carnes
@carnes
@carnes
Posts: 38
Joined: Aug 03, 2017
Stage 3 Kidney Disease and Diet: What can I eat?
It seems there is very little you can eat that is healthy for the Kidneys. The web site Davida has plenty of food on it but contradicts what other sources say. Anyone know anything for breakfast, lunch and dinner that does not have any sugar or flour bodies the obvious boring or bland foods good for Kidneys and I’m allergic to sugar of any kind of sweetener and flour. Thank you.
ausie
@ausie
@ausie
Posts: 25
Joined: Mar 05, 2020
@ausie, Welcome to Mayo Connect. You are among friends / patients from many backgrounds and experiences. We are all patients, and many of us have had similar experiences as you are having. We are here to support you and learn with you. You are not alone!
You have not made any mistakes, and your entry is a good one.
If you want more information about Connect –
Pages>About Connect: Who, What & Why>Tips for Participating in an Online Community
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/3rd-stage-kidney-disease/
Again, Welcome.
Thank you so much for your kind reply. I am really glad to have found connect, quite by accident, and I feel so much better to be with friends who understand what this is all about. I am very behind with my replies. And I was a bit under the weather the last two days.
Even had the thermometer out taking my temp with Covid-19 beingin the back of my head, but I am feeling better now. Blessings to you.
ausie
@ausie
@ausie
Posts: 25
Joined: Mar 05, 2020
@ausie You are still very new to your diagnoses and treatments. Please try to follow your doctor's advice and not worry too much. What I have found is that I need to watch my trending more than each individual test. According to your numbers, your egfr is trending down, which is good; while your creatinine is trending up, which is not so good. The good thing about your creatinine is that (for me) normal is 1 and you are still under 1.5. My creatinine, for example, trends between 1.75 and 2.30. Fluids affect my creatinine strongly. My daily fluid intake goal is 80 ounces or more. If I do not get my 80 ounces in for several days, or have diarrhea during that time, my creatinine will be higher.
Please remember that your have also changed your diet and may be eating foods with less fluid in them. A few comments about diet. I do not eat berries because my kidney damage is caused by oxalates and berries have a great deal of oxalates in them. If oxalates are not your problem, berries are a very good food choice for you. I do not eat the green leafies, raw vegetables, pineapple and apples because of the high amount of fiber they contain. I am on the low fiber diet because of gastric issues; again, may not be one of your issues. I do like celery and onions sautéed and often add them (as well as minced carrots) to recipes for flavor.
Please remember how new this all is for you. I see that you are taking this seriously and doing your best, trust that over time you will work into your new life plan with a few tweaks along the way to get to your best self. Blessings on your journey.
Thank you for your kind words. I see that I have a lot to learn about CKD and I'm glad to be here and learning from friends so much that I'm taking notes to help as I try to figure this out. My creatinine went to 1.70 with my 3/24 lab. Seeing that you are aware of your trend tells me charting my pertinent numbers will be helpful. I hope you don't mind my asking, how did your kidney damage being caused by oxalates come to light? My cause right now is unknown, my doctor said, but I'm not sure why. But that's definitely a question for him. And because I showed concern at my virtual visit last week, he's having me follow up with lab in a month. So I'll start to track my numbers. Thanks again and blessings to you.
ausie
@ausie
@ausie
Posts: 25
Joined: Mar 05, 2020
@aussie I can relate to your concern about your Dr.’s response to your kidney lab numbers. I am a 63 year old with Diabetes and stage 4 CKD. (I had a pancreas transplant in 2005 to try to avoid/prevent diabetic complications like blindness & kidney failure). Over the past 4 years my GFR & creatinine have bounced around but seem to be gradually worsening. My Dr. has told me at most of my appointments that they are stable. It occurred to me that he probably has patients in way worse shape than me. I told him that my condition may not seem all that bad to him but I am trusting him to help me stay as well as I can for as long as I can. We’ve developed a good working relationship. He knows my feelings about dialysis, transplant and even my spiritual beliefs about my Christian faith. I told him I view him as a gift from God to help take care of me since I have put my life in God’s hands. I also asked him if he had a kidney to donate to me! He said most of his patients want that! 😂
Thanks for your reply. I'm glad to hear that you and your doctor are on the same team. It's so important to have a good working relationship with any doctor. I'm still working on being more comfortable with my doctor and hope that the quality of my relationship with him will grow with each visit and contact. Take care and be safe!
Liked by Ginger, Volunteer Mentor
ausie
@ausie
@ausie
Posts: 25
Joined: Mar 05, 2020
@ausie Welcome to Mayo Connect! You no doubt will read several stories from different patients, and it might make you wonder if we are even talking about the same dis-ease. Everyone is different, and how we respond/work with kidney issues is tied in to the rest of our health concerns. For example, I am in Stage 3b, with an eGFR about 32, but I also have underlying co-morbidities like fibromyalgia, lupus, and multiple myeloma. Your labwork may show variances due to how you are feeling at the time to of blood draw, how your hydration level is, even time of day. Doctors have a tendency to look at "trends" in your results, not necessarily each set of tests as their own product, if that makes sense.
@cehunt57 had a very good way of reminding a medical professional that while you might be one of several patients with the same condition, in his practice, you are still an individual, and you are concerned. If you can get a consultation with a renal dietician, that would be great. There are also some websites like davita.com and rsnhope.org that offer a lot of information and recipes.
If I was in your shoes, I would have a frank discussion with your dr next time, and let him know you and he are on the same team, but you would like clear information in order to be as good a patient as he is a doctor! Face it, we gotta stroke their egos every so often!
We're here for you!
Ginger
Hi Ginger, thank you for all the info! I'm learning more from everybody here and value all the information and personal experiences that everyone is sharing. You all have helped so much in my short time here. Blessings to everybody.
Liked by Ginger, Volunteer Mentor, fiesty76
ausie
@ausie
@ausie
Posts: 25
Joined: Mar 05, 2020
@ausie You are still very new to your diagnoses and treatments. Please try to follow your doctor's advice and not worry too much. What I have found is that I need to watch my trending more than each individual test. According to your numbers, your egfr is trending down, which is good; while your creatinine is trending up, which is not so good. The good thing about your creatinine is that (for me) normal is 1 and you are still under 1.5. My creatinine, for example, trends between 1.75 and 2.30. Fluids affect my creatinine strongly. My daily fluid intake goal is 80 ounces or more. If I do not get my 80 ounces in for several days, or have diarrhea during that time, my creatinine will be higher.
Please remember that your have also changed your diet and may be eating foods with less fluid in them. A few comments about diet. I do not eat berries because my kidney damage is caused by oxalates and berries have a great deal of oxalates in them. If oxalates are not your problem, berries are a very good food choice for you. I do not eat the green leafies, raw vegetables, pineapple and apples because of the high amount of fiber they contain. I am on the low fiber diet because of gastric issues; again, may not be one of your issues. I do like celery and onions sautéed and often add them (as well as minced carrots) to recipes for flavor.
Please remember how new this all is for you. I see that you are taking this seriously and doing your best, trust that over time you will work into your new life plan with a few tweaks along the way to get to your best self. Blessings on your journey.
Hi panc again, I'm writing again because I'm a bit confused. I thought that a downward trend in egfr is not good. I hope I'm wrong. My creatinine is on an upward trend, and it's always been high going back many years with my cardiologist checking it.
ausie
@ausie
@ausie
Posts: 25
Joined: Mar 05, 2020
@ausie You are still very new to your diagnoses and treatments. Please try to follow your doctor's advice and not worry too much. What I have found is that I need to watch my trending more than each individual test. According to your numbers, your egfr is trending down, which is good; while your creatinine is trending up, which is not so good. The good thing about your creatinine is that (for me) normal is 1 and you are still under 1.5. My creatinine, for example, trends between 1.75 and 2.30. Fluids affect my creatinine strongly. My daily fluid intake goal is 80 ounces or more. If I do not get my 80 ounces in for several days, or have diarrhea during that time, my creatinine will be higher.
Please remember that your have also changed your diet and may be eating foods with less fluid in them. A few comments about diet. I do not eat berries because my kidney damage is caused by oxalates and berries have a great deal of oxalates in them. If oxalates are not your problem, berries are a very good food choice for you. I do not eat the green leafies, raw vegetables, pineapple and apples because of the high amount of fiber they contain. I am on the low fiber diet because of gastric issues; again, may not be one of your issues. I do like celery and onions sautéed and often add them (as well as minced carrots) to recipes for flavor.
Please remember how new this all is for you. I see that you are taking this seriously and doing your best, trust that over time you will work into your new life plan with a few tweaks along the way to get to your best self. Blessings on your journey.
Hi panc, I keep hitting Reply too quickly, cutting this short. I just want to say thanks again because as I read and answer everything, I'm learning so much and writing down questions for the doctor. Take care and be safe!
fiesty76
@fiesty76
@fiesty76
Posts: 1515
Joined: Oct 31, 2019
Thank you so much for your kind reply. I am really glad to have found connect, quite by accident, and I feel so much better to be with friends who understand what this is all about. I am very behind with my replies. And I was a bit under the weather the last two days.
Even had the thermometer out taking my temp with Covid-19 beingin the back of my head, but I am feeling better now. Blessings to you.
Hi, Ausie, I'm a Stage 3 CKD patient, diag. last summer. Connect has been a wonderful resource for me in learning more about how to manage this diagnosis.
Liked by Tony Hart, Champion Specialist, Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor, Ginger, Volunteer Mentor, ausie
2011panc
@2011panc
@2011panc
Posts: 500
Joined: Nov 14, 2016
@2011panc I was told that generally, an eGFR trending downwards along with other values changing, means a further decline in kidney function. Curious how our two sources came to those different conclusions!
Ginger
@ausie, you are correct. I was thinking of a different test. I rechecked my test results to be sure. Normal efgr for non black is 60 or above. I apologize for the misunderstanding.
2011panc
@2011panc
@2011panc
Posts: 500
Joined: Nov 14, 2016
Thank you for your kind words. I see that I have a lot to learn about CKD and I'm glad to be here and learning from friends so much that I'm taking notes to help as I try to figure this out. My creatinine went to 1.70 with my 3/24 lab. Seeing that you are aware of your trend tells me charting my pertinent numbers will be helpful. I hope you don't mind my asking, how did your kidney damage being caused by oxalates come to light? My cause right now is unknown, my doctor said, but I'm not sure why. But that's definitely a question for him. And because I showed concern at my virtual visit last week, he's having me follow up with lab in a month. So I'll start to track my numbers. Thanks again and blessings to you.
@ausie I learned the cause of my kidney damage from the Renal Department tests once I was referred for a kidney transplant. It was among the tests they ran. Whether you were tested for this or what the cause of your kidney disease is would be a question for your medical group. Letting them know that you are talking to other people with Kidney disease may encourage them to be more open with you and more diligent with finding your cause. In my opinion it is difficult to treat a problem without knowing the cause of the problem. Sometimes doctors will not go into details unless they are made aware that you want details and can handle the knowledge. Blessings.
Liked by Tony Hart, Champion Specialist, Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor, Colleen Young, Connect Director, Ginger, Volunteer Mentor ... see all
2011panc
@2011panc
@2011panc
Posts: 500
Joined: Nov 14, 2016
@ausie FYI, if you are having your labs run at Mayo the trending is shown on the test results. At the top of the page with the result there are three tabs: result, trend and graph (I think) either of the last two choices show your trending in two different ways. My other clinics have the same ability, so I do not have to keep it separately. I can also print the page to keep for reference if I wish. Just a suggestion, keep your records in whatever way is best for you.
2011panc
@2011panc
@2011panc
Posts: 500
Joined: Nov 14, 2016
I have been on a strict kidney diet for over a year. I watch my potassium and phosphorus as well as proteins (35 gr maximum) and sodium. My nephrologist just had my blood tested and I have been too stingy with my intake of potassium. So now he told me to eat some forbidden foods that I love. He told me to eat some avocados, bananas, potatoes and tomatoes. Yum!!! I had mashed potatoes and gravy with a roasted chicken today. I didn’t overdo it, but it was delicious. I went from stage 3 to stage 2 kidney failure. Like you, I can’t digest fiber or fresh fruits and uncooked vegetables. My intestines are affected by my paralysis, so diarrhea is a major issue. I feel pretty healthy though. I am so happy to be out of stage 3.
@darlingtondoll Wonderful news for you to improve from stage 3 to stage 2! When you say "my paralysis" do you mean your legs don't work? If so, it makes sense to me that you would have gastric issues. I believe my gastric issues are, in part, from autonomic neuropathy. Remember being a young child and wondering why the "old" folks always talked about their stomachs and stool? Now we know! Right!? haha
ausie
@ausie
@ausie
Posts: 25
Joined: Mar 05, 2020
@ausie FYI, if you are having your labs run at Mayo the trending is shown on the test results. At the top of the page with the result there are three tabs: result, trend and graph (I think) either of the last two choices show your trending in two different ways. My other clinics have the same ability, so I do not have to keep it separately. I can also print the page to keep for reference if I wish. Just a suggestion, keep your records in whatever way is best for you.
Hi panc, Thanks for the helpful info! In my current doctor's portal, I just found some graphs, including individual graphs for egfr and creatinine among others! I printed the ones that plot the numbers. The only thing for trend is the slope of the lab results. It is very helpful to keep copies of these and other important papers. Thank you for thinking of me!
Unfortunately, I don't live in a Mayo Clinic area. And I'm in a city that has just 31 nephrologists on Healthgrades but where I moved from, at just one of the major hospitals, there are 110. Can't imagine all not affiliated with that hospital. I'm so thinking about going back to the big city to get care that has a reputation on the level of Mayo but it's hours from here.
Also, I want to share in today's email from Davita is a Today's Kidney Diet – Quick Reference Guide, which has an awesome chart of what to eat in the different stages plus an awesome cookbook, Today's Kidney Diet – Cooking for One or Two. (I'm sorry I'm somewhat tech illiterate and I don't know how to insert into here a link for this because I got to it by the button in Davita's email. It might be at the Kidney Diet Tips blog from Davita).
If anyone here can tell how to, that would be so great and I can try to do put in the a link! I'm just still trying to figure out how to post at connect.mayoclinic. I only know enough to view & reply to Mayo connect emails.
Take care and be safe to all!
Liked by Ginger, Volunteer Mentor
ausie
@ausie
@ausie
Posts: 25
Joined: Mar 05, 2020
Jane
@darlingtondoll
@darlingtondoll
Posts: 229
Joined: Oct 20, 2019
@darlingtondoll Wonderful news for you to improve from stage 3 to stage 2! When you say "my paralysis" do you mean your legs don't work? If so, it makes sense to me that you would have gastric issues. I believe my gastric issues are, in part, from autonomic neuropathy. Remember being a young child and wondering why the "old" folks always talked about their stomachs and stool? Now we know! Right!? haha
I am paralyzed with a spinal cord stroke from my waist on down to my toes. I have no control over my body.
@gingerw
@2011panc I was told that generally, an eGFR trending downwards along with other values changing, means a further decline in kidney function. Curious how our two sources came to those different conclusions!
Ginger