To be freaking out about blood results

[NoTvNoWifi]

I asked my doctor to do some bloods for reassurance after some weird bad health things last year. My results have come back normal except for kidney function which was borderline (3.2 where normal is 3.5). I am so scared but trying to be rational and think it is due to antivirals and steroids I have been on since November for shingles. Not sure this is the right place but hoping mumsnetters will give me back perspective and tell be iabu to be afraid!

I don't think a borderline result should be much cause for concern, have you had an appointment with your GP about the results and what they mean? In my experience of having lots of blood tests, when something has been a bit borderline I've had follow up blood tests about 6 weeks later to see if it goes up or down, perhaps that could be the next step?

cuno Sorry I should have said they are being redone tomorrow which does not give me time to try to drink gallons of water and potentially make a difference. Thanks for answering

Hard to know for sure from what you've written, but most likely it's potassium of 3.2, which is nota big issue and they might offer you some oral replacement. Not actually much to do with renal function and just picked up on renal blood tests. Sometimes caused by medications.

When did you have the previous test done? Has there been much time between them to give things a chance to improve?

You are already talking me down so thank you for that. I’m sorry I don’t know how to tag names. The blood tests will be just a week apart. My rational mind is telling me it is my meds, which I stopped this weekend after three months, but my highly strung pandemic brain is telling me this is doomsday

I had the same issue in December, GP told me they needed to repeat the test within a week of the first blood test. The next blood test came back normal.

Please don’t panic. This happened to me. Went to GP for something wrong with my eye but because I’d just returned from overseas GP sent me to hospital for a raft of tests. Couldn’t find anything wrong with my eye, Chest X-ray clear ( no idea why they did that) but tests showed kidney problem.
Next stage was to collect a gallon container of urine and take it to the surgery to be tested. Hmmm yes they all muttered, kidney problems. Re do the test. And nothing. Nothing showed up at all. Blood tests all normal. No one could explain it. That was almost 20 years ago, never had a kidney problem since.
Could be you’ve been dehydrated, had a slight virus , Drink plenty of fluids, eat sensibly and then get bloods retested.

Really hard to work out which bit of kidney function you have posted about but your plan of 'drinking gallons of water' may well make it worse as the only value I can think of that would be borderline at 3.2 would be borderline low not high.

Just leave it alone and let your kidneys do their jobs.

It's normal to feel anxiety over these things, lord only knows how much I've worried and fretted over blood tests I've had in the past! I just hope that your next results will put you at ease or that the GP will know what is causing the borderline result (i.e. medication) and can get it sorted for you. Good luck!

Can't comment on the steroids, but if you are on accicolvir for shingles, it is a very safe drug. Routine kidney function tests aren't done even for long term users. Make sure you drink plenty of water while on it.

Thanks all. I wish I could switch my brain off. I won’t do any mad drinking and will hope for the best. The range was 3.5-5.5 I think and I was 3.2. My blood pressure has also been up for first time ever which makes me go further into all sorts of scenarios.

It's your potassium. Don't worry. Are you on any diuretic medication? You can just have a supplement if necessary at that level if it hasn't improved.

sproutsandparsnips no diuretics just steroid eye drops, Aciclovir and another eye drop for pressure. Thanks for your lovely reassuring words