Stage 3a kidney disease: looking for info

I was just diagnosed with stage 3 a chronic kidney disease too.
I am not diabetic either. I would like more information - especially how to keep the disease from progressing further .

@jjb1225 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect!

It seems many of us do not find out about our Chronic Kidney disease [CKD] except in passing from our doctors. Contributing factors of CKD are uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, genetic factors, lifestyle, medication side effects. Have you and your doctor determined the cause of your case?

As you read the different discussions here in the kidney and bladder group, you'll see there are a lot of different experiences from a lot of different people. Slowing down progression of the disease includes getting moderate exercise, controlling your stress, getting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and most importantly, watching your diet. @kamama94 has been gracious enough to provide us files she created with recipes [see a few posts above]. We need to watch our sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, and protein intakes, and it boils down to a giant balancing act!

While you should check with your doctor before starting any diet plan, they may say you don't need to be so careful at this point. I respectfully disagree with that philosophy. Being proactive will go a long ways in slowing down progression, and advocating for your own health can't be overrated!

Feel free to ask any questions you have and I will try my best to answer them.
Ginger

I was diagnosed with CKD3a, then dropped to 3b. Have had diabetes more than 20 years. It's a progressive disease and can cause a lot of damage to different systems--nerves, kidneys, heart, etc. Used metformin many years, but not good for CKD3 so Dr stopped it, same with hydrochlorothiazide, cut losartan in half. I'm a vet, have gotten very good care from VA for many years, annual checkups, labs, etc. Was aware of possible effects of diabetes so kept track of eGFR, looked good until last year when it seemed steady around 60. By Jan 2022 it was 50.2 and by July had declined to36,9. Panicked me a little. At Jan Dr appointment I had asked for nephrologist appt but Dr said not yet and didn't communicate further until August when I finally got his attention. Now preparing for nephrologist appt doing blood tests, etc. All this shocked me into doing anything I can to slow the ckd worsening. Blood pressure very big factor took steps to lower it, have had good luck there. Strived for better diabetes control, have done much better with that. Diet also very big deal, always been a meat and potatoes guy, my VA dietician very helpful converting me more toward a plant based diet, doing pretty well. Difficult to navigate between the needs of two diseases, what's good for one often isn't good for the other, but making good progress. If you don't have a healthcare team with skill and knowledge in ckd and any other health problems you might have, I hope you can get one together. Key thing is taking action now with all the help you can get. I felt hopeless when I hit ckd3b, but reassurances from many knowledgeable friends, acquaintences, and medical professionals have removed a lot of the negativity and doubt. Best thing I did was to become my own best advocate, as is often stated in medical articles. Often in the past I wasn't assertive enough but that is changing for the better, not belligerent but pressing for answers wherever I can find them. Sorry if this seems to be somewhat self centered but I have learned things and hope you can benefit from my experiences

You shared your experience with diabetes and CKD 3 like many of us have, and continue to have is coping with this disease. One thing you did not mention which is quite important is water. For me, I try to have at least 70 Oz. each day. My symptoms pretty much match yours, but with a dietitian, a great Mayo PA nephrologist, acupuncturist, and PCP, I too am living with better care, control, and learning so much more. For example, I found out a couple of weeks ago that Cystatin C eGFR is more accurate in kidney function than eGFR when labs are taken, so now I do both. You are proactive as many of us here, and all of us learn more by sharing.

Thanks for your response. You are absolutely right about the importance of water, not only with ckd patients but with everyone. If we aren't thirsty we tend not to drink enough water. My own tendency in the past was other fluids-coffee, tea, soda, whatever had more flavor than water, but there is absolutely no substitute for water. I almost never drink soda anymore. Fortunately I don't drink alcohol. Tried to acquire a taste for it while in the army in early 60's, just didn't like it. Just one thing I don't have to deal with now. Have improved my water consumption to half a liter 4 or 5 times a day plus 2 or three 16 oz cups of decaf tea and a 16 oz cup of coffee with breakfast. Had been drinking a lot more coffee but tracking blood pressure confirmed what I resisted accepting for a long time-too much coffee can elevate blood pressure. Now have consistent readings that please Dr. and me. Sounds like you are a couple steps ahead of me but are confirming that I'm on the right track. Last few years I've been lax at reaching out to others but have felt forced to do so out of necessity recently. Necessity is not only the mother of invention, in my case it is the provider of wonderful beneficial connection
with others sharing a common experience. I appreciate your willingness to share and look forward to hearing of your progress.

There are so many patients on this forum who are so proactive by sharing their experiences such as yourself which makes it quite valuable. More importantly, mentors or monitors such as Ginger and Colleen point us in the right direction to drill down for the best resources. I typically do not drink alcohol unless a special occasion, just water in a 40 oz. bottle that always accompanies me. My nephrologist said to stay away from RO water because it has no nutrients, and said it was like drinking distilled water. In the past, I always drank RO water. As you, I hope all of us progress in our journey to an enjoyable life while dealing with this disease.

Most of what you said could’ve been written by me. Except I never chose to use the VA after they blended my father 15 years ago. A few days ago I saw a nutritionist. Long story short, I was somewhat encouraged by his approach, which is to limit protein to 75 g, fat about the same although he was not specific on that and two watch my carbs, which I take to mean around 200. He wanted each meal to be a mixture of the three. That is doable. I was thinking about starting a thread with those comments to see what folks think about it.

A few days ago, @kamama94 and @gingerw posted recipes in pdf (portable document format) form in which you can read and download. It would be beneficial to this group for you to add any CKD recipes you may have to support this forum. If you scroll up a few days, you can find @kamama94 recipes.

I am guessing that my husband's Enlarged Prostate might have brought his on. For the past year he has been on the cusp of Stage a/b. Because of the EP he has to watch his liquid intake. Catch 22. He is 89. Had high blood pressure under control with medications for a lot of decades. Now suddenly it has dropped 92/58 (Bradycardia). Yet they still have him on the BP med (asking again at his next appt!). His eating is terrible. Mostly doesn't want to eat. If I can get him to eat will only be a little bit. Only wants sweets (not diabetic) Now has been diagnosed with dementia - which I suspected for about 10 years. So many signs were there but he is so good at 'showtime'. He is now on medication for anger (Yeah, it is working!!!). CKD seems the least of his doctor's concerns. We just go day to day.

@collegeprof You're right, diet takes a front seat to help us in the battle with Chronic Kidney Disease! It really is amazing how much we can help ourselves by watching what goes in our bodies, and tweaking our intake to work with us individually. For me, I am now on fluid restrictions due to end-stage renal disease, and am limited to 2 liters a day. That, for my body, is so difficult since I love my water! Crushed ice with a bit of water, using a packet of True Lemon [or Lime or Orange] to get flavor, really helps me. And this being summer, all those yummy fresh fruits have liquid values to be accounted for, like watermelon.

Having this forum to share experiences is invaluable, and I really appreciate that people openly talk about what works for them, and bring up concerns to get input from others.
Ginger