Is there a Fiber supplement safe for kidney... - Kidney Disease

Kidney Disease

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Is there a Fiber supplement safe for kidneys that can be used everyday?

Dakot profile image
22 Replies

Hi everyone, My EFGR has been going up and down a few points ...nothing too bad my Doc says, age and my meds are not helping but they are necessary HP and Cholesterol. Dosage is fine and minimal.

Not here for that. I have another question lately in the last month I have not been regular and I have tried to eat a high fiber diet. But it isn’t helping. This is new.

I wanted to know if anyone can recommend a fiber supplement that will not effect the kidneys if there is such a thing. My EFGR is 64 and I would like to keep it there. My doc thinks I need more fiber then what diet alone can provide. I of course try to keep my diet lower in potassium and any other things that are not good for the kidneys. I eat plenty of higher fiber fruits low in Potassium. My Doc says sometimes diet alone cannot provide all we need???

Thank you for ny suggestions

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Dakot profile image
Dakot
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22 Replies
orangecity41 profile image
orangecity41NKF Ambassador

I am a senior also (81). If you have a gastro Doctor, ask what is best for you. Mine prescribed a powder fiber (was aware of my CKD level).

Dakot profile image
Dakot in reply to orangecity41

thank you for your reply. No I don’t have a Gastro Doc this is something just started 2 weeks aapprox. I noticed not regular like I use to be.

Bassetmommer profile image
BassetmommerNKF Ambassador

I thought I was eating tons of fiber and it turns out, nope, I needed more. So, I added flax seeds and chia seeds blend to my oatmeal and sometimes even other foods. I eat salad almost every day and tons of veggies and some fruits. But crucial to that mix is water.... have to drink a LOT of water. I also, with my doctors' approval, added stool softeners every day. It took a while to get more regular, but I it works.

Dakot profile image
Dakot in reply to Bassetmommer

Hi and thank you for your reply. I pay close attention to my diet. I sometimes fall just a little short of the recommended fiber amt per day. I drink lots of water with my Doctors approval 64 oz a day, eat fruits and always a daily salad and other veggies. I have gone over my diet with my Doctor and it seems more than adequate for my age. This is a recent thing. It could also be stress. I was just wondering if their was a healthy fiber supplement. I am reading alot and did note that too much fiber is not good either. Thank you for your suggestion I was thinking about ground flax seed.

Dakot profile image
Dakot

I thank you for taking the time to write and reply I so appreciate it. I do eat alot of fruits, watermelon. Apples, pears. Oh and I do eat cucumbers a few times a week. As I wrote above sometimes I fall just a bit short of the recommended amount of fiber so I wanted to get opinions. This is relativity new for me. I was always pretty regular so since the last two weeks were not I thought I would be ahead of the game and gain a little knowledge and some idea’s incase it does not clear up naturally of course with the help of a good diet as well. Thank you for taking the time to reply

Bassetmommer profile image
BassetmommerNKF Ambassador

Hey Sparkie,Can you site where you got this information " However the caveat is if you have CKD you are not advised to chuck water because it does not help your kidneys especially when it is impaired it will have difficulty getting rid of excess water and your cells will swell especially in the brains and around the heart this may lead to death"

This is truly the most amazing piece of misinformation I have ever heard.

chicablue profile image
chicablue in reply to Bassetmommer

I was in hospital 6 months, and they were always telling me that excess fluid is hard on damaged kidneys. We know that kidney disease can lead to heart problems, and even my cardiologist told me excess fluid can make my mild case of congestive heart failure worse. Why drink a lot of water and then have to take diuretics to get rid of it? Makes no sense to me. I tried having salads more frequently. Too much fluid. It just ends up on my face around my eyes the next morning when I wake up, so much it affects my vision! I don;t know any other kidney patients, but my body does not like drinking much water!

chicablue profile image
chicablue in reply to Bassetmommer

I'm sorry, but I'm trying to understand the basics here. With kidney failure, the body retains too much fluid because the kidneys are not efficiently getting rid if it, right? Doctors did tell me not to drink too much fluid. I've also heard diuretics are bad for the kidneys. It just sounds like a vicious circle. They tell you not to drink too much, then they say drink a lot of water! Then they say take diuretics, and they are bad too? Why not just limit the amount of fluid so you dont need the diuretics in the first place? I would rather drink natural diuretics like coffee and cranberry juice, and avoid the drugs! Please explain!

sparkie88 profile image
sparkie88 in reply to Bassetmommer

Hmm I did not say don't drink water but by chucking means in gallons and more than your kidneys can get ridDrinking enough and not excessive because it does not reduce kidney decline or improve egfr in a effective way . When the kidneys do not get rid of water fast enough it will store in the cells especially in the organs such as the heart hypervolumia causes heart failure

Or low in salt hyponatremia or swelling in the brains coma or lungs shortness of breathe or just big heavy legs causes nerve damage all require immediate medical attention or dialysis can solve the problem.

ASK YOUR Dr How much you can drink

There are numerous studies about water intake and CKD you can Google for others in pubmed NIH JASON health line medscape Harvard medicine Stanford medicine etc

Some articles

consultant360.com/exclusive...

jasn.asnjournals.org/conten...

thehindu.com/news/cities/De...

webmd.com/diet/what-is-too-...

medicinenet.com/is_drinking...

news24.com/health24/Experts...

health.clevelandclinic.org/...

healthline.com/nutrition/ho...

umms.org/bwmc/health-servic...

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con....

medscape.com/viewarticle/95....

google.com/amp/s/www.hindus...

Bassetmommer profile image
BassetmommerNKF Ambassador in reply to sparkie88

Sparkie,Thanks for the explanation, since not knowing what you meant by chuck. It would seem many would take this to mean don't drink water........ AT ALL.

Anyone who drinks gallons of water is subject to water intoxication. But I do not think most people do that anyways.

Not sure how much is good for you? Consult with a doctor. Thanks for all the good links.

Darlenia profile image
Darlenia in reply to sparkie88

Nice links. Sadly, in "chronic" kidney disease, the kidneys generally don't repair themselves and we can only use food and water to lighten the load on them. Keeping a nice balance (no swelling, no cramps, etc.) is good. There have been times when my hubby was advised to restrict fluids (dialysis, and early transplant) and also advised to increase fluid intake (few days after transplant). Swelling was always of big concern and so was dehydration because of their impact on heart function-the leading cause of death. (His feet were constantly probed for water levels.) Anyway, too much of anything isn't good, too little isn't good. Doctors will let one know what one's "normal" should be. I always remember my Dutch parents saying, "Don't do anything crazy, normal is crazy enough. Blessings.

medway-lady profile image
medway-lady

In the UK its called Fybogel just a husk of something or other it is ok as I'm prescribed it although it can be got OTC and my GFR is 32. My Nephrologist said 6/8 glasses a day so water is good for my kidneys so I'd check again about water. In hospital they measure to make sure how much was drunk and its exiting rate too.

Dakot profile image
Dakot in reply to medway-lady

Thank you. I will check on that. I just want to be prepared if this is going to turn into a problem. As for my Kidneys I don’t have CKD but my levels have jumped around so we are trying to make sure my kidneys stay as healthy as possible right now gfr is 64. So I try to be ultra careful we don’t want any thing to take a turn. It can so easily happen sometimes. I am very careful about diet and supplements. I do measure my water intake carefully. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.

Honeydag profile image
Honeydag

Have you tried Miralax ? It could be just an occasional addition

Dakot profile image
Dakot

Hi thank you no I haven’t. I did just try Senna tea it helped but that is really to be used on occasion. I was hoping for a healthy fibre for daily use.

Denise-80 profile image
Denise-80

Hi Dakot - Someone on this site suggested chia tea. I have to take 2000 mg of calcium per day which can/does cause constipation. I started drinking chia tea every morning. I’m back to my old regular self. Please ask your doctor before trying this, as we are all different in our particular kidney stages. I’m post transplant. Best wishes, D

Dakot profile image
Dakot in reply to Denise-80

Thank you so much. I appreciate your suggestion and will look into it. Please be well and thank you.

Wandakay72 profile image
Wandakay72

Hi, I take a Probiotic because I take iron pills which cause constipation. The Probiotics help me stay regular.

Dakot profile image
Dakot in reply to Wandakay72

Thank you so much. There are so many probiotics. Some don’t even have live cultures. I have been eating small amounts of yogurt trying to go easy on dairy. Thank you for your suggestion.

Sophiebun11 profile image
Sophiebun11

Ask your local pharmacist. There are many OTC fibre supplements that are ok with CKD. Pharmacists know all about meds.

Good luck.

Dakot profile image
Dakot in reply to Sophiebun11

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I will differently ask. I appreciate everyones suggestions. Be well Thank you.

Ziggydoodah profile image
Ziggydoodah

Have you tried making your own kefir? I tried it and it kept me regular. Unfortunately I didnt keep it up. But I did feel good when I had it.

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