Old age and Kidney problems

[hobbyman]

I am now 80 and in 2017 I had one kidney removed due to cancer. I have now been diagnosed with stage 3 disease in the other one and will be looking at a better diet in the future.

[MAS_Nurse]

Hello and welcome hobbyman.

This is a very knowledgeable and compassionate community. Perhaps you would like to look at two websites, that have very good information on different dietary advice for different stages of CKD. Also your health professional can arrange access to the dietary dept. at the local hospital.

Good luck and stay connected to this supportive community.

MAS Nurse and Moderator.

kidneyresearchuk.org/health...

lnds.nhs.uk/-PatientandPubl....

[hobbyman in reply to MAS_Nurse]

Thanks but the NHS one you cannot open.

[MAS_Nurse in reply to hobbyman]

Sorry you're having a problem. Try this link. I think it should work

lnds.nhs.uk/_patientsandpub...

[RickHow]

Hi. I am 69 male. I too last year had one kidney removed due to cancer. I will share my experience. And what I do to remain as healthy as possible. All my tests before the removal indicated my egfr and creatinine levels were normal for my age. The morning after removal I was labelled stage 3 CKD. I go to 5 doctors. A gp, a cardiologist, an oncologist, a urologist, a kidney doctor. ALL say the stage 3 label is just that and for people such as us it does NOT directly apply. When a kidney is removed, in lots of people (younger) the other kidney can pick up the workload and the egfr ratings are near normal. But in slightly older, on up, it is common that the remaining kidney does not compensate. But your (my) stage 3 rating does NOT mean that the kidney is actually excessively diseased. It just can not handle the increased workload. They ALL hate the egfr process that labels people as diseased. That it does not take into account if the person has one kidney or two. Or if they have such factors as other diseases (diabetes for one), certain medications, etc. They advise me to just use the rating to monitor if the rating remains fairly stable. In other words my egfr is about 40 to 41. Over time everyones egfr declines a little. They just monitor ours to see if it declines at the normal rate. It has been now 17 or 18 months for me and it has remained constant. The message. The CKD and egfr methodology is an ESTIMATE, it is developed for people with two kidneys, and based on what is an average person. Unfortunately we are all not average. One kidney, fat or thin, muscular or not, etc., all factors that egfr/ckd does NOT take into account. For my health I have NOT followed a very strict diet. My doctors say to just drink 60 to 80 of ounces of water a day, try to walk 30 to 60 minutes a day. Keep salt, sugar, protein within the daily recommended limits that every person should follow. Those we find on all packaged food. The things I avoid are beef and canned items (loaded with salt). I enjoy my sweets, my chicken and pork, my normal indulgences but within the daily recommended limits. I drink just 2 cups of coffee a day. No soda. As they tell me, don't be afraid to treat yourself. A steak now and then, a drink now and then, a pizza, is NOT going to damage the kidney. Just eat normally but reasonable within limits. With this diet and exercise I have lost over 30lbs, dropped 2 sizes in my clothing, and my kidney performance remains constant.

[bigjoe1957 in reply to RickHow]

You’re doing exactly what I’m doing. Almost same issue with me although I had one removed (cancer) and the other one got damaged by lack of blood supply while placing an abdominal aortic stent. Kidneys do not like being starved of blood.

[buddygramma]

Hugs Hobbyman,

So, sorry to hear about the loss of your kidney. I, too, had my kidney removed due to cancer back in 2014. I now have CKD because of the one kidney. Just know that if you are stage 3, then you can stay healthy for many years. Basically the outlook may be dialysis in your future. However, a dear friend of mine just went on dialysis after many many years of CKD. Her GFR was done below 9. My GFR was in the 30's and now in the upper 40s. I am 77 and I am not concerned about going on dialysis. My diet is basically WW online. I eat lots of Fruit and veggies. Little dairy and maybe 6 or 8 oz of protein daily. It is working for me. Good Luck and try to relax and work on making yourself kidney healthy. Hugs Buddygramma

[jeanswood]

I am a 63 year old female and I too lost one of my kidneys due to cancer 19 months ago. I was diagnosed with stage 3 when my kidney function seemed to be stuck at 38 for 9 months. I then was referred to a nephrologist who suggested that I go on a low protein, low salt diet. I also went on blood pressure medication. My diet includes a lot of fruits and vegetables and try not to have too much animal protein or dairy. It can be a challenge some days so I do allow myself to cheat once in a while. Currently my eGFR ranges from 45 to 48 which is a huge improvement in my eyes but they always just tell me that I am stable. I always have my own celebration when I get good numbers! I have scarring on my only kidney which they believe could have been from an infection when I was younger? I have never had a problem with UTI's.

Good luck to you! I find this site to be very helpful and inspiring! We are not alone that is for sure. Diet makes such a difference and also drink lots of water!

[JOJOSMITH123]

My mother is 79 and she had a shock diagnosis of stage 5 kidney disease last November. She had no symptoms and was picked up on a pre op. She started PD dialysis in May this year on the overnight machine and has coped quite well other than drain pain which isn't nice. She then all of a sudden started to pee again and then 3 weeks ago the hospital contacted her to say she could have 2 weeks off dialysis as her bloods were good. She is now on her 3rd week. I'm not suggesting she won't go back on it but the nurse said sometimes this happens. She is enjoying the break whilst it lasts. I wish you all the best of luck on your journeys.