What Can I Do to Live Long and Well with Chronic Kidney Disease?
Take care of your heart! Chronic kidney disease and heart disease are strongly linked. Everything you do to help your kidneys also helps your heart.
Control blood pressure to slow kidney damage and help your heart.
Control blood sugar if you have diabetes to slow down kidney damage.
Take your pills. Several medications for kidney patients can slow down damage to your kidneys or prevent other problems caused by chronic kidney disease.
Treat anemia to stay active and independent.
Eat well. You can keep your kidneys and your heart healthy with good nutrition, and you can still enjoy great food. Northwest Kidney Centers offer a free class for people with chronic kidney disease -- Eating Well, Living Well. Learn from a dietitian how you can eat the foods you love and stay healthy.
• About Eating Well, Living Well class
• Class schedules and how to sign up
• Kidney-friendly recipes
Cut down on salt. Salt raises blood pressure, damaging your kidneys and your heart. Read more about finding hidden salt and low-salt seasoning ideas.
Watch cholesterol to help your heart and your kidneys. Read more about improving your cholesterol numbers.
Your doctor may ask you to cut down on phosphorus for bone and blood vessel health. Read more about calcium/phosphorus balance and chronic kidney disease.
Your doctor may ask you to cut down on potassium if your kidneys can’t keep it in balance.
Eat the right amount and right type of protein to help your kidneys stay healthy. Ask your doctor about talking to a dietitian to find out what’s right for you.
Exercise. What if you could take a pill that could help your heart, lower your blood pressure, strengthen you bones, improve your mood, and help you stay at a healthy weight? And it was free? Well, exercise can do all those things, and it may not be as hard to increase your activity as you think.
• How and why to make time for exercise
• How much exercise you need to improve your health
• An easy walking program (good if you haven’t been active)
• Free and low-cost fitness resources in King County: South / Downtown / Eastside
Stop smoking. Smoking makes chronic kidney disease much worse and greatly increases your risk of death. It’s never too late to quit, and there are resources to help.
Guard against depression. Depression is not just having a bad day. It’s a chemical imbalance in your brain, and it can be treated. Depression is common among people living with chronic kidney disease. It’s linked to heart disease, and it can affect your survival.