I have a question

[SHARONHELL]

Following a no meat or dairy for about 1 month now and gfr went up 5 points, will it continue to go up if I stick with this diet or will it stay the same?

[TaffyTwoshoes27]

My nephrologist always said (while I was in CKD, 4) that the GFR will fluctuate and is a general indication of the current filtration rate. It could go up or it could dip down a few points.

I have noticed that my nephrologist takes all the lab results (BUN, creatinine, phosphorus, etc.) into consideration to judge kidney health. You did not say what your current GFR is.

I have read many times in this forum that people have greatly improved their GFR thru dietary changes.

In my opinion, it seems that the people who have the best improvement started with a higher GFR than Stage 4.

[SHARONHELL in reply to TaffyTwoshoes27]

Thanks for the reply, GFR is now 49, was 44 all labs were 100% he said to come back in 3 months, it use to be 6 weeks, so I'm thinking this is good

[Hidden in reply to SHARONHELL]

My current GFR is 48 and that has been my average over the last two years. When I found out I had CKD my GFR was 32. Watching medications, exercising, staying hydrated, and sticking with a kidney-friendly meal plan have helped me keep the average there. Unless you have a hereditary form of CKD you may have different experiences.

Not much works the same for everyone. Our bodies are different and so are other health issues we deal with along with CKD. For instance, I have T2D that is only controlled by diet and exercise, no medication. I have HBP and along with 3 medications at the lowest dosage, and eating healthy and exercising I have that under control. It's just a matter of how serious you take it and the effort you put into changing your old habits for kidney-friendly ones.

[SHARONHELL in reply to Hidden]

I exercise, eat healthy trying to do all good, thanks for you reply

[lowraind]

Hi Sharonhell,

My egfr went from 34 to 54 over the first few months when I changed my diet and started drinking more water. That was a year and a half ago and things have pretty much stabilized. I went from seeing the nephrologist every three months to every six months and now, she said she did not need to see me for a year, unless lab tests with my pp indicate otherwise. Of course, this is the same nephro who told me that I did not need to change my diet.

There is a group, Natural Kidney Journey, who have several testimonials about bringing people back from dialysis and about continued improvement. They have very strict diet rules and get really upset with people who do not follow their rules. Maybe someday, but not now for me. If you are truly interested, you could do some research on them. I lurk on their site, but, for now, just that.

Good luck,

lowraind

[SHARONHELL in reply to lowraind]

Thanks for your response, I have been on there site, like you, just lurk for now!

[JimVanHorn]

Hello Miss Hell, I hate to be negative, but just cutting out meat and being on a healthy diet my not help kidney disease! The problem is sodium, Potassium and Phosphates plus water intake. So ask your doctor how much water to drink daily, it changes with the stage you are in. If something tastes salty, spit it out! Most soups are too salty. Many vegetables are high in Potassium and not good for us. These are avocados, bananas, POTATOES, tomatoes (sauces and ketchup), nuts (including peanut butter), raisins, granola or bran, and chocolate. Phosphorus is in all canned foods, frozen dinners, dark colas (Pepsi and Coke), and prepackaged meats (including bacon, ham, sausage, hot dogs, canned meats and lunch meat). Watch out for sodium in foods with Sodium Bicarbonate (hidden sodium) like cookies, cakes, and french fried foods (chicken and fish) . The Sodium bicarbonate makes fried foods look bigger than they really are, but you do not taste the sodium. I know you are on a healthy diet and probably not eating these things, but you should know what you are fighting. If you do eat meat, only eat 3 ounces per meal of fish, chicken or turkey. Never eat 6 ounces one meal and then no meat the next meal. So fresh foods are the answer of the correct foods. Thanks for your question it is good to tell you what I have learned.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to JimVanHorn]

I agree with your post Jim. My Doctor started me on appropriate renal diet and started with watching sodium and phosphorus but eventually blood work showed high potassium so now restricted. on that also. The diet has helped greatly.

[Narita in reply to JimVanHorn]

Hi Jim. I just want to mention that though baked goods do have sodium bicarbonate, bicarbonate itself is used in dialysis. There are 4 individual double blind placebo controlled studies and one Cochrane review in the National Institute of Health database (Pubmed), which all support dietary intake of sodium bicarbonate to actually help ameliorate and slow disease progression in those with chronic kidney disease. Anyone can look these up by searching "renal disease sodium bicarbonate" on the pubmed database. (This is postulated to be from the alkaline effect, which is also why vegetarian diets are thought to be more helpful: decreased acidity in the kidneys). The dosing was just one teaspoon twice a day.

I do greatly appreciate your willingness to remind all of us to watch sodium and all the wisdom you bring from your experience

[JimVanHorn in reply to Narita]

Thank you for the response, I am in stage 4 kidney failure and actually I take 650 mg Sodium Bicarbonate 4 pills a day on a prescription from my Nephrologist. It helps my kidneys get rid of acid based molecules. The reason I talked about it in a diet is that many people do not realize how much they are eating and it does not taste salty in food. Good to hear from you.

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador in reply to Narita]

True.

[MICHIGANDAVID]

GFR is effected by many things...

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador in reply to MICHIGANDAVID]

Absolutely. Hydration, medication, diet, the list goes on and on.

Most importantly, respecting your body and eating the kidney friendly foods in reasonable portions and drinking the amount of water suggested by your doctor or dietician.

Unfortunately things do change without explanation; watching labs and adapting accordingly are key.

Remember that we are all on the same team here and there for each other!

[SHARONHELL in reply to Bet117]

Thanks!

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador]

Sharon,

No thanks ever needed!

That's what friends are for! 😊