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Just diagnosed Stage 3 CKD: Should I be referred to a nephrologist?
Kidney & Bladder | Last Active: Apr 2 2:08pm | Replies (97)Comment receiving replies
@petuniamom567 Frankly, most internists/general doctors are not well-versed on kidney disease. In my humble opinion, there are way too many specialized systems within the body for one dr to be up-to-date on them all! While I agree they should be referring a patient earlier than they do, they don't. A patient must advocate for themselves and their health. A good nephrologist will refer you to a renal dietician, not a regular nutritionist, as our needs are very different! Unfortunately, again, these renal dieticians are not easy to find. We end up going to websites like davita https://www.davita.com/diet-nutrition or American Kidney Foundation https://kitchen.kidneyfund.org/ to find what we need to do with our particular situation. In reality, it helps us feel more in control of our own case. And remember, eating well, plus good exercise and reduced stress levels all will help us in slowing progress of our kidney disease.
It is important to know that a transplant is a treatment for kidney disease, not a resolution to it.
Ginger
Replies to "@petuniamom567 Frankly, most internists/general doctors are not well-versed on kidney disease. In my humble opinion, there..."
You need a kidney doctor! My sister stage 4 . She gets blood work done every 3 months. Check your insurance. Transplant process is not user friendly. Do your homework knowledge is power. My sister also is type 1 juvenile diabetic for 50 years. Having an underlying condition transplant centers are hesitate. She will die without a kidney transplant and we have a live donor perfect match.
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Very well said. You have basically said what I said in my comment. We shared so many of the same feelings and it's such a shame that my primary did not make me aware of my condition so that I could have been finding out more info to help it and eat the right foods and avoid those that I shouldn't be eating plus watching out for some of the dangers: potassium, protein, magnesium, and, of course salt. There is so much to know and learn. I will do my very best (even though I do allow myself about every 2 weeks a decadent day) but that's about it. I may have cut down that day to maybe every 3 weeks. I hope this helped you in some way but I think you know all you need to know. My best, Nancy