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Stage 3a kidney disease: looking for info

Posted by Ryman @ryman, Jul 2, 2022

I just learned today I have stage3a kidney disease. All my doctor told me was that my kidneys showed dehydration. I am clueless and I remembered I used to come here often. So right now I am just looking for basic info. Thank you. I recall this being a very helpful forum.

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shani | @shani | Jun 14 9:32am
In reply to @collegeprof "@shani Great story! Keep up the diet and perhaps add a little exercise. Your eGFR may..." + (show)
@collegeprof

@shani Great story! Keep up the diet and perhaps add a little exercise. Your eGFR may change over time, but it is important to remember the trend of your eGFR. Stability is the most important factor with this disease. Also, try to improve on any cardiac, diabetes, and cholesterol lab scores if needed.

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Thank you. Important to keep trends in mind. I walk at least a mile a day, sometimes 2-3.

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hump068 | @hump068 | Jun 16 3:29pm
In reply to @maylbee "I was not told that I could improve the rate of deterioration of my remaining kidney..." + (show)
@maylbee

I was not told that I could improve the rate of deterioration of my remaining kidney by monitoring my diet and activities. I can’t understand why a patient is not advised to eliminate food that is harder for the kidneys to process in order to prolong the functioning of the kidney.

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I was not told that I had kidney disease, even though one of my doctors wrote the diagnosis on some blood work that I had a few years back. Because nothing was said I assumed it was not serious or even something I should be concerned about. Or that the blood test was not to be trusted. Like you, I do not understand why doctors don't discuss "early stage" kidney disease with their patients. Do they think we don't have the strength of will to keep to diets? Do they believe that diets are useless? I notice that Farxiga seems to be making money with their purported medicine. There are so many questions.

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1 reply
collegeprof | @collegeprof | Jun 17 4:50am
In reply to @hump068 "I was not told that I had kidney disease, even though one of my doctors wrote..." + (show)
@hump068

I was not told that I had kidney disease, even though one of my doctors wrote the diagnosis on some blood work that I had a few years back. Because nothing was said I assumed it was not serious or even something I should be concerned about. Or that the blood test was not to be trusted. Like you, I do not understand why doctors don't discuss "early stage" kidney disease with their patients. Do they think we don't have the strength of will to keep to diets? Do they believe that diets are useless? I notice that Farxiga seems to be making money with their purported medicine. There are so many questions.

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@hump068 When you say
"doctors", are you categorizing them into one? Many PCPs, PAs, and Nurse Practioners may not know the full extent of any kidney disease, and if anyone suspects something abnormal, he/she should give you a referral to see a nephrologist before it gets too late. There are other lab tests that dig deeper that most general doctors do not know about. But, on the other hand, there are docs out there that do recognize the severity of this disease and will make sure you get all the care you need.

In my opinion, you are correct about Farxiga. It is prescribed mainly for diabetics and CKD, and for me, there were serious side effects. Many studies, however, show that Farxiga does work for some or many.

Lastly, my team for CKD consists of my PCP, nephrologisr, cardiologist, and dietitian. I can assure you that any one doctor will not give you the care that a good team can provide for this disease.

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windyshores | @windyshores | Jun 17 5:30am

I was stable with an eGFR in the 50's for decades. I saw a nephrologist when it suddenly dipped into the mid-30's. I have an autoimmune disorder and some heart issues. I made the appointment, not my PCP. The nephrologist did Cystatin C (which is a more stable GFR and was around 50), echocardiogram to see how my heart was functioning, and advised more salt to raise blood pressure, more protein for muscles. The creatinine based eGFR is still bouncing around but the Cystatin C doesn't. Nephrologist says the truth is in the middle. I also see a rheumatologist.

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