Mild kidney damage/stage 3a

I was only diagnosed 9 months ago with 3a ckd but looking back at prior labs I found my eGFR was down into high 40’s and Dr. never said a word, so probably has been actually years. At any rate I too adopted a plant based diet over the last 9 months and my eGFR has increased to 67. I realize I need to watch trends but this is encouraging. My BP was borderline high and is now w/in limits as well. I allow one day a week to eat as I please which I think helps me. Lots of good recipes online. The thing I find difficult is eating small protein portions throughout the day rather than bigger ones as meals. I get tired of thinking about food all day!! Need to lose weight and focused on food all day makes that a challenge.

Sounds like you're on a good regimen!

Could you give examples of your daily exercise? How many glasses of water does your dr suggest? And could you share sample food suggestions for a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks)? Thanks for sharing!

My daily exercise routine consists of 30 minutes on the bike or treadmill followed by several resistance weight machines for upper, mid and lower body. I do these exercises at a brisk pace because of want to keep my heart strong as well as maximizing my blood flow (this is very important for CKD). I typically drink 1.5L of water per day, which my doc feels is adequate. As are as my diet I eat a low sodium, low potassium diet, no phosphorous (no soda) diet. Breakfast typically consists of a cereal that is low sodium, low sugar, high in oats and grains like the Kasha brand along with a piece of fruit. Lunch is typically a piece of fruit and perhaps a hard boiled egg, and dinner is typically something with high quality protein like salad, fish or poultry/turkey. Snacks typically consists of fruit, nuts (often raw or blanched with no salt), yogurt chips. The major element to a beneficial diet is to minimize foods that are high in preservatives. To that end I shop at an all natural store, like Sprouts, and cook most of my own food. I NEVER go to fast food joints any more. Not only has this helped to slow my CKD progression, but has allowed me to keep my weight down. Hope this helps! Before making any diet changes I suggest meeting with both your nephroligist or primary doc and a renal dietician to ensure a diet plan that works for you and support total health.

Thank you so much for sharing your exercise, water, and meal plan! It really helps to see what others are doing to slow their progression and what's working for them! It's a full-time job for me to keep watch on getting enough exercise, water, and making sure I'm eating only good foods & fruits (like you, fresh!). Good thing I'm 70 and am home! ^_^ Best to you as your daily regimen continues working for you!

Great job @goldsba. I might recommend adding a nice bit of non meat protein to your am diet making sure it doesn't push too high on the protein part of your diet. The are several good reasons to consider this. I start my day with low sugar oatmeal in unsweetened almond milk and strawberries. Soon thereafter I blend up one scoop of high quality whey protein powder with half a banana and another strawberry some almond milk and ice. Makes a great healthy shake and will help your rested body from catabolic state to anabolic state for the day. Johnmacc

Great suggestions and a solid breakfast plan. I also use the Almond Breeze milk in Vanilla. Very tasty. Because of the potassium I usually limit my banana intake to 1/2 per week, but am a big user of strawberries, apples, grapes, and blueberries.

what is the problem with potassium? I have leg cramps that just won't stop, so I don't want to limit my potassium, but I also have chronic kidney disease.

@vlharvey We need potassium to survive, but too much is not a good thing, just as too little is also not good. Here is an article from the American kidney Fund that will help explain it to you:
https://www.kidneyfund.org/living-kidney-disease/health-problems-caused-kidney-disease/high-potassium-hyperkalemia-causes-prevention-and-treatment?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=beyondbananas&gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImsal9o-3_gIVIjOtBh02ZQKAEAAYASAAEgIsKvD_BwE
Have you reviewed your recent bloodwork reports, and seen the potassium levels noted there?
Ginger

I am 55 and workout 6 days a week. i was taking creatine for a few months and dehydrated. I test at 57 GFR, but 3 weeks later it went back up to a 64 , which was my level over the past several years. My doctor recommended an ultrasound, but I am very nervous. I am super healthy, I think and very aware of what I put into my body. I was also eating a lot of redmeat at the time when it dropped to 57. should I be worried?

@rbennett You paint a small picture of the problem. It sounds like you are working with a PCP, not nephrologist. Things to consider: 1) What about the rest of your labs? There is usually a reason for CKD. 2) Creatinine eGFR tests often vary. 3)You were dehydrated at the time of testing. When tested, always be hydrated.4)You were taking creatinine supplements. This may typically lower temporarily your eGFR score. 5)Eating an overabundance of red reat could have an effect as well.6) Taking an ultrasound may alleviate some fear. Summarizing, you appear to have all the symptoms of a lower eGFR only because of your habits prior to testing. One eGFR is wakeup call, but the true measure of CKD is your "trend" over time. I would follow up with your doc suggestion with an ultrasound. On your next test be hydrated, avoid large meat quantities, make an appointment with a nephrologist, and look at the whole lab picture and not one lab score. Our mentor, @gingerw, can add to my response in case I missed something.