I'm a 72 year old caucasian male with 2ndry Progressive MS, high blood pressure and stage 3b CKD. Latest GFR:
26th April 2019 = 43
mid March 2019 = 47
Early Feb 2019 = 45
early Jan 2019 = 47
November 2018 = 49
Nov 2017 = 59
Nov 2012 = 69
All other renal readings apart from creatinine including urine are spot on.
My BP is essential HBP which I have had since md twenties, current Meds are amlodopine
, candesartan cilexetil, bisopropol fumarate and doxazosin - my average BP readings are = morning 128/74 and early evening 138/78 which the GP says is OK. The GP thinks the CKD is due to the long term HBP over the years but should it it still be deteriorating when he thinks my current BP is OK? What does anyone think about the BP meds I am taking? Also do you think the CKD will continue to deteriorate at the same rate? in which case I will be looking at dialysis within 1 to 2 years? A bit worried!!!
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JAYCEE33
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Hi, Glen. I'm no doctor, but... at your current rate of progression - which I seriously doubt will really be constant, maybe a 10-12 points of GFR decrease annually, it would take at least 3 years for you to reach Dialysis. My GFR decreased steadily from 49 to 44 within a few months and three sets of labs and I felt like you feel now. It's now 56 (as of 4/22/19) and I'm confident it will stay in the 50s for the rest of my life - I'm 60 years old. I'm even hoping for a GFR in the sixties on my next labs!
What happened, you might be wondering?
I educated myself, drastically changed my diet, started to exercise and lost 30 pounds. You have to do this yourself. Seeing a doctor a few times per year for a few minutes per visit won't do it.
What I specifically did and my detailed lab results are right here:
Hi Becket, thanks a lot for the reply! Very helpful and reduces the worry. I will follow through on the info at the link! I'll keep you and the forum updated. John
Hi Jason. I've ordered Lee Hull's book "Stopping Kidney Disease". From his website I see that he also has a book on Diets and Recipes, i have ticked the box to reserve a copy. Do you know any more about ths 2nd book? John
Hi, John. I don't know much about the book, except that it will be great and full of useful information going by his first book and the preview. I got an email stating the book will come out on May 15. What do you mean you "ticked a box to reserve a copy."? I plan to order mine through Amazon with free Prime shipping like I bought the first book.
Here is a preview of the diet book sent to me in an email by being on Mr. Hull's email list (I hope the link works):
It's part of the breakfast section. As expected, the layout and presentation are superb.
EDIT: I just tested the preview link and it works. You might have to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in your browser, but I think that's standard now.
Hi Jason, the tick box was on his website. I presume to allow him to tell you when the book is available. I had a look at the preview link, you're right the quality is really excellent.
In case you get to know when the book is available before me, give me a shout.
I would think Vegan will be tough for me, I could manage vegetarian easily - but no cheese!!!! Do you stick to it rigidly?
Hi, John. I got one of the Hull emails recently and it stated that the diet book is coming out on May 15 - although I could not find an Amazon pre-order.
I stick to Vegan by minor cheating - my wife and I eat Organic Vegan veggie burgers and Organic Vegan chicken-less products. The funny thing is that the veggie burgers taste really good and the chicken-less products (breaded and non-breaded) taste better than real chicken. Although vegan, these products are not whole food and are rather high in sodium so you have to be careful. So is it cheating? LOL
Although I am crazy about restaurant quality Parmessan and Romana cheeses and I love smoked Gouda cheese, I really don't miss cheeses. But since the acid load on cheeses is minor and it is vegetarian, I personally don't see why you can't have some cheese once in a while. Of course the AGEs are high.
My only real cheat is I do have a Kirkland Cookies and Cream Protein Bar (available on Costco.com) a few times per week which is whey based and thus dairy, but I think the taste and nutrition are worth it: Protein 22g, Fiber 17g, Sugars 2 g, Net Carbs 3g, Calories 190, Sodium 170 mg, Potassium 50 mg. And they are only $1 each at Costco.com (2 boxes of 20 for $39.99 - S/H Included). As you can see it's also a great fiber bar.
Have you read How Not to Die which came out in 2015? It's written by a top surgeon and a top nutritionist. I think it's a great companion to Stopping Kidney Disease. Their website is: NutritionFacts.org. The doctor has hundreds of great videos narrated by him, articles and tons of recipes - and it's all free! You should check it out. I just went there and the videos are broken up into categories - 432 videos on plant based diets! LOL Let me know what you think.
EDIT: Well, maybe not so many recipes since NutritionFacts.org is trying to sell their diet cookbook. Sorry about that.
I should let you know I live in the UK so some of the foods you mention may be difficult to source.
One question: what are main food groups we are trying to avoid, is it more than proteins, sodium and potassium?
Also have you at any time suffered any CKD symptoms? I haven't and all my other blood results apart from creatinine, concerning kidneys and liver are exactly where they should be, even allowing for my age (72), but of course I have progressive MS which means I have lots of other problems! Main ones are balance (very poor) and walking ability (even worse), this limits any aerobic exercise I can manage, but I do lots of other exercise such as weights, squats etc.
I'll check out NutritionFacts.org, don't mind the sales pitch on the site, that's how I used to make a living!!
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