Last year I received a telephone call from my GP advising me I had stage 2 CKD and was told to carry on my normal diet and have another blood test in one year. My GFR results were around the mid 50's for 3 years previous although nothing was mentioned to me by my GP. No other information was given. So I started looking it up and basically all the information was the same 'no need to change diet at this stage'. However, I decided off my own back, to cut down on my protein intake, although I was never a big meat eater, instead I halved the recommended adult protein intake. I have had 2 sets of blood tests since and my GFR readings have been 80 and 83 ! My question is : is it a good idea to 'carry on a normal diet' until our GFR gets very low, or should we try and nip it in bud as soon as we are diagnosed? Also, with 2 GFR readings of 80... am I still considered CKD ? I hope this isn't too long it's just that my GP is quite hard to get hold of, no face to face appts. - just to get a reply to a e-consultation takes 4 days!!
Thank you
Written by
barneyfrances
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Technically I believe youre still stage 2 (previously stage 3) kidney.org/atoz/content/gfr. But I wouldnt worry about that since youre improving so carry on - and it's good advice to improve your diet to prevent illness anyhow,
No need to await your GP imo but actually yours seems more pro-active than most who dont even advise you if stage 3 (or often later)! That was the case for my mum many years ago and it resulted in more serious problems which we are still seeking to resolve now ourselves.
Well done on turning around your results so successfully, when I spoke to my renal dietitian, when first diagnosed, she said that majority of people eat way more animal protein than they should. I grew up with meat and two veg every day for dinner, ham sandwiches for lunch and toast and cereal for breakfast. Now I eat the recommended portions of all foods mostly plant based foods focusing mainly fruit and vegetables and pulses with smaller portions of meat and fish two times a week. We still need some animal protein each day, so I have eggs or yogurt on alternate days for breakfast with whole grains.
Lucky you....most of us watch more than protein in our diet and don't get that big of an improvement on GFR. Have you seen a Nephrologist? So happy for you hope your numbers remain high.
Hi! You've done a wonderful job of working with your body. As one ages, the GFR steadily declines. The average GFR for a person over 70 years old is 75. Since yours is in the 80s, you really don't have anything to worry about in my opinion. I would recommend simply continuing doing what you're doing. You can check your values here: kidney.org/atoz/content/gfr Again, many compliments on your outcome!
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