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do I have CKD???

Posted , 7 users are following.

heather94283
heather94283

am a 34 year old female with many symptoms. Most recently I was informed that due to prolonged use of PPIs (20+ years) I may have kidney disease. I am exhausted, suffer from migraines, urinate up to 20x a day, 6-8x urinate at night, have horrible itching fits and dandruff skin, nausea in the morning and have lost 16lbs in 3 months, swollen ankles and distended stomach. Pain in my back in right side and under right ribs. I have a very hard time keeping warm as well, and have many days where it is hard to concentrate or remember things. Should I be concerned?

1 like, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • rocky31676
    rocky31676 heather94283

    Posted

    CKD is determined from creatine/ GFR tests. 

    The fact you urinate so much would not suggest one, the other symptoms can suggest many other conditions.

    However, to be sure, go for a test of creatinine. 

    • TCup
      TCup rocky31676

      Posted

      One of the worst symptoms is peeing throughut the night!  Seriously I wake every hour so I never seem to wake up refreshed after continuous disrupted nights sleep!sad

    • mikewordman
      mikewordman rocky31676

      Posted

      Hi Rocky,

      If I'm understanding correctly, you are saying that the desire for frequent urination is not typically related to CKD.  If so, I'll mention that my nephrologist noted that it is, in fact, an indication.  The way it was explained to me, as CKD progresses, the kidneys "lose touch" with the rest of the body (simplifying things here) which creates this complication.  How?  B/c in healthy people, the kidneys will slow down urine production overnight as you sleep ("sensing" you're asleep) so you don't need to get up and urinate all the time.  In folks like us, our kidneys just keep producing.

    • rocky31676
      rocky31676 mikewordman

      Posted

      It is not as simple as that. Other health conditions can also dictate the frequent urination. 

       

    • rocky31676
      rocky31676

      Posted

      But i agree the need to pass more urine in general is related to CKD. 

      Sorry, my earlier stateent was incorect. 

  • TCup
    TCup heather94283

    Posted

    Hope your symptoms improve and you find out the cause of your problems.
  • mikewordman
    mikewordman heather94283

    Posted

    Hi Heather,

    I'm very sorry to hear about your health concerns.  Many of the symptoms you list are indeed classic indications of kidney disease / low kidney function - however, migraines and distended stomach are not.  Of course, they could also be related to any number of other things so you would need to have blood & urine tests in order to be certain.  Have you had those yet?  

    Also, have you experienced any of the following:

    -leg cramps in the middle of the night?

    -ammonium / "metallic" taste in your mouth?

    -excessively frothy urine?

    Regardless, blood and urine tests can reveal whether your kidneys are functioning at 100% or not.  Just bear in mind that, even if the test results indicate poor kidney function, it does not necessarily mean you have kidney disease - as you point out, certain medications (eg. PPIs) could affect kidney function, and sometimes it is reversible.  But first thing's first.

    I hope that helps a little.  Best wishes,

    • TCup
      TCup mikewordman

      Posted

      I always wake with leg cramps!  Didn't realise it was kidney related!  It is awful - I get it every morning!  

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey TCup

      Posted

      Night leg cramps are not necessarily an indication of kidney disease. They can simply be the result of magnesium deficiency. A blood test will confirm if that is the case, and a simple magnesium supplement will help, as will increasing magnesium-rich foods in your diet.
    • LynQ
      LynQ TCup

      Posted

      Hi Tcake,

      I too suffered from foot and leg cramp for several years after my CKD was diagnosed. It was not like ordinary cramp, lasting far longer.  I would feel my muscles slowly start to tighten.  It could go on all night, especially if my feet were cold. It would twist my toes into horrible shapes until it finally went.  I was prescribed Quinine Sulphate which has  been amazing.   It got rid of the cramp immediately.

  • JB950
    JB950 heather94283

    Posted

    Your symptoms could be related to kidney disease. But also to other things. I know frequent urination as you mentioned could be a sign of diabetes but honestly I am not a doctor and it is so important you go to one to see what it is. If it is ckd and you do not go to a doctor it will get worse. Not trying to scare you but the earlier caught the better to manage it. In the meantime the first thing my husband did was change diet. Smaller portions of protein but good quality. Salmon, chicken, turkey. Make vegetables your main course. Fruit is good but not lots. But if this is a diabetic thing then not. By the way diabetes can cause ckd. Sugars chocolate candy cakes stay away from. No bad fats. Basically a Mediterranean diet which does taste wonderful. My husband had leg pain on one side which caused massive DVTs and PEs which almost killer him. This was our beginning of finding out he had ckd. He's 50 and always ate well and worked out constantly. This diseases and all it's symptoms are scary but can be managed. Educate yourself as much as you can but be careful about googling. Sometimes they tell you really bad things that don't necessarily pertain to you. Please go to doctor. I wish you the very best

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