I have a dilemma, I have heart failure and am at increased risk of cardiac arrest because I have had one already. I also have stage 3 chronic kidney disease + type 2 Diabetes.
The dietary requirements for heart failure include foods high in potassium and the main dietary requirements for those with chronic kidney disease include minimising or avoiding foods which contain potassium.
The food selections I am looking at are opposites. So I have a choice of managing the heart failure OR the kidney disease.
My current thinking is that I prioritise the heart related issues and then wait and see if I am offered dialysis at some point
Written by
GosportNancy29
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I’m absolutely sure that your medical team,should be advising you on this. It might be that one of the nurses at your practice might specialise in this sort of thing (I came across a nurse who did this once).
I don't have a medical team. I seriously don't trust a GP who leaves me for nearly 2 years without telling me of my kidney disease diagnosis so I have to find it by chance while reading info on my NHS app. I don't see any doctors now and haven't seen my GP since about 2016. The diagnosis must have been made after an annual blood test I have at home.
I know you say you have not seen your Doctor since 2016 but with heart failure , kidney desease as well as Diabetes you must be on medications are you not ?
If you are on medications you must have to have blood tests , reviews because normally they will stop your medications if you do not have reviews
I know you feel you have no trust in your Doctor as you feel they let you down but I think the best thing you could do is see a different Doctor and ask maybe to be referred to a dietician who can give you the correct kind of information on what would be the best foods
I could take a guess and I could also say yes focus on your heart but with your three conditions and not been a Doctor or specialist of any kind I would be apprehensive in case it was the wrong advice
I hope you manage to adapt your diet to keep all three conditions as stable as you can x
I am not on any medication for my heart failure or my Diabetes. The only prescription I have is for my thyroid disorder. I have annual blood tests to check my thyroxine levels but don't see a GP about any of my medical conditions. The blood tests happen at home because I am housebound. Nurse practitioners visit me once in a while and they make any referrals. I had a cardiac arrest in 2016 and have had heart failure for more than 30 years. The only times I have had really bad episodes relating to my heart were the times I tried conventional heart meds and had very bad reactions.
I really do not know what to say as there are medications that would help with your heart failure and you need to know what your Diabetes is doing as if your sugars are to high that is going to put you in more danger regarding your heart and medication is needed to control your sugars if they are way to high
You may have had a bad reaction before to meds but there are so many you could try and no doubt find some that suite you
Maybe when the Nurses come again ask if they would do a referral to a dietician for you x
I have already tried the heart meds and monitor my blood glucose levels at home. I am not going to try any more heart meds as I had serious reactions to several and had no issues with my heart failure before I started taking them.
My blood sugars are within the healthy range and stable, as I managed to put the diabetes in remission without taking any meds. I was offered diabetes meds on day one of the diagnosis but decided to take advice from doctors with a lot more experience than my GP.
I already have dietary advice online for major health-related charities. I choose not to take up clinic appointments as I don't live close enough to any clinics to justify the expense of travelling there and employing a personal assistant to accompany me to take notes and so on.
Sounds like if you have managed to get your sugars in a healthy range you have managed to reverse the Diabetes which is good and if you keep doing what you are doing hopefully it will stay that way
It is good to know that charities are supporting you with your diatetry needs to
If this is what you feel is best for you then I hope you carry in doing what you are doing x
Whatever I am doing appears to be working at this time. I had my potassium levels checked in June last year and the level was within the healthy range, so for now I can carry on combining a Mediterranean diet with intermittent fasting
Hi Gosport Nancy29, I have exactly the same scenario that's been going on for years and I have learned to trust myself more on what route to take. For instance, I take wafarin and am told to avoid broccoli, cranberry juice , grapefruits, these are considered 'heart healthy' foods! I too am stage 3ckd and in heart failure, just come back from the Docs and told that my 'bad' cholesterol is worryingly high but diet won't fix it so now having statins doubled to 80mg, although such high dosage is recommended only with caution in a patient with kidney disease. Disappointingly I am unlikely to shift much more weight because I cannot produce enough energy what with leaking valves and AF and all the rest of it. I know our paths cross on the weight loss forum and I think our ups and downs and frustration is not helped by the mixed messages we receive. I came on the Forum today because I needed a boost so as not to go off the rails in a fit of petulance, thankyou for being on this page and sorry I have gone on so much, I appreciate all the Medics who look after me, I accept that my health is in their hands and the medication regime I follow, but I think I have been kidding myself that all my weight watching and fitness efforts are having a positive impact. Please dont worry about responding, I think you are right to think there has to be a priority decision made, and - go with your heart! By the way I have just had a banana for lunch - my favourite fruit and only the second one I've had this year because they are off the good list!!
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