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Stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD): What specialists do I see?
My primary says I do not need to see a kidney specialist. Is this true. My blood chems are ok.
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My primary says I do not need to see a kidney specialist. Is this true. My blood chems are ok.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Kidney & Bladder Support Group.
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@2011panc, I have a friend who is waiting for a kidney transplant and has started dialysis. The last time I talked to him, he was very upbeat about it, even made arrangements to get dialysis so he and wife could take a trip. He says he has much more energy than before and feels good. He does treatment 3 mornings a week, and said he enjoys the time to relax and read.
As for myself, I did not have CKD, but I had acute kidney failure along with end stage liver disease. I had dialysis 3 days per week -in hospital, and out patient while I waited for transplant. It made a difference in my fatigue and edema and energy (keep in mind I was very sick, so any improvement seemed monumental) There might have been more, but the liver symptoms were getting worse.
I know that you are well aware that dialysis filters the toxins that the kidney is losing the ability to do. Has the nephrologist, or the dialysis nurse been able to give you any answers?
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1 Reaction@2011panc, In the Kidney and Bladder Discussion - Transplant List, you can find members : @ca426, @ginal, @gaybinator, @mlmcg, @wmoser2613, who have shared about dialysis.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/transplant-list/-
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2 Reactions@rosemarya Thank you for sharing your (and your friend's) experience regarding dialysis. I have and continue to speak with my team about the state of my kidney disease and care plan. At the last discussion we felt that it was close, but not yet necessary. Right now I am feeling that it is even closer. We will all meet again in November. My lab test are still stable but I am feeling more fatigue and less stamina so it might be time to start.
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3 ReactionsThe websites I've mentioned before and the values shown in my recipes are from USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release. But please, please, please, if you find an error in my posts, math or otherwise, feel free to tell me so I can correct whatever it is. Also, if you try one of my recipes and hate it, I need to know. Not everyone likes the same things. So all feedback, even negative, will be much appreciated.
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2 ReactionsPlease check for errors, always read labels, ask renal care providers if ok to eat.
Mac & cheese:
1 C cooked macaroni-approx ½ C dry (61.6 mg K, 81.2 mg P)
¼ C chopped onion (29.3mg K, 7.3mg P)
1 C non-dairy mozzarella flavored shreds (40 mg K, 40 mg P)
Sauté onion in sm amt EVOO, drain, stir into mac, stir in 1 C shreds, micro 1-2 min to melt
Total 140.9 mg K (7 %) 128.5 mg P (13 %)
I am a 72 year old woman with CKD stage 3 I also have TBI so it’s difficult for me to put this in words. Your story sounds like mine I am going to ask my nephrologist for that knew testing. My pressure has been high for several years now been trying to get it down at times it is. Couldn’t stay on Amlodipine which did bring it down some. I’m now on ahydrolazine cordevilil Bennecar, I also have A Fib and diabetes but that is 6 so under control with the right food. I’m really concerned about my kidneys went down. I’m on a couple other meds but I am afraid to take all these with the side affects. I do get nausea and weight gain which I am obese already not good for health etc. help I am scared. I don’t know if these drs
Hi, all. I just need to vent a little. Last week-end I started coming down with a cold. By Monday night my airway was shutting down so a friend called 911 and I went to the hospital per ambulance where I was admitted from ER.
By the way, the local hospital, which is affiliated with a state university teaching hospital, offers a renal diet for inpatients with CKD but some of the offerings were outdated and better choices were unavailable on the menu but all in all it was a good kidney-friendly diet so kudos to my "small" city hospital. I did share some of my research with the hospital dietitian and she will be "tweaking" the hospital's renal menus.
I'm home now and doing much better but because I'm temporarily taking prednisone for my COPD and Combivent inhaler, my blood sugars are high when they had been so well-controlled at home before this episode. Both albuterol (in Combivent inhalers) and prednisone tend to interfere with insulin absorption which results in elevated blood sugars so I'm hoping this is a temporary setback which will resolve once I've finished the post-discharge meds.
I'm also hoping that the drop in my GFR from 37 to 35 while in the hospital is temporary. It's possible that the slight GFR drop is related to the viral load of the upper respiratory infection and will come back up once I have finished the COPD exacerbation meds and can improve my renal vegetarian diet a bit after that.
Also my BUN and Cr elevated slightly while I was in the hospital. They tend to be high anyway and I can't seem to get them down much. I'm not on any fluid restriction and I do drink about 6 8-oz glasses of water a day plus other fluids but this doesn't seem to have much effect. Any suggestions as to how to lower both the BUN and the creatinine would be appreciated.
I just wanted to share some of my frustration. Thanks for listening to me gripe.
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1 ReactionVent away, @kamama94. Letting off steam can help relieve the pressure cooker of frustration and get you back on the healing path that you're directing for yourself. Keep up the good self care.
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2 ReactionsWith TBI traumatic brain injury, I can’t remember if my nephrologist or cardiologist prescribed my carvedilol and Amlodipine, Benecar, etc. For Hypertention. I really am fearful taking these meds but my BP is quite high about 170/85. It’s the 170 mainly. I find my kidney numbers do better when I eat less protein. I am stage 3 about 50 in my egfr. I am a 72 year female. My a fib causes tachycardia fast heart beat and at times bradycardia slow and at times may skip. Drs don’t tell me much, but that’s what I feel in my own body. I have worked with drs and in hospitals all my life, think I’ve seen too much so I’m not as inclined to have much faith in them. My general practitioner feels I don’t need anyone but him. I could be dying and he would say I’m fine. My lab tests are ordered by my kidney dr and my diabetic dr who I only see once a year. I just found out my cardiologist after going to him for several years doesn’t have any lab reports on me. I’ve heard of laid back but maybe he is taking a nap. Lol 😂
@carnes The first thing that came to my mind when I read your post was oh, my gosh! Sure does sound like they're all "laid back." I'm 73 and a retired nurse so, like you, I know a little too much to trust the medical peeps absolutely and blindly. Hope you get the care and attention you need and deserve.
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