Similar with kidney disease ... caught mine at 55% kidney function in 2018. The neuphrologist told me prepare to go on dialysis i said ha whatever doctor not listening to you! Changed my diet .. no steak/beef or pork, no preservative laden foods (anything bought in store has only a few natural ingredients), more fruits, a gallon of water a day (some unsweet tea and splash of lemonade but never sugar or soda drinks.. why drink calories.. not for me), avoid all medications (only if dire ill take them) and maintain same weight of 170 (5'11) through daily exercise. My function within 6 months or so of doing such rose to 70% and years later i maintain it at 75 to 85% percent. It goes down when if and when I get sick due to taking meds but goes back up.
- Drank zero water before... now a gallon a day which flushes my system many times a day
- My nephrologist told me to avoid all medications best as possible which i do and have done. When I must take meds then in my monthly to bi-monthly CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel labwork) i see my kidney function go down albeit temporarily. For example I took a new drug recently out on the market and it dropped my function to under 60% in Nov/Dec last year. Back to 75% as of my last test received this week. Prior test showed function was 82%.
- I ate beef (steak) many times a week prior and lots of fried food (cut that down to once or every other month)... i still eat out always at Cava (simple rice and chicken bowl), grilled nuggets at Chic Fil A and a fruit cup with unsweet tea/splash of lemonade, salads at Panera (Fuji Apple), pasta (spaghetti with marina from local pizzerias), maybe a Chix/rice burrito from Chipolte or a mini turkey and provolone sub from Jersey Mikes... for breakfast if I eat it at all healthy cereal with no preservatives or egg whites with potatoes and wheat toast (no bacon or pork) at a local diner.
- I weigh myself daily and count my calories in my head. I recently been enjoying using chatGPT to do so, as it knows calories of all the places i go, counts them up and remembers them so i can add more later. I keep it between 1500 to 1800 calories a day(eat two meals a day and healthy snacks here/there) which i think isnt a lot for a dude my age (late 40s) and my size (5'11 170 to 175). I almost never drink calories ... unsweet tea and splash of lemonade for flavor is minimal.. water is zero. Rarely drink alcohol maybe one or two gin and tonics in a month.
- Ive always been obsessed with fitness prior to kidney function diagnosis as i enjoy looking my best I can on the beach and elsewhere :) So im doing some type of exercise almost daily (hike, bike, gym, swim laps, weights)
I think the amount of water i intake, changing my diet as noted above, maintaining my lifestyle of fitness ive always had & avoiding all/any meds are the keys to my kidney function success. My nephrologist who i still see a year later or so changed her tune and now advocates for the lifestyle i live to help with kidney function health.
I see people here talking about fasting and im not eating a ton a day. Maybe that's an overall good thing for our bodies not eating a ton ant things that aren't healthy/natural (processed foods are really bad i thnk).. not stressing it to break down more stuff (just a thought/guess).
My lifestyle isnt for everyone and the fitness portion is something ive always done to try and be the best I can be as well look the best i possibly can. Again im a bit obsessed with such and is a driver to my lifestyle.. ive never dieted i guess my lifestyle is a diet to others.
Good luck to them ... not sure at what stage of the disease its slightly reverse-able (was at stage 3 i think when they caught it for me). I think im in stage 4 now and have been since 2019 ... stage 5 is 90 percent and above.
oops rather its stage 1 .. im at stage 2 CKD but was at stage 3 when initially diagnosed. Stage 4 is 15 to 30 percent function remaining .. 15 percent and below is the last stage.
What we put in our bodies means everything!