It is understatement to say you have been through a traumatic ordeal. Being diagnosed with illness of this type can take its toll on the patient as well as the family. I really do feel for you. My nephew Kaydn was diagnosed with kidney failure at the age of 8. He received a kidney transplant at the age of 14 from my mother. He rejected it 4 years ago and had to return to dialysis treatments. This was traumatic for my whole family.
I have so much I would like to share with you!
One thing I learned through my nephew's 14-year ordeal is that the diet of a renal patient is a constant balancing process. At 22 years old, he has become a nutritional wiz and knows the sodium/potassium/phosphorus content of everything he eats. He is an excellent chef and does not cook with salt. Everyone loves it when he cooks so it is possible to make food taste great and have it be low sodium. He uses lots of herbs and spices, lemon, red wine vinegar and olive oil to season his food.
When he was in the pediatric system my nephew lucked into a German trained doctor who knew about complementary therapies as German allopathic doctors use many of them. For example he understood homeopathics and was very clear that while my nephew had a transplant it was imperative he not use them (with out consulting a qualified homeopath) as they could stimulate his immune system. He was a research doctor/scientist so he could prescribe specific supplements such as Vit B-Complex, Vit C, Vit E, Zinc, Essential Fatty Acids and Grape Seed Extract knowing they would help, not harm or conflict with his allopathic treatments. He even allowed us to experiment with products such as high dose acidophilus while doing intensive testing to determine if the product would conflict with other medications.
I believe that allopathic medicine and holistic therapies can work together but it takes a team of people willing to do the research. I would recommend contacting a Naturopathic Doctor but it is important to get your medical team on board with any complementary treatments. If you want to use complementary therapies, be bold enough to ask that your medical team to respect your wishes. Working with them instead of feeling unsupported is important to your emotional well-being.
There are certain things I do believe that can be done for any condition. For example, what you don't put into the body can be as important as what you do put in, especially when one of your purification systems is shutting down. With most medical conditions I would suggest removing all refined products from the diet. Sugar, artificial sweeteners, dairy, gluten, refined flours, food additives, colouring and preservatives, heavily processed and fried foods are not good for anyone including someone with a restricted diet such as yours. In the case of renal failure I know this can be a bit tricky as you will be told that when your kidney stop functioning you cannot eat whole foods. Renal patients cannot remove the mineral content of the food from their body. Kaydn has chosen to do home hemo-dialysis, 5 nights per week 8 hour treatments, which allows him to eat a wide variety of healthy foods and drink lots of fluids. At some point you maybe able to talk to your medical team about this type of dialysis. From my understanding it is an amazing treatment that comes very close to mimicking a functional kidney.
Has your medical team talked about your protein consumption? The processing of protein does put stress on the kidneys and I know they often reduce the amount of protein a renal patient is on. The potassium/phosphorus content of whole grains and bean and legumes are very high and may conflict with your renal diet so an animal source maybe your only form of protein. Therefore it is very important to know where your meat comes from. The quality of your meat is should be high so it doesn't add to the toxic burden of your body. Organically raised lean meat, poultry and fish on the safe list from Sea Choice http://www.seachoice.org/ are good choices.
Sticking to a diet primarily of low potassium fresh fruits and vegetables, small amounts of organic olive/coconut/flax/hemp oil, lean organic meats/fish and small amounts whole non-glutinous grains such as rice and quinoa can be beneficial. If your body doesn't have to work hard to process toxic foods, it has a better chance of focusing on being well.
Your skin is your second kidney so regular dry brushing can be helpful for flushing out toxins. I know you will not be able to do inferred saunas but exercising is one way to flush out toxins. Kaydn finds the more exercise he does, the better his body feels. This can be hard when your hemoglobin is low but even a 10 minute walk can move the lymph in your body and make you feel better.
Your liver will start to do double duty as your kidneys fail so it is important not stress them even more by eating bad fats or sugar. Eating liver supporting foods, such as lemons and olive oil, can help flush the liver. Fortunately my nephew was allowed to take a liver support of milk thistle/turmeric but this did create another issue. His liver started to process all of his medication very effectively so the dosages had to be reduced. Before trying any herbs be sure to consult with your practitioner.
I feel my final suggestion is the most important. I believe that health can only take place when the mental and emotional aspects of dealing with an illness are addressed. Working with an emotional therapist who understands long term or critical illness is as important as the food you eat or the supplements you take. Emotional healing is the hardest thing to face because it isn't tangible or quantifiable. However, modern research has proven that stress does play a role in all medical conditions. Finding methods or activities that reduce stress (there by reducing the stress hormones that harm your body on a cellular level) is crucial to wellbeing. In Kaydn's case he has had a lot of emotional support and he focuses on being an athlete.
