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Diabetes and Kidney disease

Motherhen2014

Well-Known Member
Messages
563
Location
London
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
People shouting while on their phones.
I am at the moment having problems with my kidneys they are letting protieninto my urine and getting worse. I am off Metformin but still on the beyetta injections. What can I do if anything to change my situation, I did try low carb but starting weight gain so stopped. can you help please.
 
I'm sorry, I've only just seen this.
I'm t1, I have stage 4 chronic kidnEtc Disease (CKD) with my last GFR calculated at 20. It has been as low as 12 - so improved! I had to have a nephrostomy but have other treatments now.

It is terrifying when you start to have kidney issues. There seems to be little information, and the fear of dialysis looms over you. But please don't panic. Something like 10% of people with CKD end up needing treatment such as dialysis and the earlier it's caught, the more that can be done to slow or halt the progress of chronic kidney disease. Also, it is important to remember than kidney function does decline as a natural part of ageing. (Although I'm only 35!)

The first thing is to speak to your doctor. How do you know it's getting worse? Most kidney disease is symptom free unless it is an acute issue like an infection or later stage e.g. 3b or 4. If its verified by tests. The diabetic nurse can give you general advice.

Glycemic control is very important to prevent further damage, and most treatment is actually conservative such as healthy lifestyle. Advice on dietary factors would need to be tailored to your specific blood chemistry such as sodium and potassium intake should the dr think this necessary.

Weight management is important as too far from average either way can be detrimental. It is also important to look after your heart and blood pressure and bones so instead of low carb think balanced meals with good portion control.

Management of blood sugar also helps reduce the chance of infections of the kidneys and urinary tract which can further damage your kidneys. Some people recommend cranberry juice - the no added sugar type - obviously!

It really is that simple, which can seem contrary to the idea or fear of the consequences that something so essential isn't working as well as it once did. I remember when I was told feeling distinctly underwhelmed with the advice I was given, thinking the worst, but the common sense approach really is the best advice.
 
Thanks for pulling this up from the depths @sd29
My kidneys are showing early stages of deterioration. All I can think of doing at the moment is flushing it out by drinking water, Doc suggested low fat diet, but he was behaving like a call centre operator, reading from the crib sheet. If I added low fat to low carb I am left with protein only diet, which i would have thought is the last thing my kidneys need.
Surprised you put on weight low carbing @Motherhen2014 , first case I have heard of
 
Thank you Sd29 very grateful for this I'm formation. On low carb I was changing all I had fir full fat as that seemed the way to go.I still have butter but no bread and no potatoes and everything else, only eat chicken and once a week and semi skimmed milk but still fighting to lose weight . Unfortunately low carb doesn't work for me.
 
You must have been supplementing your reduction in carbs with too much fat if you noticed weight gain on LCHF. It may be worth having another crack at it, as it really is an excellent means of positive BG control in T2D.

If you have excess weight to lose, you could concentrate solely on the 'low carb' aspect of the diet and forget about the 'high fat' part completely. You will almost definitely lose weight eating low carb, and once you reach your desired weight - then you can reintroduce fats until you find the right amount that allows you to maintain your chosen weight
 
Thank you for this.
 
Well I am from London Greenwich but my father's family came from scotland my grandmother did her name was Pretty.
 
Motherhen2014 said:
Well I am from London Greenwich but my father's family came from scotland my grandmother did her name was Pretty.
Click to expand...
It's good to know even those from Englandshire (Scotland's smallest County) are still using our slang and colloquialisms
 
 
I am on low carb although iv lost a few ilbs it took me weeks to lose it .am very discouraged can anyone advise xx
 
Hi, I'm 49 and have had T2 for almost 20 years now. I'm currently on a "lower-carb" diet and have lost 10 pounds in the last month. About a month and a 1/2 ago I learned I had Stage 3 kidney disease. I finally got into see a kidney specialist. She said the best thing I could do was to lose weight and do weight-bearing exercises. I've been doing some research into weight-lifting/body-building but will wait until next month to implement those plans.

Just changing to a lower-carb diet has been a huge habit and lifestyle change for me. I did some reading about kidney disease, enough to scare me further. In fact, I've been scared straight and am taking my health more seriously than I ever have before. I don't want to be an old lady in a wheelchair and certainly would like to avoid dialysis/transplant. I've been doing my regular walking program too.

Can you actually improve kidney function? How much weight should I lose (I weigh 250 now.)?

I don't see the kidney specialist until July. Any information or comments would be helpful.
 

Hi Anne
I see you are a new member. Have you seen the notes from Daisy1? I cannot do links but you will find the advice on any thread started by a new member. I note you have been t2d for a long time. Have you only recently started doing low carb and dieting?

There are lots of really helpful people on here so any questions start a new thread and people will advise as best we can although more in terms of support and experience than medical advice. Your doctors are there for that. July is a really long wait so ask away.

I know it does not suit everyone but I joined the weigh in Friday thread. it helps me avoid temptation. It might give you encouragement
 
annepoptart said:
I just recently started the lower-carb eating plan, in part because of the support of this forum. Thanks. I'll check that thread out.
Click to expand...
I was only diagnosed in September and then only a little way over but was very lucky in that this was the first source of info that made sense to me. Because I went straight from before into low carb I was very concious of the immediate benefit low carb made to my health. Hope you have found the same. Have you found the 10 week low carb part of the site and the recipe part of the forum? I think this site is great.
 
@annepoptart

Hello Anne and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope this will help you. Ask questions if you want to and someone will be able to reply.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why.
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
I am diabetic type 1 can I have 80 grams of protein every day? please advise if the carbs intake on daily basis need to be counted and what carb foods ensures good health for me? thankyou dillon
 
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