time frame

[mickeyba1]

Seems like the time it takes to go from egfr 70 to esrd is all over the map. My egfr has dropped 11% in 10 months and wonder if I can ever slow it down?? Any thoughts on how long it takes or is it highly individualized? I have had type 2 for 30 years and now at 78 my egfr is 48. Is it too late to intervene in a positive way??

[Skeptix]

You've just arrived at a site populated by folk doing something about kidney disease! And there is much that can be done.

Your at a time of change. Up to very recently the paradigm for treating kidney disease was do very little until end stage (eGFR 15). Most recent science/guidelines are promoting diet as a way to optimize and preserve what you have. And there is more than that..

Start reading around the threads and you'll get the jist of it quick enough. It's effectively low (or very low) protein (plant based) diet. At your age and eGFR you might not have to be as rigorous as someone in their 30's whose got to stretch kidney life longer than yourself.

But it would be good to get a handle on this whilst you've still got a decent amount of fuction and aren't free falling in decline rate. If you get some kindnof control over it it you have amd can maintain wiggle room going forward.

Welcome

[mickeyba1 in reply to Skeptix]

Your take on this MUCH appreciated. 😀

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador]

Here is a link to eGFR calculation that refers to age relation. kidney.org/atoz/content/gfr

[Jumbo1]

Mine took 11 years

[mickeyba1 in reply to Jumbo1]

Was yours diabetes, htn related?

[Jumbo1 in reply to mickeyba1]

Diabetes later on.

[Sophiebun11]

Hi mickeyba1,

As you mentioned it is highly individual how quickly one's kidneys go through the stages of CKD. Mine dropped fairly quickly in the past 3 years from Stage 3A to Stage 4. 5 years ago my GFR was perfectly normal >60. I have an autoimmune disease which is destroying my kidneys and heart. Having comorbid illnesses greatly contributes to your CKD and the progress your disease may take.

This is the time to start absorbing all the info you can about diet and anything else you can do, or stop doing, that will slow down the progress. Have you seen a Nephrologist and a renal dietician? Those are good first steps. If you don't trust your Dr. fire them and find one that you feel confident with and is willing to treat this disease aggressively in the earlier stages. I did that recently and now have a great team that made changes in my medications, some of which were harming my kidneys and should have been changed to more kidney friendly alternatives years ago. If you get the right Drs. you'll do better, it's all about team work. You, your medical team, dietician, and support of family, friends and this forum all working together can make a difference.

Best wishes.

[RoxanneKidney]

THe new drugs, the SGLT 2 inhibitors are what does that. Especially for T2D. diatribe.org/what-are-sglt-...

[Darlenia]

Oh Mickeybal1! I so feel for you. My hubby is a T2D who experienced kidney decline, went on dialysis, and received a deceased donor transplant in late June of this year at age 71. He was a diabetic for the same length of time as you. Then, about 4 years ago, he was given 7 years to live by his nephrologist as his levels dropped to Stage IV. Upset, my hubby visited with our family doctor who immediately, with the blessings of the nephrologist, placed my hubby on a low carb diet. That worked wonderfully well...his numbers rallied but not in time to stave off dialysis. His blood pressure suddenly soared to the 240s/120s, his creatinine took flight and egfr dropped like a rock, so he was placed on emergency hemodialysis to straighten everything out. I asked the nephrologist why the sudden decline occurred and he replied that kidneys can simply quit like that - they simply stop when done. Anyway, my husband then transitioned to peritoneal after a few months, and almost exactly a year later after going on dialysis received the transplant. Throughout, it became abundantly clear to us that the diabetes was the underlying cause of everything. When we asked the dialysis center about their diabetic patients, the response was that "almost all" were diabetics there.

Diabetes targets kidneys, eyes, limbs, etc. by damaging and taking out the blood vessels in the kidneys and elsewhere. When the last few are gone, consequences happen. We reacted a little too late to successfully halt the erosion. Anyway, while on dialysis, my husband did succeed in dropping his weight and getting off all diabetes meds (insulin, etc.) which completely surprised his team. In my opinion, diabetes isn't treated with the respect it should be - the condition is so commonplace that it generally only gets a shrug and a prescription. Diabetes also moves silently while it performs its damage, so it's easy to ignore. It generally takes a couple of decades for problems to surface. Diabetes is in desperate need for a cure. But you're in a fine position to do something about it since you're still in Stage III. Consider the new meds coming out, consider your diet (do not rely on simply the renal diet; it has sugars and carbs - so look for a blend), etc. You're being proactive by jumping on this site, so I see positive outcomes for you!

[mickeyba1 in reply to Darlenia]

Thank you Darlenia. We have much in common. Two meds hard on kidneys, HCTZ and Lopid. My triglycerides have been historically high. PCP just recently dc'd the hctz, but pharmacist told me that egfr below 50 means lopid should be cut in half. Things one's doctor rarely talks about. I have cut carbs significantly so now major issue is slowing wasting, much trouble maintaining weight, current bmi 23. Trying to consume 2300 calories per day and not elevate sugar levels. A real high wire act. Free Style Libre is a big help. Again thank you.

[Darlenia in reply to mickeyba1]

Those two meds are indeed not good for your kidneys. Glad you're switching to something else. When my hubby received a transplant, a pharmacist is on the team that meets weekly with my husband and all the nephrologists completely defer to his decisions. I wish this was common for all facing kidney disease and diabetes. As a matter of fact, an endocrinologist should be part of that team too. Doctors are diagnosticians whereas the pharmacists are similar to chemists and endocrinologists are typically biochemists specializing in metabolic processes. For some odd reason, the transplant team doesn't include an endocrinologist - we hope to change that as the transplant meds are making his sugar numbers soar. Yes, one also gets tissue wastage when restricting carbs. My husband is going through that too. He's 5'7 and 130 pounds - underweight. There was a good post about turning that around on this site somewhere. Light exercise and certain foods like keto ice cream and butter help stabilize it. Ugh. Someday, hopefully, diabetes and its effects on kidneys will no longer plague our lives. You're just so blessed to have caught your kidney status now. I sense you're putting yourself on a very good path to good results!