extra calcium and phosphorus in your blood. This slows blood flow to your heart and can lead to heart attack and death. You may need special medicines to help treat mineral and bone disorder. You may also need to eat fewer foods that contain phosphorus, such as dairy, nuts, seeds, dried beans and peas. •Following an exercise program approved by your healthcare provider •Controlling your weight with diet and exercise •Tracking how well you do Your GFR will be checked regularly to find out if your kidney disease is getting worse. 12 NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION The amount of protein in your urine will be checked regularly. Nutritional tests will be done to make sure you are getting enough protein and calories. You may be asked to follow a diet that is lower in protein. If so, you may need extra calories from other foods. A dietitian with special training in kidney disease can help you plan your meals to get the right foods in the right amounts. See “Understanding your lab numbers” on page 18. If I have kidney disease, can I keep it from getting worse? Most likely. Treatment can help slow or even stop kidney disease from getting worse. How well your treatment works will depend on: •Your stage of kidney disease when you start treatment. The earlier you start, the better off you are. •How carefully you follow your treatment plan. Learn all you can about kidney disease and treatment for it. Make sure to follow all the steps of your treatment. •The cause of your kidney disease. Some kidney diseases are more difficult to control. WWW.KIDNEY.ORG 13 What happens if my kidney disease gets worse? If kidney disease gets worse, it can lead to kidney failure. Kidney failure means your kidneys no longer work well enough to keep you alive. There is no cure for kidney failure. But there are treatments to replace the work of your failed kidneys. How is kidney failure treated? There are two treatments for kidney failure – dialysis and kidney transplantation. •Dialysis is a treatment that removes wastes and extra water from your blood. Two types of dialysis are available: hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. •A kidney transplant is an operation that places a new kidney inside your body. The new kidney will take over the work of your failed kidneys. The new kidney may come from a living donor (usually a relative or friend) or someone who died and wanted to be an organ donor. Your healthcare team can discuss these different treatments with you and answer all your questions. If you need a treatment for kidney failure, they will help you choose one based on your general health, lifestyle, and treatment preference. You can also call the NKF Cares Patient Help Line toll-free at 855.NKF.Cares (855.653.2273). How can I cope with kidney disease? You will have help. Finding out you have kidney disease can be hard to face. But you do not need to face it alone. Your healthcare team will help you. You may also find it helpful to speak to other people who have kidney disease. Learn all you 14 NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION can about kidney disease and its treatment. Knowing what to expect and what you can do to help yourself is important. It can give you more control over your disease. Where can I get more information? If you have questions, speak to your healthcare team. They know you and can answer questions about you. You can also call the NKF Cares Patient Help Line toll-free at 855.NKF.Cares (855.653.2273) or email nkfcares@kidney.org. A trained professional will listen to your concerns and help answer your questions. If you want to read more about kidney disease, the National Kidney Foundation has a lot of information on many topics, such as: •Choosing a treatment for kidney failure •Nutrition and chronic kidney disease •Hemodialysis •Peritoneal dialysis •Kidney transplant •Coping with kidney disease •Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) •High blood pressure and your kidneys •What you need to know about urinalysis •Working and chronic kidney disease WWW.KIDNEY.ORG 15 Key Points •Healthy kidneys do many important jobs. They remove waste products and extra water from your body, help your body make red blood cells, help control blood pressure, and keep your bones healthy. •When you have kidney disease, your kidneys slowly lose the ability to do the important jobs that keep you healthy. The leading causes of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure. •If you have risk factors for kidney disease, get tested for it. •There are two simple tests for kidney disease—a urine test to check for protein in your urine and a blood test to estimate your GFR. Your GFR number helps your healthcare provider know how much kidney function you have. Having protein in your urine for several weeks is an early sign of kidney disease. •If you have kidney disease, you will need to follow a treatment plan that may include taking medicines, restricting salt, limiting certain foods, getting exercise, and more. Your treatment plan will depend on your stage of kidney disease and any other health problems you may have. •Finding and treating kidney disease early can help slow or even stop kidney disease from getting worse. •If you have kidney disease, learn all you can about it. You are an important member of your healthcare team. How carefully you follow your treatment plan may affect how well you do. 16 NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION •Know your