Diagnosis and Treatment Options

Make a list of questions before each visit. Use the Kidney Health Checklist for a Healthcare Provider’s Visit as a resource. Ask others for their input. It’s hard to think of everything you need to ask when you’re under stress. 

Work at communicating your questions, thoughts, and feelings to your healthcare team. Bring up the difficult questions that you would rather not talk about. 

Take notes during appointments so that you can remember the discussion later. 

Take a trusted caregiver or advocate with you. Talk about the appointment after it’s over. Update your notes with anything you’ve left out. Write down follow-up steps and any questions you have. 

Don’t expect your providers to make all the decisions for you. Learn about options. Make your wishes known. 

Once you are referred for a kidney transplant evaluation, get all the testing done as quickly as possible. Stay in close contact with the transplant team. 

If you are told that you don’t qualify for a transplant, ask why. Find out if you might be eligible at some future time. Go to a different transplant center. Sometimes selection criteria, such as body mass index (BMI), differ from center to center. 

Write out a plan of steps to take. Accept reality and focus on what needs to be done rather than on what may happen in the future. Don’t waste time wishing things were different. Direct your mental and physical energy towards accomplishing the goals you have defined in your plan.

Take care of yourself by eating a healthy diet as directed by your dietician. Get some type of exercise every day. Try to spend time outside or in nature. It is important to nurture your body and your mind. 

A mindfulness and mediation practice can help calm the mind and relieve stress. Try the free app Smiling Mind. Another popular meditation app is Headspace, which includes special meditations to help with sleep. 

Writing in a journal helps process emotions and relieve stress. You can make lists, develop questions, draw pictures, or tell your story. A journal gives you a place to put your thoughts or worries on paper and unburden your mind. 

Ask for the support you need. Here are some no cost resources from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Get Support webpage: 

Call 855.NKF.CARES (855.653.2273) or email [email protected] 

Talk to someone who has experienced CKD; call 855.NKF.PEERS (855.653.7337) 

Ask questions, get answers, and share experiences in these safe online communities: NKF Kidney Disease Community, NKF Dialysis Community, NKF Transplant Community, NKF Kidney Donor Community, NKF Parents of Children with Kidney Disease.