Treating Kidney Failure and Eating Healthy

I.   Introduction

The goal of People Like Us, Online is to tell you about kidney failure and its treatments and to help you make the best treatment choices. The other parts of the series are:

In each part of the series, you’ll be introduced to some medical terms that may be new to you. Whenever you see a word in bold type like this, you can click on the word and find its meaning in Appendix B “Words You Need to Know.”

Two terms you’ll see used frequently throughout the series are chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. Chronic kidney disease is slow, progressive loss of kidney function caused by diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, glomerulonephritis, polycystic kidney disease and others. Sometimes, chronic kidney disease may lead to complete kidney failure, which occurs when 85 percent or more of kidney function has been lost, and dialysis or a kidney transplant is required to maintain life.

It is our hope that you’ll use this series as a springboard for discussions with your doctor and other members of your health care team and with your family. The better informed patients and their families are, the better the outlook for successful long-term treatment and quality of life for patients.

In “Treating Kidney Failure and Eating Healthy,” you’ll learn about:

What you eat is important because it affects how you feel. This is true for everyone--but especially for kidney patients. Your new diet may be somewhat more restricted than what you are used to, but it’s important to follow it if you want to feel your best. As two patients, Mary and Jackie, point out:

"They tell me not to eat something, and I won't eat it--just because I want to do what's absolutely the very best for me and my family, and I can't participate if I'm not feeling well."
--Mary
"I have a wonderful dietitian. She comes in and checks with me, and every month she lets me know what my chemistries are and if there are any problems. Like once I was skipping breakfast and it showed up on some of those chemistries--so she came in and asked me to please eat breakfast."
--Jackie

Normally, when your body uses food, it produces waste products. Your kidneys filter the wastes and fluid from your blood, excreting them in the form of urine. Later, they're washed from your body when you urinate. When your kidneys aren't working properly, the waste products and excess fluid begin to build up in your blood. This can cause nausea, vomiting, fatigue and other symptoms.

For people whose kidneys are not working well, a special diet can ease these symptoms, and may delay the need for treatments like dialysis or transplantation. Some research suggests that eating less of certain foods, and more of other foods may reduce the wear and tear on your kidneys, allowing them to work over a longer period of time.

However, it’s important not to delay the start of treatments such as dialysis or kidney transplantation longer than you should. If you wait too long, you may become very ill, and it may be harder for you to recover your health when you start treatment for kidney failure. Tests of your remaining kidney function and nutritional status will help your doctor decide when you need to have one of these treatments.

If you're already on dialysis, your diet can make a difference in how you feel between treatments. It can also make your medications work better, improve your dialysis treatments, and allow you to remain healthy for many years. Lab tests will be done routinely to make sure you are getting the right nutrition to keep you healthy.

Kidney transplant patients can also benefit from some changes in their diets, which help to reduce some of the side effects of their anti-rejection medications and prevent weight gain as a result of their greatly improved appetite.

No matter what stage of kidney disease you're in (see Appendix C for more information about the stages of chronic kidney disease), or which type of treatment you're receiving, diet makes a difference. So, too, does a dietitian who's been specially trained in the needs of kidney patients. Your dietitian works closely with you to develop a meal plan that fits your nutrition needs, your lifestyle and your taste buds.

Your diet will be planned especially for you, and your suggestions will be an important part of the planning. The best way to get involved is to learn as much as you can about the role diet plays in your treatment and well-being.

While it may seem difficult at first, you’ll realize that following your diet is one of the most important parts of feeling your best. As James puts it:

"At first, I had a terrible time following my diet. The dietitians were all over me saying, 'You better do this, or it's over.' So, I finally got in shape and realized that hey, if I don't take care of myself, I'm not going to be around."

 

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