Coping with Kidney Disease

A revolutionary program that can indefinitely postpone the need for dialysis If you've been diagnosed with kidney failure, this book could save your life. If you suffer from diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or any of a host of conditions that put you at risk for kidney disease, you owe it to yourself to read what is in this book. If you are among the 60,000 North Americans who go on dialysis each year, the information in this book could substantially improve your quality of life. In Coping with Kidney Disease, a leading expert tells you, in plain English, what you need to know to: * Understand kidney failure * Recognize early warning signs of kidney failure * Get a proper diagnosis * Talk with your doctors about it * Confidently evaluate treatment options * Take charge of your treatment * Delay dialysis or even avoid the need for it altogether The centerpiece of Coping with Kidney Disease is Dr. Walser's revolutionary 12-step program for avoiding dialysis. Based on treatments he has pioneered with his own patients at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the program calls for a supplemented low-protein diet supported by treatments to control blood pressure and correct high cholesterol. So effective has this breakthrough strategy proven to be that in many patients it actually worked to slow or arrest the progression of kidney failure to the end stage. Knowledge is power. Coping with Kidney Disease empowers you with what you need to take charge of kidney disease.

Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 Terms, Measures, and Abbreviations 5 Part I: Looking at the Disease of Kidney Failure 1 What Do Kidneys Do and What Happens When They Fail? 9 2 Are You at Risk for Kidney Failure? 17 3 Symptoms of Kidney Failure 27 Part II: How to Treat Kidney Failure 4 Treating Kidney Failure 35 5 Step 1: Assess Your Current Treatment Plan 44 6 Step 2: Make Lifestyle Changes 52 7 Step 3: Follow a Low-Protein Diet 55 8 Step 4: Treat Salt and Water Problems 88 9 Step 5: Regulate Your Blood Pressure 96 10 Step 6: Treat Acidosis 106 11 Step 7: Treat Anemia and Iron Deficiency 109 12 Step 8: Treat Potassium Problems 112 13 Step 9: Treat Calcium and Phosphate Problems 117 14 Step 10: Treat Gout and Uric Acid Problems 122 15 Step 11: Treat Your High Cholesterol 126 16 Step 12: Know the Medications That Slow the Progression of Renal Failure 130 Part III: Tracking Kidney Failure, Dialysis, Transplants, and More 17 Keeping Close Watch on Your Kidney Failure 139 18 Dietary Treatment of the Nephrotic Syndrome 158 19 Safe and Unsafe Medications for Patients with Kidney Failure 163 20 Transplantation as an Alternative to Dialysis 167 21 When to Opt for Dialysis 172 22 Patients Who Have Avoided Dialysis 180 Appendix 1: Resources for Kidney Patients 197 Appendix 2: Government Support of Low-Protein Diets 201 Notes 205 Glossary 213 Index 223