Creatinine Levels

One of the most important indicator of kidney function is the level of creatinine in your blood.

A creatinine test is a measure of how well your kidneys are performing their job of filtering waste from your blood.

Creatinine is a chemical compound left over from energy-producing processes in your muscles. Healthy kidneys filter creatinine out of the blood. Creatinine exits your body as a waste product in urine.

A measurement of creatinine in your blood or urine provides clues to help your doctor determine how well the kidneys are working.

Mayo Clinic

Since the transplants, I have had minor issues with lab results, primarily potassium (too high), calcium (also too high), phosphorus (too low), and blood sugar (way too high). However, the creatinine levels were pretty solid, though on the high end of normal. Here is a chart pre-transplant:

The huge spike was right before my bypass surgery when the nephrologist determined that peritoneal dialysis (PD) was not working for me anymore. Since this chart is from St. Joseph, the six month I was on PD with Satellite Health is missing. Typical readings were between 9 and 10 while I was on dialysis.

Here are results from UCLA starting the day after transplant:

My creatinine levels dropped pretty quickly right after surgery, and after less than two weeks, stabilized at around 1.3. The transplant has seemed pretty happy about my creatinine numbers so I am happy too.