CKD 4

[Pekko]

Hi I am 55 yo,

My GFR is 14 and creatinine is 400. Heart function 48%. Anemia.

My renal doctor keep telling me to go for dialysis but I want to try vegan diet first.

What will happen to my body, help needed. Thank you.

[Zazzel]

Whatever you do, I would advices not trying it alone. It’s difficult getting all the nutrients you need without working with someone who really understands the micro and macronutrients needed for all your conditions. Get yourself hooked up with a renal nutritionist. More and more of them are seeing the value in plant based Whole Foods. If you are in the UA, insurance should pay for it considering your issues. I think you will find a lot of positive results from it.

[JimVanHorn]

My renal doctor has an anemia clinic. There is a hormone secreted by healthy kidneys that tells your bone marrow to release red blood cells called Erythropoetin. I get injections of a synthetic form of this hormone every 2 or 3 months. I also get I.V.'s of iron when needed. If your hemoglobin is under 10.0 you become tired and confused, and need medical attention. Keep in touch with your renal doctor.

[DadviceTV]

After suffering a heart attack and discovering I was in kidney failure (didn't even know I had kidney damage), I was told I needed dialysis, or I'd be dead in 45 days. I couldn't give up without trying so after a lot of emails, messages, and phone calls to doctors, scientist, and researchers all around the world, I gave serious dieting and lifestyle changes (known as Conservative Management at The Mayo Clinic and UC San Diego Health) a try. That was just over a year ago, and I'm healthier and have more energy today than I have in over 20 years. I went from stage 5 to stage 3 during that time and have learned a lot. The most important thing was putting together an excellent health care team to support me and guide me along my journey. My health care team included two Nephrologists, several of dietitians, my primary care physician, my Urologist, and my Endocrinologist. It seemed hard at first - but with nearly constant communication, I was able to improve slowly and keep myself on a path to a brighter and better tomorrow.

I applaud you for giving diet and lifestyle changes a try - for many, it can be successful in delaying or altogether avoiding the need for dialysis. Make sure and work closely with your health care team, track what you eat (I use Chronometer since it syncs to the cloud, and all my doctors can view my diet and nutritional data), get labs often in the beginning to make sure you are going the right direction (I got mine daily that first week, then slowly worked it down to once every 3 months over the course of about a year). A dietitian is needed - you can't do this through guesswork. Most doctors provided very limited and extremely general diet guidelines - a dietitian will help you know everything you need to watch (calories, protein, sugar, fiber, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, etc.) and provide you not just your daily max, but just as importantly, your daily minimums. Getting too little of key nutrients can be just as dangerous as getting too much.

Your dietitian can also provide you helpful advice on treating anemia - such as cooking with cast iron, getting enough vitamin C, B12, folic acid, etc. Without the right nutrition, your body isn't going to be able to produce enough red blood cells and hemoglobins to bring oxygen to the other parts of your body. Diet can help address this.

Good luck!

[FoggyBrainJ in reply to DadviceTV]

Wow your pretty lucky you got all those experts to help you. In my part of woods we don’t get that good of help.

[Hidden in reply to FoggyBrainJ]

Use the internet and common sense.

[Kooymc in reply to FoggyBrainJ]

Me either at all

[HealthBuddyMelissa]

If it were me, I am stage 3, non-dialysis, I would probably take the dialysis short term, and do the diet along with it to see if I could get my numbers up to where I don't need dialysis. GFR of 14 is really low. I don't see how you will be able to get rid of the toxins fast enough if you don't do dialysis at least short term. Good luck!

[brynat2 in reply to HealthBuddyMelissa]

Can you stop and start dialysis? I thought once you started you couldn't come off it.

[HealthBuddyMelissa in reply to brynat2]

I have never needed dialysis, so I can't really say for sure yes, or no. But, I do know there have been people who needed dialysis short term and then they were able to not need it. We are all different, those of us with CKD, and we don't heal or get worse the same either. Kidneys are very complicated organs. Never give up hope, though, or trying.

[HealthBuddyMelissa in reply to HealthBuddyMelissa]

Dialysis does not have to be horrible. It will save your life and that is what matters. You can adjust to the dialysis with good support systems, and the will to do it.

[Hidden]

You can try vegan but it won't magically reverse stage 5 kidney disease and you really need to talk to a renal dietitian.

Your doctor spent many years getting his education, why don't you try listening to him? I know dialysis is scary but waiting could also be bad for you - very bad.

Be careful and good luck. Let us know how things are going.