Female ckd stage 4

[Dina0210]

I have ckd stage 4 and an eGFR of 19.

[Skeptix]

Hi and welcome. It's a great site (I'm only here a few months myself) with lots of folk working at preserving the kidney function they have.

You could add info to your bio which let's folk know where you're at re numbers, co morbities and the rest.

[Sophiebun11]

Hi Dina,

Welcome to the forum. Have you recently discovered your CKD or have you just discovered the forum? You'll find a lot of info and others here to talk to. I'm relatively new here myself after being diagnosed with Stage 4. My eGFR went down to 29 and after starting Prednisone for an autoimmune disease it's gone back up to Stage 3. I know that won't work on anyone without an autoimmune disease but I hope you find some helpful tips here. My Neph is going to have me go off the Prednisone in 3 months and see if my eGFR will stay up or drop again.

Are you on a plant based diet? Most people here swear by that. I've been a vegetarian myself since I was 10 years old and am always happy to share plant based diet tips. Of course you still need to watch other sources of foods that are hard on the kidneys.

I look forward to seeing more posts from you.

[Dina0210 in reply to Sophiebun11]

Hi Sophiebun11,

Thank you for welcoming me in this forum. I am quite new here and i have had ckd for quite some time now. I am in stage 4 with a eGFR of 19 with hypertension and diabetes. Both are controlled though.

Good for you that you went down to stage 3. Keep me posted what happens after you stop prednisone. Hopefully, you eGFR remains the same or even better.

Yes, please. I would appreciate it if you could share with me some plant based diet tips. I know being a vegetarian one still consumes meat, fish, chicken and dairy but in moderation, right? What keeps your iron in place? Are you anemic?taking iron supplements?

[Sophiebun11 in reply to Dina0210]

A vegetarian eat no meat, fish or dairy. Some vegetarians eat eggs and dairy, some only eggs, some only dairy. With a plant based diet (not the same as Vegetarian exactly) you can eat fish and low protein meat like chicken occasionally depending on your serum protein levels. That's were a dietician is very helpful. I have pernicious anemia but I was born with that and a low gamma globulin level. I don't have iron anemia or CKD associated anemia. I don't take any iron supplements at all. Grains, soy, nuts/seeds and many veggies have iron. I add protein powder to my diet in the form of nutritional yeast powder to get B12 which is only found naturally in meat. I know it doesn't sound appetizing, but nutritional yeast powder is really yummy sprinkled on food, or mixed in with it's nutty flavor. You can get it online or at any health food store or vitamin shop.

With a plant based diet you can also get protein from soy and legumes (as long as you watch your intake if you have high phosphorus or high protein levels). The body doesn't absorb as much of the protein or phosphorus from vegetable sources as from animal sources which is another reason that a plant based diet is easier on the kidneys.

Here's a great link to explain Vegetarian Diet with CKD, the different food you'll need to eat at each stage of CKD, some meal plans and lists of foods to include and avoid.

stjoes.ca/patients-visitors...

I rely on quinoa, nutritional yeast, almond butter, and some dairy in my salad dressing to supply my necessary nutrients. I also eat some seasonal fruits and vegetables.

A plant based diet is not only good for your CKD, but also for T2D, hypertension, and cholesterol. Just take your time absorbing the info, and try to get in to see a dietician your PCP or Neph should give you a referral.

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy adding more healthy foods to your diet.