Chronic kidney Disease. I want to reduce my creatinine count gradually. I have no guidance from my family. Which medicine should I follow?

[Ramboar]

I'm a CKD patient undergoing dialysis Treatment weekly twice. Please tell me how to reduce my creatinine count. I mean what diet as an Indian I should follow. I'm undergoing dialysis Treatment for the last 5 months. Please let me know in detail.

[Sammi_n_Munk]

Hello Ramboar! Well, usually the advice to lower creatinine levels (I am going through a similar issue right now, myself), is to lower your protein intake. Do your best to keep away from foods like animal proteins such as red meat, chicken, pork, fish, dairy, (ie cheese, yogourt, milk, etc.), also plant-based proteins such as beans, lentils, chick peas, nuts, seeds, any whole grains such as whole wheat, oats, barley, quinoa, rice, etc., no protein bars or powders and shakes. These are all high in creatine which in turn, raises creatinine levels.

Try eating a lot of high-fibre, low potassium fruits and vegetables. This also helps to lower high creatinine levels. And drink plenty of water. This helps to flush your system. If you’re unsure of how much water to drink daily, ask your family physician / nephrologist for advice on that, as this can differ with everyone.

Also, getting some light exercise (like walking 30 - 40 minutes, once or twice a day) is good to keep your heart rate up. Stay away from heavy weight-lifting. Weight-lifting is bad for CKD patients as your muscles tend to release creatine into your bloodstream, thus raising creatinine levels as well.

Always discuss any changes to your diet and exercise regimen with your medical care team. If you are undergoing dialysis, there may be other factors involved (I know that many dialysis patients are encouraged to eat more protein, sometimes even when their creatinine levels are high). So be sure to speak to your physicians about this before proceeding with any changes.

I hope this will be helpful to you. I wish you all my best. Please do keep us posted on how you come along. Take good care of yourself! God bless. 🙏😊👍

[HealthBuddyMelissa]

If you are on Dialysis lowering your protein intake can be very bad. Most dialysis patients need more protein not less. You may never return to normal creatinine levels, or you may. I know nothing about Indian foods, so you probably should consult a Dietitian.

[steve680]

Well, the short answer is to talk to the dietician at your dialysis center for help with your menu. Just tell the person that you want a diet for an Indian. Your dietician will probably tell you to eat MORE animal protein, not less, since you're on dialysis.

Can I ask why you're concerned with lowering creatinine if you're already on dialysis? Once a person is on dialysis, most people need to stay on dialysis until they can get a transplant. Only a very, very small percentage of people are otherwise able to raise their GFR enough to get off dialysis once started.

Some people get off dialysis if they actually have Acute Kidney Disease, not Chronic Kidney Disease.

Some people claim they have gotten off dialysis with just following a strict vegan diet (Natural Kidney Journey), though that hasn't't been my personal experience. However, reducing your animal protein intake will lower your BUN and may make you'll feel better. As another person mentioned, dialysis removes protein in your blood and you'll need to step up your protein take.

There has been some research that has shown that stem cell therapy has improved the GFR enough to get off dialysis. However, stem cell therapy is still experimental and there are no treatments approved by the FDA. This means that any stem cell treatments inside or outside of the USA are not paid by health insurance. It seems kind of hit-or-miss at this stage, so I wouldn't try it unless you have 15,000-30,000 USD to throw away for one treatment. There is also some long-term research (30+ years away) which will try to make you a completely new kidney with stem cell therapy and nanotechnology (Harvard Stem Cell Institute).

What stem cell treatments (advertised elsewhere) can you recommend? -

youtube.com/watch?v=TSZEVOZ...(Not working as expected?)