I am seeking guidance on what I can do to raise my GFR and lower my Creatin and BUN levels by whatever means. Thanks

[Aidancree]

I will listen to any advice.

[Hidden]

Hi and welcome to the community,

There are many things for you to do to slow the progression of CKD. You haven't said what stage you are in with CKD, but I'll include a link to explain that at the end of this post. Ask for a referral to a nephrologist and then ask for a referral to meet with a Renal Dietitian. Until then you can go to kidneyschool.org and watch the learning modules about CKD. You can also go to davita.com and sign up for a free virtual Kidney Smart class. You'll get a lot of resource information from watching that. Becoming proactive is critical to your health when you have a chronic illness.

If you don't already have one prepared, set up a list of all of your medications and be sure to include any over the counter medications, supplements, and vitamins you take. Be sure to provide an updated copy to all of your physicians.

Take no supplements without physician approval. If you take any type of NSAIDs you should immediately stop. No Advil, Aleve, Ibuprofen or aspirin. If you smoke, you'll need to stop and if you drink, stopping that should be next. Stay well-hydrated with water.

The two leading causes of CKD are diabetes and high blood pressure. The best thing to do for CKD is if you have either of those conditions is to get them under control.

The RD will develop a kidney-friendly meal plan with you to set you on the right path. The DaVita website will also provide you with samples of many recipes to help you along. When you meet with the RD bring as many hard copies of your past lab reports with you and you and the RD can devise a plan to match your preferences. It can be vegan, vegetarian, or include some seafood and poultry. No red meat, no cured foods, and you'll need to watch your intake of sodium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, and calcium.

There are many folks here to help you along the path so feel free to come back as often as you need to share and/or ask questions

davita.com/education/kidney...

Best of luck.

[Aidancree in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much. I am going to print off what you advised so I can go over in detail and implement where I need to. So wonderful having the support of a community. One question. I believe in a previous post you said you had taken glucosamine and stopped it and your GFR went up, at least for a while. What led you to stop the glucosamine initially and are you still off of it. I too have taken in it a long time and have decided to refrain from taking going forward. Thanks peace Cree

[Hidden in reply to Aidancree]

I don't recall posting that but about six years ago, well before I knew about CKD I had a crushed left shoulder. The physician, at the time, thought that surgery would not be my best option for healing. He used a cast and sling and advised a short time use of glucosamine while the bones healed and then eight weeks of physical therapy. With luck, he felt I might get back 80% use of my shoulder. I had a great physical therapist and I have 100% use of my shoulder and now when I go fishing I can cast as far with both arms. Good for me, but bad for the fish.

[Aidancree in reply to Hidden]

Thank goodness for physical therapists. Glad you had excellent care. Cree

[rabbit01]

I can't really add anything to the excellent suggestions by Mr Kidney. Good luck 👍

[Aidancree in reply to rabbit01]

Thanks much!

[Dixidude39]

Mr. K is right. Also tune in to James at AdviceTV.com, or go to YouTube to tune in.

[Aidancree in reply to Dixidude39]

Thank you so much for those suggestions. It is so great to benefit from all of the communities collective knowledge and experience. Cree

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

Mr_Kidney gave you great advice about learning more about your kidneys and CKD. The more you learn the less scary this whole "journey" is and you will learn how you can change your diet and slow the progression of your CKD. Some people on this site have been able to stabilize their disease.

Good luck to you!

[Aidancree]

Thank you. So far no evidence of kidney damage. Is it possible to reverse?