CKD at age 39

[JAMAC3300]

Hi everyone, so I’m a male at the age of 39, I have CKD. My GFR is 23.4, is there anything I can do to raise my GFR numbers, Lower my Creatinine level? I workout 6 days a week, I’m on a low sodium diet, and only consume around 60-90 grams of protein a day.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador]

Welcome to the forum, where you will find support and information for kidney disease. Many of us are on Doctor or dietitian prescribed CKD diet and have slowed down the progression. Please keep us posted.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

HI Jamac,There is a lot you can try to do to slow down the progression of CKD, in some cases. First of all, do you know what caused your CKD? Once you discover the reason, find out the following: Do you take medications such as OTC ibuprofen? What if any supplements do you use? Then make sure to stop....and check with your nephrologist that none of you meds or supplements are contributing to your issue.

Next, you say you work out everyday. There is some studies that say strenuous exercise can produce higher creatinine levels. You don't want that. But some exercise is good. kidney.org/atoz/content/sta...

biron.com/en/education-cent...

Protein intake might need to be modified for you. I am not a dietician, but in many cases, lowering your protein intake will help the kidney.

I am not giving you a lot of specific information here because each person is different. You should see a dietician and make sure you see your nephrologist regularly.

[JAMAC3300 in reply to Bassetmommer]

I do take a Creatine free pre workout, and One protein shake every morning g as a breakfast meal. It seems Hypertension was the cause. Thank you for your response.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador in reply to JAMAC3300]

Hi again,To follow up, change the protein drink in the morning. Even though I am not a dietician, I can tell you that it is too much protein for a daily intake. When I was diagnose at GFR around 24, my dietician dropped my protein to 50-60 grams per day. In January, after being pretty steady for 3 YEARS, my GFR dropped to a GFR 13 and went back and saw her again. I totally revamped my diet to be plant based only. And I dropped my protein to only 10% of my intake or 28 grams per day. It is pretty low, but.... my GFR went up 2 points in 2 months and my creatinine dropped some. So, a dietician who specializes in renal can help. Plant based is great for some, but very hard for meat lovers. Lee Hull, although has some great ideas, is pushing supplements you do not need. Just remember, for some CKD is big business

[Batony646 in reply to JAMAC3300]

Hello Jamac. I would suggest stop taking the creatine immediately. It’s too hard on damaged kidneys. I know it sucks, but it will help improve your numbers.

[Knobbs]

Welcome to the forum. I just got my results back and my GFR increased from 36 (4 weeks ago) to 44 (today). I can only share with you what I have done and by no means know if it is right for you. I researched what to eat, not to eat and limited quantity. I cut out all red meat, processed meat and dairy (I have started eating low fat yoghurt as per my dietician). I saw a dietician who has put me on 3 smaller meals a day and 2 snacks. I also cut out coffee. I have 1 cup of decaf coffee a week as a treat. I also started exercising - 4 times a week. Wishing you all the best.

[JAMAC3300 in reply to Knobbs]

Thank you

[Bar57 in reply to Knobbs]

good news and good for you! why cut out coffee? I thought coffee was listed as A OK

[Knobbs in reply to Bar57]

Thanks! I read somewhere that you got to switch to decaf and milk alternative. I cannot remember where.

[Beckett24]

Hi, JAMAC3300,

Working out three days before your labs will affect your CKD scores in a negative way. But since you work out all the time, they would be normal scores for you.

The single best first step you can take is to educate yourself on CKD. Check out "Stopping Kidney Disease" by Lee Hull on Amazon and read the customer reviews. It's $19.99 or less.

My wife and I used it to improve our eGFR scores and help our kidneys following a plant based diet. My eGFR went from 42 to 62, and my wife's eGFR went from 67 to 91, yes, 91.

I imagine at this point if you saw your doctor, he would send you to a phrenologist. The only thing that can help you now is a change of diet. Virtually all doctors know very little about CKD diets (or detailed nutrition in general), so a phrenologist would not help much. He would send you to a registered dietician. There are very few registered dieticians who specialize in CKD diets (they are called renal dieticians).

So again, the best thing you can do is educate yourself on CKD.

I know you work out a lot, but 60-90 grams of daily protein intake are way too much with someone with an eGFR of 23.4. Your kidneys will tolerate protein massively better if it is plant based.

Don't forget to drink tons of water.

Good luck.

[JAMAC3300 in reply to Beckett24]

Thank you so much

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador in reply to JAMAC3300]

Check out kidneyschool.orgYour protein intake is considered quite high for someone with CKD and a lowered eGFR. Recommendation is closer to 60 mg and below daily HOWEVER, with the amount of exercise you are doing and creatinine you are likely to have due to muscle mass this should be reviewed by a nephrologist AND dietitian and individualized for you. Get to see one ASAP. Blessings

[JAMAC3300 in reply to KidneyCoach]

Thank you so much

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador]

a phrenologist is someone who studies the bumps and shapes of heads. I do believe you mean to say NEPHROLOGIST, Yes?

[Blackknight1989]

Check out my post on AAKP.org nutritional site. Don’t waste your money on the miracle cures that come and go until you have exhausted all the free resources available and there are a ton of free resources. Hull give some good advice but the same advice can be found in many other resources that do not require you to purchase them.

Also, remember there are no nephrologist actively posting to this site that I know of currently. Therefore, the majority of us will tell you what worked for us but that does not mean it will work for you as we all differ both in stage of the disease and genetically. In general you need to find a nephrologist and PCP you can trust and who are both top notch. Your nephrologist should take the journey with you from where you are now all the way through dialysis and transplant because currently that is where we are all headed if we live long enough. CKD is a degenerative and non-reservable condition and there is no cure. Can you take steps to slow down the progression of course but you can’t stop it. eGFR is only a snapshot in time an will fluctuate nearly every very time you have your blood drawn. Many times folks with stage 2 and 3 CKD when notified and change their diet, cut out alcohol, salt, meds that damage kidneys and NSAIDS can have a seemingly bigger jump in eGFR but if you start at 50 and jump to 65 that is a 30% jump. Conversely, if you start at 15 a 30% jump only gets you to to 19.5 so be careful when comparing your progress in controlling the progression with examples of people with significantly higher eGFR.

There will be no better advocate for your health than you so educate yourself. There are a lot of good sites out there that you have already been alerted to. NKF, AAKP and the NIIH kidney sites are great places to start. Make sure you have the best docs you can get on your health insurance or based on your financial situation. Make sure you treat your CKD as the top health priority and make sure you alert all providers you see and have a way like a medic alert bracelet or notations on your health app that notifies of your CKD first. The last thing you want is to have a situation where you wind up in an emergency situation with docs unfamiliar with you and your history and have the, treat your pain with high dose NSAIDS destroying your remaining kidney function.

Lastly, I have had stage 4 CKD since I was 29. I am now 54. GFR drops to 13 and will go as high as 21. In my case, I had to change the way I worked out from like you to more aerobic and less anaerobic. Also, the aerobic couldn’t be a big muscle builder like a stepper bit either an elliptical or a bike. I still lifted but it way low weight high reps. If you are taking pre-workout I assume you are lifting hard. That will raise creatinine levels, damage kidneys and cause GFR to decrease so you may have to do as I did and cut the pre-workout completely out of your diet and not lift heavy in the future. Of course, consult your trusted nephrologist with everything. Tough diagnosis of stage 4 at 39 but I have been there. If you take care to follow trusted docs and good websites like mentioned in this thread it is possible to keep your disease where it is as I have done for 25 years but it takes more commitment from you in many areas and it will require sacrifice of some things you love to do and eat. I wish you the best of luck as you journey through this life altering diagnosis.

[JAMAC3300 in reply to Blackknight1989]

Thank you

[Skeptix]

I'd second the advice to check out Lee Hull's book. It's a right pain having to embark on taking control of your health rather than rely on a doctor, but this is life (and quality of life) and death. Your death.

Hull's book is hard work. It's vs 1.0 and it can make for fuzzy reading but it's a great kick starter on the path needing taking: own control over own health.

The idea of a very low protein diet (core to Hull's approach and seemingly, the latest scientific advice), if that's the right path, is an even bigger pain. Very low means tiny amounts of plant based protein,( no meat, dairy, eggs, fish) and supplements. How does 30gr a day protein sound!.

Whether or not Hull. Whether or not a VLP diet. You need to strap in and take up the reins.

[JAMAC3300 in reply to Skeptix]

Thank you