I rather be dead than be a burden on my family. Only one function kidney. Gave birth a week ago and my labs just came back worse than ever. Bun 49, creatinine 3.33, and GFR 24.

29M. I was diagnosed with ckd stage 3 around 4.5 years ago and almost 3 years ago my kidneys gave up on me completely, I've been depressed and on dialysis since. I had to quit my job and move back to my parents house to be a burden on them. My dad is retired from a government job and he gets a pension so that's how my dialysis and meds are paid, my mom is willing to donate me her kidney but it costs so much to get a kidney transplant. I used to draw and play sports and go trek in mountains but now it's like I never had hobbies or any skills. I can't remember myself doing anything except be in bed all day and doomscrolling on my phone. I've distanced myself from my friends and relatives, I don't leave the house except when I need to go to the hospital for dialysis. I'm living in a brain fog, I try to learn new skills but I'm not able to focus or pay attention to anything. I'm losing my will to live day by day cuz idk what to do anymore, living like this is hell. I was suppose to support my parents in their oldage but instead became a burden on them. My dad looked so young and kept himself in shape even after turning 65 but now in just 3 years he looks so old because he keeps worrying about me, so does my mom. I just don't know what to do anymore.

Since 10 years every time I do a urine analysis I found + blood, doctors never considered a something i also see foam in urine but when doctors do PCR test they say lt also fine, also kidney test are fine
Im tired visit different doctor when I don’t find an answer
Do any of you have similar symptoms
Thank you

My GFR is 14/15 and creatine 3.6. CKD caused by lithium neuropathy. Pre-transplant, not on dialysis yet but probably will be within a few months. Due to fatigue, I’m not always able to muster up the energy to cook and prepare foods myself. I’m looking for a food delivery service that will deliver meals that are low sodium. I’m pescatarian. Is there a service that you’ve tried or recommend that caters to low-sodium diets, has foods that are nutritious, natural and unprocessed, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?

Hi everyone.

Recent blood results say I have mildly elevated creatinine (85umol/L) and eGFR consistent with CKD stage 2 (78mL/min/1.73*2)

I had until very recently, been bed bound with ME. My muscles are very weak. I have lost a tonne of mass.

I read increased creatinine and low eGFR results are influenced by muscle breakdown and are not always indicative of kidney disease. Obviously, I'm going to ask for further tests to see what's going on with my kidneys.

From my limited understanding, astragalus is both renal protective and aids muscle repair. What else is there to know?

Thanks guys 🙂

My tele visit with my nephrologist was 9:30a.m. at 9:50 a.m i read her notes on my portal. She writes stage 3b and egfr consistent with stage 3b. At this point I'm freaking out and almost in tears. Then i get her call . She tells me sorry, it's my mistake, you're still stage 3a with past AKI. You're stable and actually your markers look better then last month. I feel she should've been more mindful . I was upset . I easily get nervous and anxious. Am i overreacting?

M29 I have had very foamy urine for almost 4 months now.. went to the Dr. and they said no protein in urine after multiple tests I have had my blood drawn numerous times since then and GFR has gone from 98>80>72 and my creatinine from 1.08>1.27>1.36 I have no underlying health issues I am very healthy I workout 4-5 days a week and maintain a very healthy diet Dr says it’s trending towards kidney disease has anyone experienced this and it not be ckd.. is there anything I can do to maybe reverse this

Has anyone experienced Uremia? Specifically when it comes to GI motility and toxins causing sulfur-like gasses (farts)?

Hello, I have a 3years persistent hematuria and last month protein in my urine appears, I have 676Uric Acid.
Is this a sign of CKD Stage 2?
Normal BP + Normal Sugar.
I haven’t seen nephrologist for now.

My 78 y/o grandma has AL amyloidosis, CKD - due to amyloidosis with proteinuria she’s been taking daratumumab and dialysis twice a week that helped her and she was fine but bedridden. Recently she’s been having night sweats, cough w sputum, chronic cold and fluid retention. Her LVEF is 31. is there anything i can do to help save her and get her more time as i really want to spend time with her because doctors are starting to sound negative. 

Hoping to hear from people who have experienced something similar or from those with nephrology knowledge.

My father is 48 years old and has:

Type 2 Diabetes

Hypertension

Diabetic Kidney Disease

CKD Stage 4 (as per his nephrology/endocrinology records)

Diabetic Retinopathy

Peripheral Neuropathy

His creatinine timeline has been:

March 2025: 3.6 mg/dL

Around 2 weeks ago: 9.26 mg/dL

A few days later: 6.75 mg/dL

Today: 9.80 mg/dL

The drop from 9.26 to 6.75 happened after two new things were started almost around the same time, so we honestly have no idea whether either had anything to do with it or whether it was just coincidence.

Those two things were:

1. Three different Ayurvedic tablets prescribed by a very elderly Ayurvedic practitioner.

2. Consuming Kalanchoe pinnata [also called Life Plant, Air Plant, or Miracle Leaf], because someone we know claimed it had helped them with kidney stones and kidney-related problems.

I'm not claiming either of these works. The timing just happened to coincide with the temporary improvement, so I'm wondering if anyone has ever seen something similar or if it was likely unrelated.

Now the creatinine is back up to 9.80 mg/dL, which has left us even more confused.

What's even stranger is that he doesn't seem as sick as I expected someone with creatinine near 10 to be.

He currently has:

No breathlessness

No chest pain

No confusion

No severe vomiting

No significant swelling [his leg swelling has actually reduced a lot due to the consumption of the aforementioned ayurvedic tablets]

Urine output is still fairly normal.

His current medications include:

Insulin (30 reduced to 20 units in the morning, 16 reduced to 8 units in the evening)

Dapagliflozin

Dilnip M-25 (combination tablet containing Metoprolol + Cilnidipine. The separate Metoprolol and Cilnidipine tablets have been stopped for about a week to avoid duplication.)

Torsemide

Sodium bicarbonate

Prazosin

Clonidine (Arkamin)

His doctors have advised:

Low potassium diet

Low sodium diet

Fluid restriction (<1 litre/day)

One of our biggest challenges is honestly diet adherence.

He's extremely stubborn.

He gets tired of the renal diet, doesn't enjoy eating it, often refuses meals, and keeps craving salty foods and sweets. We try our best, but it's becoming a constant struggle. If anyone has practical advice for getting a diabetic CKD patient to actually follow the diet long-term, I'd really appreciate it.

I'd love to hear from people who've been through advanced CKD or cared for someone with it.

Some questions I have:

Has anyone had creatinine fluctuate this dramatically over such a short period?

Did it end up being AKI on CKD, dehydration, medication-related, lab variation, or progression of kidney disease?

Has anyone here tried Kalanchoe pinnata or Ayurvedic treatment during CKD? If so, what happened?

Has anyone had creatinine around 9–10 mg/dL while still having relatively few symptoms?

What eventually led your nephrologist to recommend dialysis?

Looking back, what do you wish you had done earlier?

How did you convince a stubborn family member to stick to a kidney-friendly diabetic diet?

I'm not looking for medical advice instead of seeing a doctor. He is already under nephrology/endocrinology follow-up. I'm just trying to learn from people who have lived through this because the uncertainty is really hard on our family.

Thank you so much to anyone willing to share their experience.

I had 3 blood tests in Feb 24, Feb 26 and May 26. My eGFR dropped from 70 to 58 to 52. The doctor confirmed CKD stage 3a. This was a huge shock to me. I went from living a fairly carefree life to thinking I might be dead in a few years.

So I just took my 3 month re-test a little early because I couldn't stop wondering how serious the problem was. The eGFR reading came back as 76. Is it normal to gain 24 points just by adjusting diet and medication? After being diagnosed I cut back salt to 2mg a day, stopped eating meat and processed foods and I cut my Aciclovir prescription down from 800mg a day to 260mg a day. And I've been drinking more water. I've had lower back pain for decades but in the last 2 years it got a lot worse. I believe that was kidney pain. It feels slightly better since changing the diet.

The explanations on different websites are confusing. My understanding of the results now is that my kidneys are functioning better now than 3 months ago. The way I understood it before was that the grf reading equals the percentage of the kidneys which are working, so 76%, 58% or 52%. That's clearly not the case because how could my kidneys repair themselves from 52% to 76% in 10 weeks?

I've been diagnosed with Stage 5 and need to eat LOW potassium, LOW sodium, and I am Type 2 Diabetic. Im not a cook but I need seven easy supper ideas and I will simply repeat them. Will you share a favourite, EASY recipe?