Just diagnosed Stage 3 CKD: Should I be referred to a nephrologist?

Hi @rwh1968, I'm tagging fellow members @kitmus and @longlegs who also live with an ileostomy and chronic kidney disease. They may have experiences to add.

You may also be interested in this related discussion in the Ostomy support group:
- Ileostomates.. How much water do you drink in a day https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/ileostomates-water/

I bet you'll have some wisdom and experiences to share. What type of surgery did you have to remove the stones?

stage 3 ckd, gfr 50, should i take calcium supplements?

@junagode Welcome to Mayo clinic Connect. Chronic Kidney Disease appears to be different things to different people. First, I would suggest you look at the trend of your lab work, not just a single lab result. That is going to give you a good idea how to tailor your renal diet to best fit your situation. Calcium is one of the things we as kidney disease patients, have to monitor, along with sodium, potassium, phosphorous, protein and hydration.

Here is an article from Mayo Clinic that will help you understand the types of calcium supplements that are available: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/calcium-supplements/art-20047097#:~:text=Calcium%20citrate%20is%20absorbed%20equally,bowel%20disease%20or%20absorption%20disorders.

Do you have a nephrologist on your medical team, along with a renal dietician to help guide you?
Ginger

There is a lot to that question... it depends on why you have CKD, if this is a new diagnosis or ongoing, if you have just on test or this is over time and even your age should be considered. This is the type of question I think your doctor should be consulted on. A quick call or email? I do not take supplements now (I Did before) due to some of my other issues that contribute to
CKD .
Do you have a nephrologist to consult regarding this?

This was a good article https://www.kidney.org/content/kidney-failure-risk-factor-serum-calcium

I take 800 mg calcium because I am on bone meds. I take 2-3,000 units Vitamin D3 daily.

Your doctor and dietician can be good resources on this.

A GFR of 50 may not be too bad depending on age and whether it was a recent drop. I just got mine up from 36 to 52 by hydrating more and avoiding NSAID's. I had a test last week without hydrating in the early morning and it was 40.

I've had declining kidney function for years, am being monitored by my gp. I'm 83 and in good health. my gfr is 50. I was on calcium with D and dropped it and meat and dairy when my gfr dropped to 34. My gfr went up to 54 in one week. I read that calcium supplements are hard on the kidneys. Thats why I went off of it.

no nephrologist. I'm more concerned with my kidney function then my gp, I'll try calcium citrate, thank you

@junagode We can expect our kidney function to drop a bit as we age, according to medical sources. Reading your post earlier to @lbrockme you have been taking command of your situation. Remember, it is best to look at trends, not a single report. Dehydration, and even what we had in our diet the few days before a blood draw, or infection of any kind [cold/flu/toothache etc.], may play a role in eGFR results.

Yes, most of our fellow CKD patients will attest that their GP doesn't seem as concerned as we are when it comes to kidney function. Self-refer if you need to, to get a nephrologist!
Ginger

Thank you so much, I certainly trust Mayo. Agp doesn't have the time to be a specialist. I do watch my trends carefully. The last thing I want is dialysis.

That's wonderful that you were able to shift things so much! Great work!