My Chronic Kidney Disease Diagnosis

By Diane Talbert

2 min read

First off, it’s not the diagnosis that bothers me as much as being misdiagnosed and not getting treated sooner. Unfortunately, I have had several chronic illnesses for years. So, therefore, I see 3 doctors on a constant level. I just don’t understand how a disease gets to a chronic stage without at least one doctor catching it.

I believe that if I was diagnosed sooner, that I would have started a treatment plan earlier before getting to this stage. For 2 years I told my doctors there was something going on with my body and no one listened. We start believing that everything is all in our heads and doubt how we are feeling.

I'm not a quitter

You know my friends, I had to get past all of this. I spent these past couple of weeks going to therapy. Not saying it’s for you, but it is working for me. To say I was angry at my diagnosis would be an understatement. I just turned 65, retired, and was getting ready to really enjoy life.

The one thing I know about me is that I’m not a quitter. I have several chronic illnesses that begin in 1963 and I am not ready to give up yet. My husband and I both just got diagnosed with chronic kidney disease within a few months of each other. We loved to eat, but not necessarily the right stuff. I was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes years ago and was able to get off medications for a few months now. Of course, I do find myself cheating more often.

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Back to basics

So, both of us are going back to basics. We have been married for 26 years and we used to love to cook together when we first met. Guess what, we recently discovered that we still like cooking. But, between high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease it does become challenging.

I had to get a nutritionist to get us started on the right track. There is so much stuff in foods that we can’t have. Sadly, we both loved salt. We must be careful with that and a few other ingredients that are not good for us with CKD.

I was just told recently after my diagnosis that if I had diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and a family history of CKD, that I should have been monitored more closely. Guess what, I have all of these.

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Grateful for every minute I have

I am part of a support group, so I can understand what is ahead of me. My youngest son, the father who is almost 90, and a cousin who has been on dialysis for over 25 years. I do have the support that I need. You honestly don’t understand what a person is going through until you walk in their shoes.

Yes, I was feeling gloom and doom for a minute. But you know something, every day we wake up is a new day. There haven’t been many times in my life where I haven’t stopped smelling the roses and I’m working on getting that spark back. I will continue with my therapy because it is helping me.

You know when I first heard this news, I just wanted to stay in bed and cry. Right now, I’m grateful for every minute I have and just want to share my journey with others. Keep your head up and keep living. We are not alone on this journey.

This or That

In addition to chronic kidney disease, do you also live with diabetes?

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Chronic-Kidney-Disease.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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Cinders Member
Diane I’m so glad you’re taking advantage of therapy and getting help to deal with the emotions we all go through. I am looking into the same. It is a shame that out of your three doctors not one found your CKD earlier. This is such a prevalent story we hear over and over again. I believe until all the nephrologists understand the power that food has on our bodies they will not change the way they handle this disease or any disease. I’m glad you and your husband have found the joy of cooking again.
Diane Talbert Moderator & Contributor
Hello <inline-mention username="Cinders" user-id="6899019"/> , thank you so much for chiming in. I just hope that our healthcare system gets better. We have made so many improvements over the past decades, but have so far to go. I find it so fascinating that people don't tell us how bad all these foods are until we get sick. Thanks for sharing, Diane (Team Member)
sherrydillow Member
i too got diagnosed too late to turn things around.i know what you mean as i have stage 3 heart failure as <a href='http://well.one' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>well.one</a> day at a time.
1. Diane Talbert Moderator & Contributor
 Hello <inline-mention username="sherrydillow" user-id="8798429"/> , Yes, one day at a time, that's all we can do. I get my strength from my father who is 90. He gets up every morning like he is going to work and takes his morning walk. He has lots of illnesses, but he is determined to keep living. Is there anyone you draw strength from? Thanks for sharing some of your journey with us. Diane (Team Member)
2. Cinders Member
 <inline-mention username="sherrydillow" user-id="8798429"/> I’m so sorry to hear that your diagnosis came late. It’s a real problem we hear over and over again. I’m not quite sure I totally understand why physicians drag their feet on alerting their patients to what they’re seeing on their blood work report. I’m glad you’re learning to take it one day at a time. I know there may be even days we have to take one minute at a time. We just have to keep warring on. 💚
Cindy Barton Moderator
I agree most people with CKD weren’t told early on. I don’t know why the doctors and physicians feel that it’s in our best interest not to share a declining egfr but wait until it’s “bad” enough too. If I’m a Stage 2 then I want to know so I can make changes early. Don’t wait until I’m Stage 3 to say something. Lol, See Something Say Something!!! Just my humble opinion. 
1. Diane Talbert Moderator & Contributor
 Hello <inline-mention username="Cindy Barton" user-id="8860834"/> You are right on the money with that. I don't understand that either. It will be a question I will asked my doctor on my next visit. Diane (Team Member)