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Living Long-Term at Stage 4 Kidney Disease
Kidney & Bladder | Last Active: May 23 1:50pm | Replies (17)Comment receiving replies
I was able to live with slowly decreasing eGFR for more than a decade, and closer to 15 years. Much to the chagrin of my doctors, I was following a strict renal diet and really watching my numbers. They didn't feel it was needed. I did, simply put. And I credit taking an active role in keeping my function as good as it was for so long. My kidney issue is the result of an ultra-rare autoimmune kidney issue, and eventually it got the best of me.
It is my humble opinion, that as patients, we absolutely can make a difference in our quality of life when it comes to kidney function. We have to be proactive, and be our own advocate.
Ginger
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Appreciate this response! As my kidneys decline, I keep thinking what an amazing organ. Although my GFR is declining, potassium, sodium, hydration, glucose and all the markers are normal. The only concern is secondary hyperthyroidism. But Vit. D is correcting that. I used to intermittent fast. Almost every day. Eat in an 8 hour window. But now I’m not sure that was a good thing, for kidney health anyway. My protein comes from plant sources, beans, nuts, milk, dairy. Once in a while I’ll eat meat, but rarely. Lots of water. I mentioned before, my disease is from long term lithium use (40 years). I still don’t know it was necessary to take lithium all that time, but I maintained the lowest dose. My GFR began dropping in 2014. It was always 60+ until then. Anyway, meds can make a big difference in kidney function.