Educational content only. This book is not a substitute for the advice of your medical team. Always consult your nephrologist before making changes to your care.
New Book

Day One: Understanding
Kidney Disease

"Be your own advocate — or get left behind."

Kindle $8.99
Paperback $19.99
Hardcover $19.99
Get the Kindle — $8.99 → Buy Hardcover — $19.99 →

Available now on Amazon in Kindle and Hardcover. Read a free chapter preview below. Paperback edition coming soon.

Read a Free Chapter Preview ↓
About This Book

You were probably handed a thick binder. Nobody could blame you for not reading it — it was written for filing cabinets, not for people. This book is the opposite. Short on purpose. You can read the whole thing in about an hour, or read one chapter while you wait for an appointment.

Why This Book Exists

The book I wrote from the dialysis chair

I did not write this as a doctor or a researcher. I wrote it as a patient who was handed confusing paperwork, medical jargon, and a long list of restrictions — and had to figure out what all of it actually meant for my daily life.

Kidney disease moves slowly, which makes it easy to ignore. By the time it demands your full attention, you are already managing a serious chronic condition with a lot of ground to make up. This book is designed to close that gap as fast as possible.

Every chapter is written for the day you actually need it — the day of diagnosis, the day you start dialysis, the day a family member calls wanting to understand what is happening. Plain language. Real answers. No filler.

Who This Book Is For

If you recognize yourself here, start reading

The Newly Diagnosed
You just heard the words "chronic kidney disease" and you need to understand what they mean before your next appointment.
The Dialysis Patient
Treatment is part of your life now. This book explains the why behind what your care team is doing — and what you can do about it.
The Family Member
Someone you love has been diagnosed and you are trying to understand enough to actually help. This book is for you too.
The Pre-Dialysis Patient
Your GFR is declining and dialysis may be coming. Read this now — while you still have time to make informed decisions about your care.
The MAVTG Book Series

Recommended reading order

01
I Missed the Signs
Start here if you are newly diagnosed or watching someone deny symptoms. A first-person memoir of the years before the crisis.
Read more →
02
Michael's Big Kidney Journey
Life on dialysis — practical, honest, and written from inside the experience. How to stay yourself while managing a serious condition.
Read more →
03
You are here
Day One: Understanding Kidney Disease
The plain-language clinical companion. Use this alongside your care team — every term, every decision, every question explained.
A Note From the Author

I did not write this book from behind a desk. I wrote it because I have lived it — the phone call, the bloodwork, the word "kidney" landing in the middle of an ordinary day and rearranging everything that came after.

I know what it is to sit in the chair. I know the waiting, the questions you are afraid will sound foolish, and the quiet worry about what this means for the people you love. And I know something else, too: that life does not end at this diagnosis. It changes shape, but it goes on — with work, with travel, with family, with purpose.

That is why this book is short. When I was handed a thick binder, I did not need more paper. I needed someone to sit beside me and explain it plainly, like a friend who had been there. That is what I have tried to be on every page here.

Fidelis, Audax et Invictus — Faithful, Bold, and Unconquered.

Author
Michael Moore
What's Inside

15 Chapters. Plain Language. No Binder Required.

Every chapter answers a real question you have already asked yourself — or will.

  • 1 You Just Got the News
  • 2 What Your Kidneys Actually Do
  • 3 Understanding Your Numbers
  • 4 Why Did This Happen?
  • 5 Meet Your Care Team
  • 6 Your Treatment Options
  • 7 Getting a Transplant
  • 8 What Dialysis Actually Feels Like
  • 9 Types of Dialysis & How to Choose
  • 10 Your Access: The Lifeline
  • 11 Eating Well: The Kidney Diet
  • 12 Your Medications & Everyday Symptoms
  • 13 Money, Insurance, and Work
  • 14 For the Family
  • 15 Living Your Life
Also Included — Patient Workbook
Warning Signs Cheat Sheet Cramp Relief Guide First 30 Days Checklist Questions for Your Care Team Words to Know Helpful Resources Medication Log Lab Results Tracker Weekly Vitals Log
Free Chapter Preview
Chapter 1
You Just Got the News
The first 48 hours, and why panic is normal.

Maybe a doctor said the words "kidney disease," and the rest of the sentence turned to static. Maybe a routine blood test came back wrong, or you ended up in the hospital and walked out with a diagnosis you never saw coming. However it happened, today feels heavy. That is not a weakness. That is being human.

So before anything else, here is the truth: this is a diagnosis you can live with. People work, travel, raise families, and grow old with kidney disease every single day. It changes some things. It does not erase your life.

"I heard the word, and my mind went blank. I nodded at the doctor, but I did not hear another thing she said. It took me a week to even tell my wife the details — and once I did, I felt the weight cut in half." — Patient story

What is true right now:

  • Kidney disease is common. Tens of millions of adults have it, and many feel fine for years.
  • It is usually slow. In most people, kidney function changes gradually, which gives you time to plan rather than scramble.
  • You have options. There is rarely just one path forward, and you help choose the one that fits your life.
  • Help is built in. An entire team is assigned to you. You do not carry this alone.
The one thing to do this week: Write down the name of your kidney doctor (nephrologist) and the clinic phone number, and keep them in your phone. Then make your first appointment if you do not already have one. That single step turns a scary diagnosis into a plan.
Five Myths About Dialysis — and the Truth
What you have heard is often scarier than what is real.
Myth 1
Dialysis is a death sentence.
The Truth
It is the opposite — a life-sustaining treatment. Many people live well on dialysis for years, even decades, and for many, it is a bridge to a transplant. A diagnosis is a turning point, not an ending.
Myth 2
You lose all your independence.
The Truth
Plenty of people keep their jobs, hobbies, and lives. Home and evening options offer real flexibility, and you can build treatment around your life instead of the other way around.
Myth 3
It is unbearably painful.
The Truth
The blood-cleaning itself does not hurt. For hemodialysis, you feel a quick needle pinch — numbing cream helps — and peritoneal dialysis uses no needles at all. Some sessions bring side effects like cramps or feeling washed out, which is why this book shows you how to handle them.
Myth 4
Dialysis fully replaces your kidneys.
The Truth
It does the filtering — clearing waste and excess fluid — but it does not produce the hormones healthy kidneys make. That is why you will still take medicines like those for anemia and bone health. It is a powerful tool, not a whole new kidney.
Myth 5
You can never travel again.
The Truth
Dialysis is standardized worldwide, and patients travel across the country and the globe every day by arranging treatment at a clinic near their destination. With planning, a diagnosis does not have to ground you. (MAVTG was built to help with exactly this — see mavtg.com.)
Almost every fear that comes with this diagnosis is bigger than the reality. The more you understand, the smaller the fear gets — and that is what the rest of this book is for.

Continue reading in the full book — available now in Kindle and Hardcover on Amazon.

Get the Book on Amazon →
Free Tool

Navigate CKD With Confidence — Free App

I built this app because I needed it. As a dialysis patient myself, I was keeping too much in my head — medications, lab numbers, fluid limits, session times — and I wanted one place that held it all. CKD Care Companion is free, works on any phone, and everything you enter stays on your device. No account. No server.

Open the Free App →
Speaking Inquiries

Invite Michael to Speak

Michael Moore speaks to clinics, patient groups, and organizations about living fully with kidney disease, dialysis, and the road to transplant. His talks are plain-spoken, personal, and practical — the same tone as this book.

Contact for Speaking →
Free Tool for Patients

Your Journey Continues Here

You don't have to manage kidney disease with a confusing spreadsheet or a heavy clinic binder.

Introducing the Free App: CKD Care Companion

Track your labs, manage your medications, count down your fluid limits, and keep your ER Emergency Card ready — completely offline and private.

  • 100% Local Privacy: No accounts, no data tracking, no servers. All your personal health data stays safely on your device alone.
  • Lab Trend Tracking — Know if your creatinine, potassium, or eGFR is in the safe zone
  • AI Menu Scanner — Photo any meal to get Safe/Caution/Avoid ratings
  • ER Emergency Card — One tap, ready for paramedics

How to Install in 30 Seconds (No App Store Required)

  1. Open your phone's internet browser
  2. Go to: mavtg.com
  3. iPhone: Tap "Share" → "Add to Home Screen"  |  Android: Tap ⋮ → "Install App"
  4. The CKD Care Companion icon appears on your home screen — works even offline
Open CKD Care Companion →

Ditch the Binder. Navigate with confidence.