Connect
← Return to Confused About Diet for Stage 3 or 4 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Discussion
Confused About Diet for Stage 3 or 4 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Kidney & Bladder | Last Active: Jun 5, 2022 | Replies (156)Comment receiving replies
Dear fiesty76, thank you for your message. Yes, like you, I immediately panicked, as the doctor told me the news at the end of our visit and left me totally in the air. "What does stage 3 mean? When did I pass stage 1 or 2? What do I do now? Should I take medicine for it? Do I have to look into a specific diet? When is my next lab test? Is it deadly? Do I have to go through dialyze? " I thought of all those questions when I got home and could think more clearly. Later I have told the doctor that she scared me. I hope she does not do it to other people. My last 2 lab tests have been normal. But to think that since 2007 it was not normal, that was very scary. I am 73 yrs old and was following the DASH diet as I have genetic high cholesterol and osteopenia. I ate a lot of fiber, never white bread or rice, lots of water, fruits and vegetable, and most chicken and fish. I thought I was taking good care of my body. I looked at the site of the National Kidney Foundation and the American Association of Kidney Patients. That is when I really panicked, as most of the foods I was eating were bad for the kidneys. It took me a while to come down and see what I could eliminate easily. I wish no one in this world should panic as I did. Next week I am going to call the nutritionist's office and see how we can arrange to have a visit with her/him. Thank you for your support. It is good to not feel alone. Have a pleasant day, Eliana
Replies to "Dear fiesty76, thank you for your message. Yes, like you, I immediately panicked, as the doctor..."
Connect
@paiva, Yes! Your emotions and questions were the same as mine initially upon hearing the neph's first words: "You have stage 3 ckd", with only the briefest of instruction other than stop NSAIDS and reduce Vit C. Also, with no family history of CKD, I'd never given kidneys a thought and had been basically priding myself for following a mediterranean diet and for taking such good nutritional care of my aging self. vbg
I, too, began researching Mayo online as well as other sites,including the two reliable sources you mentioned. Discovering the Devita and kidney school sites offered a wealth of information before finding the Mayo Connect kidney forum.
In a city of over 200,000 and three large hospitals, I also searched for local kidney support groups because I knew no one with kidney disease to talk with in person about this scary diagnosis. It took a long while to eventually learn that we have one kidney support grp that meets qtrly at our teaching hospital. It took a call to a private dialysis center to learn of it. I attended one session before Covid struck and was so happy to actually meet and talk with others. Some were years! recovered kidney transplant patients and one was just starting in home dialysis. The grp leader was very knowledgeable and that meeting of 11 attendees was so informative and supportive. I was amazed that one attendee was not a kidney patient but a heart transplant patient. In this city, there is not a single heart support group and this was the closest thing she could find for in person support and sharing. Imagine!
I'll be closely tracking the increasing spread of the virus in my community before deciding on whether or not to have much needed labs done in August at the Quest Diagnostic Lab my neph. uses exclusively. I worry about the lab because of crowding and walk-ins. However, I've already postponed an earlier visit and really need to have labs done to see where I am.
In times of new serious health diagnoses or while waiting for other test/lab reports to reveal more, I think the "waiting and not knowing what may lie ahead" is one of the hardest things to endure. Like you, I am so grateful that we can participate in a trusted forum in which patients can share and learn. Knowing that we are not alone and that many are contending successfully with more advanced stages and procedures is worth its weight in a ton of plutonium or platinum or maybe even fudge for those of us chocolate lovers???
If you are able to schedule a phone visit with a dietitian, you may want to have your lab values available to share so that the pro can help you devise a suitable meal plan. I kept asking for a doc referral so that ins. would help defray charges but I have to tell you, that I would have gladly spent the $330 fee out-of-pocket if I'd known what dietitian to call for an appointment.
Hope you'll be able to talk with a renal dietitian who can help guide you. Mine was a new college graduate and not with a renal specialty but his time and input for a combined diabetes/kidney diet made a huge difference in my meal planning and peace of mind.
Let us know how you are doing, ok?