It’s been a little more than a week since I met with the nutritionist. I had some success and many areas for improvement.

My goal, as part of managing my chronic kidney disease, was to eat a healthy breakfast and lunch, to try to avoid salt and to try cooking once during the week. I didn’t try my hand in the kitchen beyond pouring a bowl of cereal. But I was successful in eating breakfast and a healthy Kashi frozen meal with a yogurt Monday through Thursday.

My husband cooked real food for us -- food, not food products as Michael Pollan would say. One night real chicken and peas. The next night real chicken and fettuccini with tomatoes. Even our picky daughter ate some of the steaming hot chicken. I guess she knows the difference between real food and something that comes out of the freezer.

Last night as I was reading Body + Soul magazine I was inspired not to do yoga, not to meditate but to run out to the kitchen and eat the last bar of Hershey's chocolate.

So you win some, you lose some.

When they doubled my blood pressure medication I knew I was in trouble.

I’ve known I had kidney problems since I was 12 years old. But no one knew what was wrong. I was finally diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease called IgA nephropathy about five years ago. There are five stages of kidney disease and I’m at 3. At stage four and five people prepare for dialysis and possibly a kidney transplant. At stage 3 I have high blood pressure, edema, which is swelling, especially in my legs, anemia and fatigue.