If hypertension is the cause of my CKD, wouldn't maintaining a healthy blood pressure keep my renal numbers stabe?

[Venting67]

1st Nephrologist diagnosis was CKD due to 10 years of undiagnosed hypertension & weight gain. Creatinine was 1.7 with 45 GFR. I then lost 50 lbs in 3 months by diet & exercise & my Creatinine improved to 1.3 with GFR at 65. Nephrologist was stumped & I was convinced it was just a weight or inflammation issues causing the renal numbers to decline. That was 5 years ago, I've gained all the weight back & I'm now at a 2.1 creatinine & GFR is 35. Is this a weight gain thing, hypertension or what?

[Hidden]

I lost 142 pounds and the day I found out I had CKD was the last night I showed any significant weight loss. Since then I've added a few and lost a few. Forty months later I'm the same weight I was when I got the diagnosis. Almost all of the foods I ate to lose weight were not good for me on my kidney-friendly meal plan. My GFR at diagnosis was 32. Since then it has gone as high as 65, but more importantly, I've averaged 53. My diabetes is under control without medications and my hypertension is under control with medication. The damage to my kidneys was diabetes. The best I can hope for is to maintain my GFR to keep me off dialysis, exercise to keep my heart strong and enjoy my life.

Are you following a kidney-friendly meal plan or the diet you used to lose the 50lbs? Are you still exercising or did you stop? Slowing the progression of CKD requires a lifestyle change to a healthy kidney meal plan, and a physician-approved exercise regimen you can do rain or shine.

It isn't easy, but it sure is worth it.

[Venting67 in reply to Hidden]

My Nephrologist said to not worry about the kidney diet just yet & to concentrate on just loosing weight. My issue with that is all of the weight loss plans out there are not kidney friendly. Im just concentrating on a plant based, whole foods, low carb, small portion, intermittent fasting type diet while exercising. Im eager to see my renal numbers in January 21.

[Hidden in reply to Venting67]

Plant-based meals can be good but some may have too much potassium and/or phosphorus. You really should speak to a renal dietitian and bring your lab reports. Design a plan for you.

[Venting67 in reply to Hidden]

👍

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

HI Venting,

You do not say whether your BP has improved and remained the same or of it got worse. There are many people who subscribe to weight being a culprit for just about everything. But look closely, and you can see there are other factors that have more impact. Do you have other comorbidities? What meds are you on? There are several BP meds that are actually bad to the kidney. What are you eating? That plays a huge part in your kidney function. For example, you can restrict you caloric intake to 1500 per day, but if the menu is made up of red meat, and salt, and processed foods, you might lose wieght but you are still taxing the kidneys.

I am a person of size and so I have ALWAYS been on a diet. Found out when I saw the renal dietician that I was not eating enough calories and all the wrong foods for my kidneys. I was actually forcing my body to hold on to my weight due to lack of calories and good nutrition. This was even after being on Weight Watchers a couple of times. When I did that program, I actually gained weight. When I saw the renal dietician, and change what and how much I was eating, I lost 38 pounds and for the most part, have kept it off for almost 3 years.

One of the best things to do after you see the dietician is to track you food for a while. There are several out there, but I used myfitnesspal.com/ It will help you see what you are eating and you might be surprised at how food can be enjoyable while losing.

Don't let weight stigma stop you from seeing a dietician.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

to answer the original question about keeping your BP stable stopping renal decline.... sorry but it doesn't work that way. CKD is progressive. Think of it this way: when you start you have 100 percent kindye function, GFR is 90-100. Something causes issues and it can be a simple as aging. EVERYONE loses function as they age. So when you get down to GFR of below 60, those filters are working very hard to keep the body working. Eventually, they wear out and your GFR goes down. There are many things that can either speed up this action or slow it down. You want to slow it down with diet and healthy living, which includes lowering stress. You would be surprise how much stress is a factor. Getting sick can knock it down, so staying healthy is important. The right medications and proper nutrition can slow it down. There are people, many, many people, who have kidney disease and lower function who do not get to dialysis. But it is the path that CKD leads to.

Hope that helps.

[Venting67 in reply to Bassetmommer]

BP has remained stable & at a normal range. One Nephrologist said my BP was better than his. New Nephrologist took me off the BP med that kept me stable for years (Bystolic) and put me on Losartan because my GFR went from 45 to 35 in a 6 month period & creatinine from 1.7 to 2.1 in that same time frame. New Nephrologist has mentioned possible IGA Nephropothy but no way to verify that diagnosis without biopsy.

[JandD4ever in reply to Venting67]

They put me on Losartan and my GFR went from 45 to 20 in less than 6 months. I stopped taking it and the next lab 1 month later it had gone up to 25.8 and 6 weeks later to 35. For my BP I am now on the lowest dose of Clonidine along with Amlodipine which I take together at night and sometimes I have to take another Clonidine around 5pm and I'm doing fine.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

This is the kind of stuff that makes me furious. Just read through this and see what I mean about weight stigma.

"The worldwide prevalence of obesity is increasing. Obesity is associated with a variety of chronic diseases, including chronic kidney disease. Several studies suggested that body mass index (BMI) could be an independent risk factor for progression of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). However, whether high BMI is associated with progression of IgAN remains uncertain." bmcnephrol.biomedcentral.co...

coulda and shoulda's and maybe are not causational diagnosis.

[Hidden]

Most nephrologists will set a target of 130/80 for blood pressure, this is to stop any further damage ie hypertension to your kidneys.

[edrauch]

Probably is your diet causing both conditions