My stepmother is also in this situation, although she says she does not care, she'll eat whatever she pleases. The diet sheets her doctor gave her went into the trash, she refused to read them, said it just made her "mad".

So, I've been checking the kidney websites and dialysis recipes, trying to figure out what's good for her and what isn't. Not that she eats anything I cook for her anyway, she feeds it to her dog and orders pizza or Subway or whoever will deliver. And now her pug dog weighs 35 pounds!

She's also on Coumadin, so the kidney places say eat vegetables and the doc that put her on Coumadin says don't eat them. (sigh)

Annie

I lost my mother to kidney failure 8 years ago. No disrespect to those posting information here or on other internet sites, but please consult a registered dietitian for the correct information. They will have access to all of your medical information and can work with you on a meal plan. No two patients are alike as your meds may differ from the general populous and they will take this into account.

Annie, good luck with SM.

Thanks, Peppi. In addition to her pacemaker, her Coumadin, her kidneys, she's been diagnosed as being bipolar and in the beginning stages of dementia and is pre-diabetic. She'll be put back on dialysis soon, she just had a fistula created for that purpose.

I suppose it would be a whole lot easier if I just shut up and let her go her merry way, she does anyway, but somehow I feel the need to remind her that she needs to cut down the salt, not eat half a pie and a quart of ice cream at a time and that she has access to organic vegetables and grass fed/pastured animals and eggs and that they are FREE. She wants none of it, only likes meat and eggs "from the store" and will drink a gallon of whole milk in a day along with half a dozen donuts. So, whatever. I still remind her from time to time that I will not be taking her to dialysis three times a week, she'll have to take a cab.

I did contact her doctor's office, but I'm not her guardian, I'm only her conservator and so only handle her finances. Without permission they won't talk to me, and she says I don't need to talk to her doctors, she can handle it herself, so I've been messing about the internet, trying to figure out what she's supposed to be doing. Not that it really matters.....

Annie

Annie, she has complicated health problems, the only aspect I have any experience with is Coumadin/Warfarin. It might not be an issue for her, because it sounds like she won't eat them anyway, but it's not true that she can't eat vegetables when on that medication. Veggies high in Vitamin K will affect the blood thinning properties of the medication, so should be eaten carefully, but for those who want to eat those veggies, the recommendation is to moderate your intake and have your blood tested so your medication can be increased if necessary. When you get to a level of intake of Vit K that you can maintain daily (meaning if you want a green salad daily you MUST eat that or an equivalent amount of vitamin K each day) then your meds are adjusted and level out to a dose to allow you those veggies each day. You can't binge eat broccoli, though!

When I was put on Coumadin in the hospital, when I tried to order my meal with a salad, the kitchen refused, saying I couldn't have salad on blood thinners. I'd been reading about the medication online when they started giving it to me there, and everything said to eat what you want and your doctor will gradually increase the dosage of the med (observed by frequent lab tests). So I pitched a fit to the hospital nutritionist and she confirmed that I could have what I wanted and the dosage would be adjusted to allow it. But blood tests are the only way to tell if you're getting too much Vit K and it's dangerous if you are.

This article confirms what I learned and shows the recommendations about Vitamin K in vegetables. But she's not getting any in doughnuts and milk!
Vitamin K foods

ETA Oh and if she's in the beginning stages of dementia, I hope someone has or can get a Durable Power of Attorney for health care. It will be impossible when her illness progresses and she needs someone to advocate for her if there is none in place. A guardianship is then necessary (depending on your state) which is complicated and expensive.

Olychick, she has a court appointed Guardian, and a court appointed Conservator, which is me. The Guardian is the Court's employee, but like most of the much-maligned county government employees, has hundreds of case files and very little time, as the guardian is required to also go to court and deal with all the legal needs of her copious file load. Medical treatment determinations are mostly made by me, with the blessing of the Guardian, and I keep her staff updated on what I do. If big decisions are to be made, then I'm not making them, that will be the Guardian, but day-to-day issues are pretty much on my plate. Anyway, I handled all that paperwork when I was still working, remember, I spent 35 years working with lawyers.

Her doctor specifically told me when I took her for her appointment that she should not eat green vegetables. Period. I asked about things like cucumbers. When peeled, are they still green? He shrugged and said "if it's green, don't eat it, that's safest". She does get her blood tested bi-weekly and has not had her Coumadin dosage changed in months, it's always the same. I think he is simply telling her what's easiest for her to follow so as not to confuse her, but I could be wrong.

The real problem is that she is determined to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants to do it. She's always been like that, she was married to Dad for 30 years and she hasn't changed, just gotten worse. She figures there's a pill for everything, so she'll take 'em. Oh, and she refuses to sign a DNR, or Living Will, because she says she wants to be on life support forever, no one had better ever think of taking her off. Ahem. So, the Guardian will be stuck with that decision, I'm not touching it. Her only living blood relative is a half-sister, who lives in the same Assisted Living apartment complex and is also diagnosed as being bi-polar. I intend to let the sister talk to the Guardian and help make the decision when that time comes!

Now that I've hi-jacked Paul's thread, let's get back to his question about kidney friendly foods. Sorry, Paul.

Annie

Paul, I second Peppi's recommendation to consult a registered dietitian.

Olychick, my husband has been on Coumadin for years for an hereditary blood disorder. He tries to eat a green veggie every day. That's one of the reasons why we have salads 5-6 times a week. If I'm serving Swiss chard, broccoli, zucchini, or another green veggie I skip the salad. He was told it's all about maintaining consistency.

Hmmm. Her doc said no green beans, definitely no salads, no greens like collards/spinach/kale/chard, no cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli. And that was only 3 or 4 years ago, it wasn't a long time. She was also told no cranberry juice or canned tuna. I get that it's a Vitamin K issue, but I'm still kind of confused on the green bean thing. And cucumber, I thought if it was peeled it was OK.

Elery's Dad was also on Coumadin after his bypass and he was told no leafy greens, but he hated them anyway, so he wasn't in any danger of actually consuming any!

Annie

Well, you have your hands full, Annie. It's unfortunate that her doc isn't better educated about the medication and vitamin K content of food (maybe not just for her, but his/her other patients). Green beans have no more K than carrots (very, very low) and cukes when peeled have almost none.

Let me clarify something...

I am using materials I have
received from a first class medical facility. I have an appointment with
a dietitian but that is at least a month away. My starting approach to
this issue is to develop a detailed list of ingredients I use in a
normal day of cooking. The materials received from the medical facility
are far too often too broad brushed classifications. for example... they
cover potatoes very well but the only potatoes I normally make these
days are baked potato skins. This item is not on their list and although
I could work on assumptions I would rather not do so. Another example
might be are there any herbs like garlic that are not particularly
friendly to kidneys. Some of these questions will be answered when I
finally get my appointment but in the meantime I want to make some
progress on my list.

I thought I would take a shot at the garden
web to see if anybody else had gone through this process and already
done some detailed research.

Thanks

Vitamin K content in certain foods

more extensive list

Olychick, the doctor does not surprise me. Since Spectrum Health took over every hospital, every specialist, every doctor in West Michigan, health care has become a business and the patients? Well, too bad for them. The doctor that did her fistula is in Grand Rapid. She's 84 and does not drive, so I take her. He told her to take her pulse 3 times a day and come to his office IMMEDIATELY if she didn't feel it. I'm not sure she's even competent to take her pulse, so I told the doctor that she lived alone, did not drive and was an hour and a half away. Was there an alternative, like going to the local hospital? No. She would have to come there. But what if I'm out of town? What if she can't find a way there? Too bad, then the operation will fail. Well, thank you, doctor. I did ask the nurse on the way out and she said to call the office PA, and ask her. No one sees an actual doctor anymore, primary physicians are all Physician's Assistants. Primary doctors are all part time and only Specialists are full time employees.

So, am I surprised. No, not really. And that's why I was doing my own "research" on the internet about kidney diets. To add to the fun, she's had Dr. Wang, Dr. Wong, Dr. Chowdhury. She doesn't understand a word they tell her and sometimes I struggle. They have thick accents AND are in a hurry. I usually just ask the nurse afterward to go over things with me "to make sure I understand". In the meantime, Stepmother will just go to sleep. (sigh)

So, I'm battling stepmom, I'm battling doctors and physician's assistants, I'm driving an hour and a half for each of her appointments and I'm fighting the insurance company at every step. There is no one to help, so I'm it. My sister died last year of liver cancer. My brother has MS and lives with my mother. Stepmom has no children and her half sister is being treated for colon cancer. Dad, of course, has been gone for several years. My oldest daughter has seizures and has a son who is having seizures and his are not yet controlled. My youngest daughter had a stroke several months ago at age 27 and is dealing with residual issues. I'm the only healthy one in this entire group of people and I have grown to just hate the medical profession. Elery says the only difference between doctors and God is that God doesn't think he's a doctor!

Annie

Annie, I can sympathize with everything you are saying about the medical problems we are having right now. In my instance, after going to the same doctor for the last thirty years I am placed with one which involves going through a procedure of having to go through the receptionist, a battery of nurses and then a nurse practioner, who has to check with the doctor and then we go through a reverse procedure and finally getting an answer a couple of days later after you go to the local pharmacist in desperation or resorting to some program that Dr. Oz has had. This leads to the patient being mad, the receptionist being mad because she can't hunt down the appropriate nurse, and the doctor being mad because they aren't compensated enough by Medicare and everybody being a loser. This is happening especially to the senior citizens. Barb