Here is a study of the VA with a cohort who were older, had CKD, and had rheumatoid arthritis. While this may not fit your husbands case, you can see that the rate of decline for individuals was highly variable.
"After a median of 2.6 years, 1604 (38%) maintained stable kidney function; 426 (10%), 1147 (28%), and 994 (24%) experienced mild, moderate, and severe progression of CKD, respectively (defined as estimated GFR decline of 0 to 1, 1 to 4, and >4 ml/min per yr."
If his blood pressure is high, get it under control and that could slow the progression. All of the studies that I have read indicate that people are most at risk for very fast progression if they have diabetic nephropathy.
Hi there, I’m 53 and have had CKD for about 10 years. During that time my GFR has fluctuated between 59 and 49. It’s currently 59. I’ve managed to improve it with diet changes, so please don’t think that he will definitely decline. You don’t say what the cause of his is, mine is unknown, so it does very much depend on the cause, but if he eats a kidney friendly diet (not mad one, don’t cut loads out at stage 3!) it’s possible he can improve his condition. Only about 5% of CKD sufferers ever get to stage 5 and need dialysis/transplant, so a huge 95% don’t (I can’t find the original source of that figure but I remember it was from the UK NHS website somewhere).
Re the diet, cut out salt. Avoid fizzy drinks and processed foods. Reduce red meat, dairy, sugar and alcohol. Eat plenty of whole fresh foods including lots of veg and drink lots of water. Also avoid medication that damages kidneys like NSAIDS. But, unless his bloods indicate it or a professional tells him he needs to, don’t cut out whole food groups otherwise he might end up missing out on essential nutrients.
Attitude is important. Know that you can help him to maintain his levels with diet and healthy living....no drugs, limited alcohol, low fat, low sugar and limited meats. That should give you hope.
Hi , do not loose hope! Everyone is different but you can be at stage 3 for years. There is many things he can do to help, talk to the the nephrologist for help and tips and look at a controlled diet. I stayed at stage 3 for 10 years. Hope that helps.
Don’t despair! I was diagnosed with CKD eleven years ago. At that time my eGFR was 48. Since then, with a healthier diet, increased water consumption and regular (but not excessive) exercise, eGFR has fluctuated between 52 and 54. Decline is not inevitable! Follow the sound advice of Julesboz and others on this site and your husband may remain stable for many years. But always remember that fluctuation is the nature of eGFR, so don’t allow a downward blip dishearten you.
Everyone here has said it all. Unfortunately, there is no cure or magic pill, but eating a healthiky, drinking your water and keeping tabs particularly on sodium will hopefully prevent progression.
Every day is a new day and a new adventure of life. Stay positive !
You received a lot of advice from other peoples experiences and things found on the internet. And it ALL is true for each individual. A lot of it applies to ANY individual with "CKD". However it may NOT apply to your husband. Why? We do not know why his egfr was below 60. For example. Are his kidneys really diseased (ckD)? Does he have some condition causing this result (high bp, diabetes, kidney stones, tumors, medications, etc., etc.)? Are both kidneys malfunctioning or just one? A long list of other questions too. These are things only his doctors know. And they will (or may have already) performed blood and urine tests and scans. They know the cause and therefore the recommended treatment. In general, as most have written you, CKD stage 3 can go on for years and years, depending on the cause. Typical steps like diet, exercise can have great positive effects on slight improvements and certainly in maintaining that stage.
He has a great chance to adjust his diet and take only the recommended salts protein and phosphates quantities etc....this is believed to help stop progression of disease. Find out expert qualified advice etc. My Gfr is not much better but at 72 years old adjusting my diet has after 3 years has helped prevent further detoriation.
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