Hi, I am a 51 year old female diagnosis with stage 3 kidney disease. Starting in 2012, my creatine level was elevated1.1. and my GFR was low. As of 2 months ago, my creatine is 1.71 and my GFR is 34. All my blood tests are normal, 24 hour urine test is normal and kidney ultrasound is normal . Unfortunately, so for the nephrologist that I have been seeing unable to help me except to just monitor my blood tests every 4-6 months.
Any advise as to preventative measures or treatment?
Hi Music,
There is a lot you can do to help yourself. I am not sure where you live, but there may be classes available either through Fresensius or your local Kidney Organization.
links.freseniuskidneycare.c...
You can become self educated by reading about CKD on the Intranet. We have a list of topics on this page which can read through with all sorts of information on CKD.
If you can, you should see a renal dietician. The best way to preserve kidney function is through diet changes and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. links.freseniuskidneycare.c...
it is not unusual for the the Nephrologist to be unable to "do" anything at this point. There really is nothing they can do physically for you. You have to make the changes. To start with if you smoke, stop... Lower your salt intake. Drink lots of water, staying well hydrated. And by learning about diet you will find that less protein and more plant based food are best.
If you have specific questions, let us know how we can help. Hang in there, you are not alone.
Thank you for the response. I don't smoke or drink. When I asked nephrologist about decreasing protein I was told is not needed because the urine and blood test doesn't indicate that is the cause since the results were negative.
Hi Music,
Wow, that's interesting that they said not to worry about protein especially with a GFR of 34 and a creatinine that is climbing. Did your provider give you any clue as to what is the cause is and what you could do to stabilize your kidney function?
Again, if not, it will be up to you to figure out if diet will help.
davita.com/diet-nutrition/a...
Do you take any medications or OTC like NSAID's.
Is this change recently or has it been a stead decline since 2012?
kidney.org/sites/default/fi...
Hi, the change is not recent it started in 2012 and the creatine level is elevated since then and slowly continues to rise. I do not take any anti inflammatory meds. I don't take Nsaid's. Thank you for the recommendations. I will look into it.
I was diagnosed a year and four months ago. My GFR was 36.6 and Creatinine was 1.4. The nephrologist told me to limit my salt intake, drink more water, and stop taking celecoxib. Then, I began to educate myself. I changed my diet, limited, not only sodium, but also potassium, phosphorus, and protein. I also changed nephrologists.
When I saw the 2nd nephrologist, after three months of changed diet, my GFR was 54 and my Creatinine was 1.0. She also told me that I did not need to have changed my diet. I do not believe her and am continuing with the changed diet. This appears to be working.
I hope this encourages you, that we can do something! What Bassetmommer said is correct. There is a lot that you can do to help yourself!
Thank you! Even though doctors have told me my blood work is normal. I will definitely start eating less protein and decreasing salt intake and so on.
I was strongly advised to discontinue celecoxib due to its harm in the kidneys
My philosophy is to go easy on the kidneys anyway. Salt, Alcohol, Protein, phosphorus potassium make the kidneys work harder so I limit my intake. Protein is 20 grams only per meal with equal amount of carbs the rest veggies. Mostly plant protein the only meat is chicken and beef only about 1 a month. This has worked for me. I went from gfr 36 to 55. It did take about 6 months for my results to change. Make sure your BP is good as well. I also feel a lot better including losing about 30 pds which I needed to do. I exercise 4/5 ×s a week and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. It's not the easiest to do and I do treat my self when I need to......so far for me it has been worth it. Good luck
Thanks I needed that!
Thank you. I will look into it.
Thank you. I ordered the book from Amazon yesterday. I hope it is helpful. I am worried about my creatine and Gfr level and terrified hoping I don't have to go on dialysis.
Hi Music2, there is hope! You may not hear this from your nephrologist, but you have the power to improve your kidney function. I am a registered nurse and when I found that I had an elevated creatinine (1.85) in February of 2020, I got scared and used that fear to fuel my own research about what I could do to help myself. The most striking factor I found was that animal proteins are hard on kidneys. I now eat whole food, plant-based and avoid meat, fish, eggs and cheese. This change in diet has returned my creatinine to baseline (1.03). I also do aerobic exercise daily and avoid NSAIDs, processed foods, salt and fat. I have learned that too much fat in the diet is harmful to the endothelial cells in the vascular system, which includes the kidneys. My physician is impressed with my progress. A good place to start is to watch the Forks Over Knives documentary and YouTube videos of Dr. Neil Barnard. The plant-based movement is gaining rapidly in popularity because it’s the healthiest way to eat. Best wishes.
Hi, music. Did you get the... umm... book yet? My account was banned and all of my posts were deleted because I put up two postings promoting the book which the moderators thought were solicitations. I obviously got my account back, but I don't dare push anything. It's a long read, but there are many chapters and you can skip or skim the case studies.
Hi, Yes I got the book and there are some good information in it. Than you.
Could you let me know what book is this n name thanks.
Stopping kidney Disease.
Check for protein in the urine. Your case is like mine. Finally the GP check for protein. I had it.
I agree with the other replies control your creatinine levels with a good renal diet and it will control your GFR
How can I make my GFR go up? 
GFR
GFR Below 60
