Thanks for starting the thread, Bill. When I talk with people who call to register for classes, I tell them that our goal is to help people keep their kidney function as long as possible, but to also tell them their options if their kidneys fail. We have an Intro to Kidney Disease class where we discuss ways to protect kidneys. We haven’t had a patient presenter for that class, but maybe that would be a good idea. You’re right – hope is key.
I’ve thought that it would be best to have at least 2 sets of classes. There should be early classes for people identified through KEEP or through their doctors who are at Stage 2 or 3. These people probably have a greater chance of preventing kidney failure by actions that could learn to take to avoid things that harm kidneys (dyes, drugs, etc.), how to do a better job of managing other illnesses that often lead to kidney failure (diabetes and hypertension), and healthy lifestyle choices that could improve everyone’s health (losing weight if overweight, exercising more, learning stress management techniques, etc.)
Once someone is at Stage 4 (15-30% of normal kidney function), the chances are that his/her kidneys will fail. It’s just a matter of when. I’ve known people who kept their damaged kidneys functioning for months or even years. But they learned what they needed to do to protect their kidneys and took an active role in managing their illness. I strongly believe more people need to have these tools.