficient kidneys. I'm wondering if any of you have had the same result? I am going to have to redo my 24 urine test and I want to make sure that I do everything I can to get an accurate number. I'm just so confused about this creatinine thing and my coordinator was no help. It's like she had no clue what a low number meant herself. I'm not sure if it was my blood creatinine level or my urine that was low since both are tested. I'm just confused. Does anyone know more about creatinine levels than I do?

Another thing to consider, I drank my body weight in water about 3 times on the day of my 24 hour urine test. I peed every 10 minutes and my pee was completely clear. However, when I went in to get the blood drawn that is part of the urine test, I had been fasting for 12 hours. It was the same day as my other blood work that required fasting. It's possible that I was dehydrated on that day.

The only advice that my coordinator gave me was to drink a lot of water, which I did the first time. I asked her if maybe I drank too much water and diluted my pee since it was, you know, completely clear and was told that it's impossible to drink too much water. I am at a loss and so afraid that I will do the 24 hour urine test again and get the same result, disqualifying me from being able to donate

***I just recieved my lab results and these are the two tests that show to be low. My blood creatinine or serum creatinine was normal at .76 mg/dl.

Creatinine, Ur 24hr: 527.5 mg/24hr
Creatinine clearance: 48 mL/min

Can anyone help me understand these results?

[Fr Pat]

     I'm no expert, but I had always heard that for the 24-hour urine test one should eat and drink normally so that the results show what your NORMAL  status is. Otherwise the test would be inaccurate as far as showing what your regular day-to-day kidney function is. The purpose is not to PASS the test, but to let the test accurately show how your real-life kidney function is.
    FR. Pat

[alyfaye]

Thanks for the advice! Are you saying that I should NOT drink so much water? My coordinator kept emphasizing that I should drink more water but I don't think that would be possible. I really believe that my urine was diluted because of the amount of water I drank. I want to do the test right so that I can get the most accurate result. I'm just a little confused on how much water I should be drinking 

[Fr Pat]

     From what I read here and there, there seem to be differences of opinion about how much water to drink regularly. I'm just suggesting that the 24-hour test might give a more accurate reading of your kidney health if you took it drinking as much as you usually do every day, neither trying to drink more or drink less that day. Since (if I understand it right) some people do not usually drink as much daily as they ought to, perhaps the nurse just wants to make sure the person being tested is "adequately hydrated"? Perhaps it would be helpful to do the 24-hour collection on a day when you are not changing your usual routine in order to fast for a different test? Anyway, what you want to be sure of from all the tests is that your one remaining kidney IS good enough for your needs and the one you donate IS good enough for the needs of the recipient. If not, the transplant would end up hurting both you and the recipient, which is what all the testing is trying to avoid.
     Hope I'm not just confusing thigs further.
          Fr. Pat