~My Journey To Good Health~

[Pacificfords]

I figured this is as good a place to start as any on the bulletin board. It will be nice to get to know people and track my progress.

My name is Debi and I was recently diagnosed with Stage 5 Kidney Disease, which is no doubt a result of my poor eating habits over the years. This was only about two months ago and it has been quite a shock. It has been quite a journey already, but it has led me to Dr. McDougall and I am finally making lifestyle changes that will hopefully have a positive effect on my life.

It has been a challenge to eat vegan and stay within the limits of a renal diet, but I am researching and learning more each day and it is getting easier and easier. It has become quite clear to me on other "disease" related bulletin boards that people have a really hard time with change and typically just don't do it. I have made the choice to do everything in my power to heal my body rather than medicate and just get by.

Looking forward to making new friends, learning new things, and feeling much better!

[janluvs2heel]

Welcome, Pacificfords,

Very sorry to hear about your health issues. That must be so hard but you sure have come to the right place!!

Jan

[Pacificfords]

Thank you Jan. I am glad to be here and excited to see what progress I make with the positive and healthy changes.

I find myself amazed, being in this situation and coming across new people, that there are many people that would actually rather just have dialysis/transplant than change their eating habits and try to get better. That was a bit shocking to me, but I am coming to understand how difficult it really is to make this transition. Worth it - for sure, but wow...what a change from the lifestyle of eating whatever I wanted.

I would like very much to be a success story. So far, I have only been eating Vegan for about four days solid. I had attempted two weeks ago to change my diet, but just couldn't let go of cheese. That was the hardest for me. Now that I have turned the corner and am eating only vegan foods - I feel much better and am having very positive results with my health. The biggest thing I have noticed is that the fluid retention is becoming less of a problem. I had recently gained almost 10 pounds in under a weeks time of fluid. That weight immediately dropped off when I switched to eating fully vegan. It's a good start.

[Pacificfords]

I am thrilled to post this morning about the progress I am making. This past two months, I have been following the medicine treatement plan from my doctor with moderate changes to my diet according to the hospital dietician, and there were no changes in my condition to speak of. This past three weeks I devoted myself to transitioning to a vegan diet with low protein, after reading the research of Dr. McDougall and Kidney Disease. This past week I was able to stick to a completely vegan diet and begin the transformation into health and wellness. It was a success...

My bloodwork this past week showed significant signs of improvement in my condition. The numbers are changing... and I am more excited than ever. My choice is to live healthy and strong - not at the mercy of a dialysis machine or medications. To make that choice requires action on my part and changes that are not easy after years of unhealthy eating, but there is nothing more valuable to me than my health right now and it is worth the effort.

[bunsofaluminum]

wow! that is so cool! I knew this would make a difference for you when I read you have kidney problems...high protein is really bad for the kidneys.

Wonder what your doc will say

[Pacificfords]

I am curious to see what my doctor says too. My hope is that he doesn't automatically think that the prednisone is finally working. He has been weaning me off of it because it wasn't and I don't want him to reconsider and keep me on it.

I have been keeping my protein under 30 grams a day - usually 20... and I believe that is the key right now. It is giving my kidneys a break and the ability to rest a bit. I was an Atkins yo-yo dieter for years, especially this past two years and I KNOW that is what caused this. My doctor said "no... Atkins wouldn't do that." I don't believe that for a minute. I was loading on so much protein, so often... that HAS to be what caused this.

I have also been doing castor oil packs on my back after reading the reasearch. I am excited about my progress.

[vegnLC]

Hi Debi

Welcome - and I also wish you all the best. How exciting and encouraging that you're seeing such noticeable results so quickly! It's also great that you've started this journal, because you will be able to come back to this in the months to come, to remind yourself of what a drastic and positive change you noticed, so soon into changing your lifestyle. It's good to have reminders like that, for when temptation or challenges might arise

I hope to follow you through continued improvements, and reports of how stunned your doctors are

[Rob]

Debi - Congratulations and best wishes on your journey to regain your health. Isn't it heartening to see such positive results so soon? Big changes get big results! Take heart that after a few months, this way of eating will become your new 'normal' and going back to your old way of eating will be unthinkable. The main problem I've observed over the years with people achieving their health goals is not completely changing to the McDougall diet.

[Pacificfords]

Thanks vegnLC and Rob

And yes, Rob, I can see where not switching completely would be an issue. That is what I did the first couple of weeks and it wasn't easy. When I just made the choice to do it right, it became much easier. I am looking forward to the day when it really feels "normal" for me and I don't have to exercise so much self-control in what I am missing with food.

[Pacificfords]

Had a dr appointment yesterday. It was bittersweet. He was shocked by my progress in just the past three weeks (when I switched to a vegan diet), but said that diet probably had little to do with it. He was pretty sure it was the medicine "finally kicking in." However, he agreed that he couldn't honestly say for sure if it was diet or medication that inspired progress. The frustrating part for me was that he is keeping me on the meds because he thinks they are now helping. He was going to wean me off the prednisone in October... now it looks more like December. I just want to be healthy again and after 12 days of vegan eating... I FEEL INCREDIBLE...

I keep copies of all my lab work and the difference between last month and this month is unreal. Every single number changed for the better. Last month I had several "highs" and "lows" that were flagged. This month... just a couple. They can believe it is the meds... I am going to keep doing what I am doing because I know it is my diet.

[Rob]

He was going to wean me off the prednisone in October... now it looks more like December. I just want to be healthy again and after 12 days of vegan eating... I FEEL INCREDIBLE....

What you have found with this new way of eating is that you are regaining control of your health. Unfortunately, you seem to have a doc who believes he is in control. He thinks it's the meds and you think its the diet. Surely, as a man of science he ought to agree to a test of his hypothesis. Do you think he would agree to reduce your meds while you stay on the diet with the understanding that if your numbers get worse then you will agree to take the medications back up again? Medications have side effects. You owe it to yourself to discover the truth. Good luck!

[Pacificfords]

Rob... I tried that but he did not agree with that option. It is a hard place to be... new to this lifestyle and at the mercy of a doctor that doesn't believe in it. I am trying to be wise... and am looking forward to being off the medications in the next couple of months. Part of the problem is my husband... he was there and he agrees with the doctor. My husband is not vegan, and believes that medicines help. *sigh*

[Melinda]

Congratulations on your improved health, and also your courage in the face of a disease like yours. As well as educating myself via Dr. Mcdougall and the other plant based docs, I have learned a huge amount from working as an RN (came back to nursing 8 years ago). What I have learned is that ANYTHING one puts in their body has side effects, and repercussions, and the best thing to do is to follow Dr. M's advice and to stay as far away from SAD medicine, and surgery as much as possible!

[Mrs. Doodlepunk]

Debi, have you written to Dr. McDougall about your success yet? I'm sure he would love to know about you. He might have some reassuring stuff to say about the meds you're on for now, too.

[Pacificfords]

I did try to write to him because someone suggested it, and got an immediate response... however I don't know if it was actually from him. It was a very generic email with a few links to different pieces of information on the site that I had already read and none of my specific questions were answered. I kind of got the idea that he probably doesn't actually answer his mail and can't really answer questions (much like all of the disclaimers on the site about not being specific to people's medical situations). I imagine he gets hundreds of emails from people. It was nice to get the email and there was one article in it that I hadn't read... so I am certainly not complaining.