High creatinine in already complicated situation

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Ethel
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2017 5:14 pm

High creatinine in already complicated situation

Post by Ethel »

Hello!

I recently underwent a colectomy operation during which my entire colon and rectum were removed. My stool waste is being eliminated through a disposable bag. People who've had this operation usually find that because most of the liquid intake is normally absorbed into the body in the colon, they now have to urinate considerably less often, while a lot of urine gets into the bag, together with the stool. This has not been my case. I find that I have to urinate more often than before instead of less, while the bag gets mostly the stool waste. At first I was glad because I thought that this meant that somehow my upper intestine had quickly adapted to absorbing liquids. However, all the three monthly blood tests after the operation have shown high creatinine levels (1.19 mg/dL, 1/18 mg/dL, 1.29 mg/dL on a scale with the normal being between 0.51 and 0.95). Before the operation my creatinine level was always normal. Sometime after the operation I also developed a problem with urinal incontinence, but have been able to control it much better after increasing the amount of salt in my diet a bit (although I hadn't had problems with my salt level, again not characteristically for people after colectomy).

At first, I thought that maybe without a colon, my upper intestine began sending too much liquid to the kidneys, and they couldn't keep up. However, as I read some posts on this forum, it appeared to me that, to the contrary, an insufficient amount of liquid causes creatinine level to rise. Or maybe too much liquid can cause it too?

Ever since the colectomy operation my diet has been very limited, but I eat only healthy and easy to digest foods (boiled chicken with chicken broth, wild caught salmon from cans, hard boiled eggs, butter, red caviar, white bread, buckwheat porridge, boiled potatoes and carrots, broth made from (defrosted) frozen strawberries and cranberries). I can't eat anything raw, except bananas, which I eat regularly, and sometimes a skinned peach or 2-3 skinned apricots. I don't eat anything fried, roasted, grilled, seasoned, pickled or smoked. No salad dressing, ketchup, pepper, garlic or sauce or seasoning of any type, except for some clear, tasteless olive oil. No junk food of any kind. No sodas of any kind either.

I don't have any other symptoms associated with kidney problems. My urine looks normal and doesn't have any abnormal smell. I don't have any pain. However, the suddenly and consistently abnormal creatinine levels worry me. The last thing I need after all my cancer problems are kidney problems!

I had a CT Scan and an MRI with contrast injection before my last blood test. Could that have caused the additional rise of creatinine level from 1.18 to 1.29?

I apologize for such a long post. I'm new to this and don't know which information is relevant.

Thank you for any information and advice. I do have an appointment with an urologist next month, but he specializes in incontinence rather than creatinine problems. In any case, I'd like to get some understanding of the situation before that, if possible. How serious do you think my problem is? What do you think I should do to solve it? Thank you again!
wagolynn
Posts: 1362
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:49 pm

Re: High creatinine in already complicated situation

Post by wagolynn »

It looks to me as though you are still on the recovery diet, I would think, you would be best to discus your problems with your support team and/or consultant.

It usually takes a while for your body, and digestive system to recover from the operation/s, all systems will be disrupted for a while.

Best wishes.
Ethel
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2017 5:14 pm

Re: High creatinine in already complicated situation

Post by Ethel »

Thank you very much for your reply!

I'll likely be on this or similar diet for the rest of my life. A high level of creatinine is not normal for people recovering from my operation. When it does happen, it's usually associated with dehydration, but I don't think it's the case with me. Of course, I'll be discussing it all with the doctors. I just wanted a little advance information from people familiar with kidney issues, regarding how serious this is and whether I can possibly do anything about it right away.

Thank you very much again for taking the time to read and to respond.
wagolynn
Posts: 1362
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:49 pm

Re: High creatinine in already complicated situation

Post by wagolynn »

Talk to your medical team, you should eventually move onto a, 'normal' healthy diet, more towards 'five-a-day', if only to keep the rest of your digestive system healthy.

Best wishes.
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