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4/11/13 8:01 P

spark people has a chair exercise team also that is very good
the lady mary

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4/11/13 5:02 P

Diet is crucial and complicated! In addition to kidney disease I have diabetes too. I sent away for three books that will help me. I looked and i don't think that the book offered through Spark would help me much. I am severely disabled with arthritis in my back and I am unable to stand or walk for any length of time. I have been given exercises from a physical therapist and I am doing those. I move around as much as I can, but burn less calories than I use to when I was up and active. Cutting back on carbs and calories has certainly been difficult! I use to be able to lose weight eating 2200 - 2400 calories. Now I have to cut back to 1800 I think, to lose less weight!

Posts: 12,243
4/11/13 3:32 P

I didn't get QUITE that far, but I did go from stage 4 to stage 3... then I had a setback--cancer, CT scan with dye (if you need this TELL THEM YOU HAVE KIDNEY DISEASE! ) surgery, etc... so I was down to GFR of 26.... stage 4 again. It is up to 31% the last test, though new tests are due next month. Diet really is crucial!

I'm hoping for more improvement, since I had it up to 44%...I like that quote from the movie "Galaxy Quest"...

"NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER SURRENDER!"

lol

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4/11/13 12:11 P

That sounds encouraging, thanks!

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4/11/13 7:23 A

sure it can i went from stage four at the doors of dialysis it took over four years but my kidneys are in stage one to normal always now i maintain mostly a kidney diet even as a diabetic and control that with insulin..it's hard work and i was angry but i corrected it and the nephrtologist took me off the diet but i told him it's chronic and no relapses for me..i'm not doing dialysis ever
the lady mary
hello ya'll

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4/11/13 4:32 A

I am newly diagnosed with stage 4 kidney disease. What I don't get is why didn't the doctors tell me when I had stage 2 or stage 3? The numbers were there but they just let me go out the door without tell me what I should or shouldn't eat. i went from 32 to 28 in a month and the doctor said nothing about what my diet should be. I am a little angry about that. Can any of this be reversed?

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3/25/11 6:01 A

Thank You!

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3/4/11 8:35 P

Hi Kathy, that is so important to have that information for kidney disease.

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3/4/11 12:40 P

thanks kathy for that information last year it was so different and now i have to reevaluate my stats yet again they aren't bad but i have to research why the foundation changed them so drastically or if my doc is using a different system?? hugs always the lady mary

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3/4/11 11:51 A

One of the discussions we were having got me thinking and here is the result:

This will be a permanent 'STICKY' topic, a sort of 'sub-topic' of our regular library, and I'm starting it to be a quick reference point for all of us on the different stages of kidney disease. I'm starting with the GFR, since that is the summary number we all need to deal with that determines our stage. I've been keeping my own lab test records for a few years now, and will work on compiling data on PacLab's other 'normal ranges' for things like creatinine, BUN, etc. (PacLab is the one used by Franciscan Health Group) If any of you have this kind of info you'd like to share, here is the place. Let's try to stay on subject, though, so it's easier for newbies to find what they need, okay? It's SO easy to get distracted...LOL

Here are the stages of Chronic Kidney Disease as given by AAKP:

"The glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) is one of the best methods for measuring your kidney function. A GFR tells your doctor how well your kidneys are working. GFR is calculated from your blood creatinine, age, body size and gender."

Stage 1: GFR more than 90, may be slight kidney damage with normal or increased GFR.
Stage 2: GFR 60-90, mild decrease in kidney function.
Stage 3: GFR 30-60, moderate decrease in kidney function.
Stage 4: GFR 15-30, severe decrease in kidney function.
Stage 5: GFR less that 15, kidney failure. Dialysis or transplant is the necessary treatment

The AAKP suggests keeping a notebook specifically for dealing with medical issues. In this notebook they suggest writing down your GFR each time you see your doctor, as well as writing down all your questions for each visit, and leaving room to take notes for the answers, thus building your own personal reference material. Knowledge of your own body and its needs is key to your successful health journey.

Kathy

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