He has just been diagnosed with Stage 3 kidney failure. My husband's bladder is also paralyzed. This is all new to us and we trying to educate ourselves. We get conflicting information between the nephrologistt and the urologist and in talking to others within the community. my husband seems to think this is nothing to worry about, he is also thinking that he can be in stage 3 till he's 70 years old he is currently 47. He believes since he is a CrossFit buff that everything will be okay and I feel as though he is not taking this seriously. Anyone?
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I was diagnosed with stage 3, 3 years ago. I've not seen anyone other than my gp. My kidney function has gone done slightly from 59 to 55 at my last blood test. I was told it can take 10 years to go to the next stage, by this logic I will be 52. A lot depends on diet and whether you have any uti's and kidney infections, the next stage for your husband and myself is if there is protein in the urine. Exercise will certainly help but it's really what you eat and drink. Get a book on kidney disease diets. I'm not saying to stick to it all the time but it will give a general idea of what to avoid.
Welcome to our supportive community. You will find folks here have a lot of personal experience and knowledge in managing CKD. As Rienij70 has said some folks never progress beyond stage 3, so it is not a given that your husband's condition will get worse. Take a look at these websites to some reliable information about the stages of chronic kidney disease:
In regards to his bladder paralysis, is this was the doctors are calling it, and what is the cause or related to? I suggest that you speak to your GP about your concerns and explain the conflicting advice and get his/her opinion about how to approach both the urologist and nephrologist. They need to be 'singing -off- the-same-hymn-sheet' so to speak, and you need to be frank with them about the confusing advice they are giving you, and they need to clarify your husband's prognosis, treatment plans etc. Sometimes the medical profession gets too caught up in their specialisms with their science heads on, and don't think in a holistic way about how confusing and worrying this is for the patient and their families. Healthcare today is not based on the medical model of the doctor holding all the power and calling all the shots. Today, it is about patient partnership in our own healthcare with health professionals, that is an empowering position for us and the medics need to be reminded of this from time to time. So the more educated and informed you and your husband can be about his medical conditions the better, and the more armed you are to have a frank discussion with his medical team, and able to give informed consent when necessary.
Hope this helps give you a way forward. Keep in touch with us and let us know how you are both doing.
I do have to say that I have a challenge with the words "Stage 3 kidney failure". Chronic Kidney Disease I can accept (though I do not like the word "chronic"), but, this does in no way mean failure. I was diagnosed in Nov. of 2017, changed my diet, started drinking more water, stopped taking Celexicob, and raised my gfr 20 points. I might have ckd, but I do not have kidney failure.
Not sure how strenuous CrossFit is, but moderate exercise is called for, not anything too excessive.
The answer from the MAS nurse was excellent. I too am stage 3, for 2 years no. I have no knowledge or experience about a "frozen bladder" but it certainly seems this must be having some effect on the kidney and his level of CKD. But I would first and foremost warn you about anything your friends and neighbors tell you, unless they have CKD. Advice and experience is best told by people like the members of this forum. Who have CKD. And can tell you real life experiences. About getting different opinions from doctors of different specialties. It depends on what that different advice is. If it is about treatment, diet, medications, then certainly you should tell them that the advice/direction is different and get it sorted out. If it is about prognosis, it is understandable. No one has the crystal ball that can accurately predict the future. We do not have access to your husbands medical conditions (bladder, stage, blood, urine, scans). Can your husband be correct and stay stage 3 until 70? Who knows. Our egfr, even without CKD, declines as we age. My doctor tells me even if my function does not get worse because of CKD, I should anticipate a decline of 1 to 2 percent per year. But could it rapidly get worse? Yes. Who knows. The thing your husband (and you) need to do is not ignore the situation. Exercise (walk), eat properly (low protein, low sugar, low salt), drink plenty of water each day, keep blood pressure under control.
Hi there, I agree with one of the other answers and dispute the term stage 3 kidney failure. I too have CKD at stage 3 but my kidneys are definitely not failing. I was diagnosed 2 years ago but looking back at my blood tests I’ve been hovering at stage 3 for at least 10 years (I’m 53 now). Since official diagnosis, I’ve educated myself and through diet changes have managed to increase my GFR, hence disagreeing with the term failure. I’ve actually improved and stabilised. I don’t know anything about bladder issues but I do know diet seems to help most people. You don’t need to go mad but drink water, avoid fizzy drinks and processed foods. Eat lots of whole natural foods, reduce red meat intake and dairy. Moderate alcohol and stop smoking if you do. Also moderate exercise is good. Also bear in mind that the vast majority of people who get diagnosed with CKD never get to the stage of renal failure (I think only about 5% do). Stay positive!
If I were you I would have your husband and his doctor have a long talk about his stage 3 ckd (never heard of stage 3 kidney failure). I know after talking to my doctor that left unchecked it can go downhill rather quickly sometimes. Not to scare you cause everyone is different but why take the chances? Diet and lifestyle changes can make a difference, I know I did it. Be strong and try to get him to talk to his GP in detail about his disease. Go with him and be prepared with questions of your own. Maybe something that you ask the doctor will serve as a wake up call for him. May God bless you and good luck as well.
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