PKD Life - Fall 2020 - 5

Community Connection

Eating Well

an,
A void cereals wit h br
dried fruit and nuts.

IMAGES, PEDRO VERDE/GETTY IMAGES

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: OLHAKOZACHENKO/GETTY IMAGES, ALEKSANDAR NAKIC/GETTY

n a crisis situation, such as the
COVID-19 pandemic or a natural
disaster, your access to dialysis treatments may be delayed. In some cases,
the buildup of toxins, such as potassium, phosphorus, urea, and fluids,
can be life-threatening, especially for
patients who no longer urinate at all,
says Beverly Whittet, R.N., a certified
dialysis nurse with the national Kidney Community Emergency Response
(KCER) Program. KCER provides assistance to End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
Networks, kidney organizations, and
other groups to ensure timely and efficient disaster preparedness, response,
and recovery for the kidney community.
The KCER Program website (kcer
coalition.com ) uses the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services 3-Day
Emergency Diet Plan that provides adequate nutrition in the event of an emergency, as well as limits the amount of
fluid and waste accumulated. "It is not a
substitute for dialysis or the renal diet,
and it is only intended to be followed
for three days or fewer in an emergency
situation," Whittet says.
Here's what the first day of this diet
plan looks like. (Three optional snacks
are not included.)

Day One

3-Day Emergency Diet
BREAKFAST
Cereal and fruit:
½ cup milk OR mix
¼ cup evaporated milk
with ¼ cup distilled
water, from sealed
containers
1 serving of cereal
(No bran. No granola.
No cereal with dried
fruits and nuts.)
1 tablespoon sugar,
optional
½ can (2 ounces) fruit,
drained
LUNCH
Peanut butter or
almond butter and
jelly sandwich:
2 slices of white bread
2 tablespoons unsalted
peanut butter or
almond butter
2 tablespoons jelly or
sugar-free jelly
½ cup canned fruit,
drained
½ cup (4 ounces) water
or other recommended
beverage
DINNER
Chicken sandwich:
2 slices of white bread
½ can (2 ounces) chicken
with 2 tablespoons
mayonnaise
½ cup vegetables,
drained
½ cup cranberry juice

HOW DO YOU DEAL
WITH "PKD BELLY"?
"Even after I use all my dressing
tricks to minimize my belly,
I get asked if I am pregnant
often. It always catches me off
guard and is devastating. If I am
feeling strong, I try to educate
the person about PKD. But most
of the time I just try not to cry. PKD
(and PLD) is the reason we couldn't
have a second child, so it makes those
questions heart-wrenching. But I get
through it by being grateful for our
amazing 10-year-old son and trying to
love my body for all it does for me."
-Colleen Harpold, Kent, Washington

"I love clothes. My mom was a
costume designer, and I'm a
professional artist. But it's been
quite a challenge to find just
the right shapes and styles to
not let my now-enormous PKD
belly ruin how I want to look. At age
79, I'm still vain enough to want to look
good. I've discovered that if I accentuate
the normal parts of my body-arms,
legs, hips-and camouflage the middle,
it helps. Voluminous tops in beautiful
colors, interesting necklaces, and
leggings or slim pants do the job. The
main thing is the cut of the garment.
Slim at the neck, well-fitted around the
arms, and free-floating over the belly.
Add to these an attractive pair of shoes,
and I feel like I can handle anything!"
-Sueellen Ross, Seattle, Washington

"I tend to wear flared, loose, or
oversized clothing to minimize
the appearance of my PKD
belly. Thank goodness for yoga
skirts, swing shirts, gaucho
pants, and tent-style dresses.
I avoid any outfit that is cinched
or tight at the waist. When I do have
a bad body image day, I try to refocus
my energy on my health versus my
waist size. Eating right and working
out five times a week helps me to
focus on being healthy. Although I
have not yet had to deal with someone
assuming I'm pregnant, I am sure that
eventually it will happen. My plan is to
take a deep breath and give my PKD
elevator speech to the commenter."
-Amanda C., Phoenix, Arizona

F I N D M O R E S TO R I E S A N D R E S O U R C E S AT C O N N E C T. P K D C U R E .O R G

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9/23/20 8:17 AM

http://www.kcercoalition.com http://www.kcercoalition.com http://CONNECT.PKDCURE.ORG

PKD Life - Fall 2020

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