I think I have kidney disease and I'm terrified.
Posted , 17 users are following.
Hi I am new here. I think I might have kidney disease. I didn't get diagnosed with it yet though. I am going to first go to my primary care doctor and get them to take a urine sample and blood tests and other tests if they need to. Some of the symptoms i have are dark colored urine. It looks like amber colored most of the time. And i have noticed small bubbles in my urine once so far. I go to the bathroom like 6 or 7 times per day which i believe is normal. Then i also have like some skin on my foot that turned brown. And then a little of it turned yellow too. I think its called increased skin pigmentation. I also just started getting these muscle twitches. Then sometimes i get diarrhea but not every day. Just like probably once or twice a week. I dont vomit at all and i dont' ever feel nauseous. I also started to notice that I bruise more easily. I am not tired at all as long as I get enough sleep. I ususally sleep for 8 hours and 30 minutes to 9 hours, which is normal I think. I don't feel weak and I still have enough energy to do the things that I need to do every day. Sometimes I get headaches but not every week. Maybe like once every other week and some weeks i don't get headaches at all. So i am very worried and scared about going to the doctor. Because I am afraid they are going to tell me that they think I have kidney disease. Do you all have any of those symptoms? If so what stage of kidney disease did you get those symptoms at? I am just so scared that I could be at stage 4 or 5 already and not even know it. I just found out I have high blood pressure too, but I didn't know i had it so it has never been treated before. I am going to get blood pressure medicine at the doctor too. I will just be really depressed if I really do have kidney disease in addition to high blood pressure.
0 likes, 172 replies
KenR Megan3031
Posted
I think you may be getting ahead of yourself by doing your own diagnosis and lumping every possible symptom together. When I had developing kidney disease there were absolutely no symptoms. High blood pressure is well worth treating as that can harm your kidneys. Amber urine possibly is because you do not drink sufficiently. Discolouration of skin on your feet sounds more like a fungus infection. The right thing to do is to have your GP take appropriate samples for testing. As you sound as if you are generally fit, hopefully you will find that you can deal with the symptoms that you have reasonably easily.
Good luck and I hope you will find that it is nothing too worrying!
KenR
Megan3031 KenR
Posted
Yes that's true. I know i should not diagnose myself just because of the websites that i was reading online about kidney disease. I'm not sure how long i have had high blood pressure though. I just found out last week that i had really high blood pressure because the dentist was going to put a crown on my tooth, but he said he couldn't do it because my blood pressure was too high. So he was telling me to go to the doctor and get my blood pressure checked out. So who knows i could have had high blood pressure for 10 years and not have known it because I don't go to the doctor that much. If i have had it for along time then that isn't a good thing. It could have damaged my kidneys a lot. But i know i just need to try to not worry until I go to the doctor and get my test results. Thanks for your advice.
Megan3031
Posted
Also see these are the websites that i found the information about some of the symptoms i am having. this one says that changes in skin color and increased skin pigmentation are in stage 5 of chronic kidney disease. https://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/overview/stages-of-kidney-disease/stage-5-of-chronic-kidney-disease/e/4753
http://www.nationalkidneycenter.org/chronic-kidney-disease/stages/stage-5/
Then this website says that skin color changes and diarrhea and muscle twitches are in stage 5 as well. Are these websites accurate? That's why I am worried that i might be in stage 5 already because i have those symptoms that are in stage 5. Do most people have alot of those symptoms in stage 5 that they are talking about on these websites? Or does it just depend on the person? like do some people have those symptoms in stage 3 or 4 sometimes too?
Guest Megan3031
Posted
I agree with Ken. Sounds like you could be dehydrated.
I dont have any symptoms and Im 52yrs CKD 3b.
Good luck and try not to worry too much x
Megan3031 Guest
Posted
KenR Megan3031
Posted
You can see that there is lots of advice and support on the forum! We have mostly got the practical experience of dealing ith kidney problems, but first of all you have to establish if there really is a problem and that is why going to the doc for tests is the right approach.But dont wait for the water to work just go and have the tests now, water is not a cure! I feel pretty sure that they will suggest medication to control your blood pressure. I found that I had to argue a bit when I got symptoms that troubled me. It is quite possible to get meds that work on BP with no odd symptoms so that should be your aim - argue for a change if you need to!
I feel fairly sure that you will find the way through all this- might need a diet change, lots of exercise, good weight control and maybe some BP meds. At 30 you can do anything!!
Megan3031 KenR
Posted
Yes this forum really does seem like such a great place and very supportive. And yes I will go to the doctor soon even though I am scared to go because I am worried about what they will say. But i know it's important to go. Because if I do have kidney disease then maybe I would be able to at least avoid dialysis as long as possible if I get the blood pressure and whatever other issues i have under control now. I guess i was just worried that i have kidney disease because my grandfather had it and he died from it. So it runs in the family. And all these symptoms that i mentioned that all came up at the same time just is strange. And like today i noticed my urine was darker than it usually is. It was not dark brown or anything. But it looked almost tea colored. I don't feel sick or tired or have headaches at all though. Do alot of people with kidney disease feel sick, tired, and have headaches often? or does it just depend on the person? I will go to the doctor and talk to them about the symptoms that i am having though. And thanks for your help.
jenny93409 Megan3031
Posted
I agree with the above comments. I would go to your doctor and get the appropriate tests, the worst thing you can do is self diagnose yourself. I am a 20 year old woman and I found out last year that I had CKD Stage 3 which no symptoms apart from protein in my urine which I’m on medication to help decrease that. But the main thing is that being diagnosed with kidney disease is nothing to be ashamed of, but you do have to start looking after your body and drink more fluids. Not enough people understand the importance of drinking enough as your kidneys work very hard and without enough fluids you are damaging your body.
I hope all these comments have helped you.
Jenny
Megan3031 jenny93409
Posted
Yes i will go to the doctor soon and ask them to do a blood test and a urine test. And i know i should not diagnose myself since I'm not a doctor. I was just reading online about kidney disease and i have alot of those symptoms. But i know those symptoms can be for other problems too.I just would be upset if I did end up having kidney disease because I was reading that if its in stage 5 then I would have to be on dialysis. And i am like terrified of doctors and needles. So i don't think i would do well with that. I know i should not worry about that though unless my doctor did end up saying that i have kidney disease. Thanks so much and yes the comments have helped me.
pa34735 jenny93409
Posted
What medications are you on? Do you know why you are leaking proteins?
jenny93409 Megan3031
Posted
Look, it’s never easy to stop worrying when you know something is wrong. But let me tell you now, if you were Stage 5, you would seriously know about it and I mean that. You wouldn’t be walking around happily, you’d have filtration rate (GFR) of 15 ml/min or less plus it wouldn’t necessarily mean you’d be put on dialiysis as there’s kidney transplants you can have.
I’ve had this talk with my doctor, because this is my potential future as well depending on certain life choices I make, I may not be able to have children due to this condition and I may die younger. But at the end of the day you’re still alive now. I too have a phobia of needles but you’ve just got to man up as it’s saving your life
Thanks,
Jenny
jenny93409 pa34735
Posted
Well I’m on medication called Ramipril, and it basically helps my kidney filter out the bad stuff which is was failing to do hence why my kidney was leaking protein. I only have one kidney that works and that is failing, I am diagnosed with Stage 3 CKD and this medication is the only thing that’s maintaining my kidneys functioning. I found out just from a regular check up that I had CKD and that was a massive shock at the age of 19.
Megan3031 jenny93409
Posted
Yes that's true. I'm sure i would feel sick and tired if I was in stage 5. And I feel fine now. Well i guess i could be in stage 4 though. Because I would bet that some people in stage 4 could still feel fine. Either that or maybe in stage 3. Unless i have some other type of problem like the beginning stages of heart problems or some other disease. I am scared to find out though but i know i need to go to the doctor as soon as I can.
Guest Megan3031
Posted
People who feel low often try and find a medical cause/name for how they feel. And ignore the fact they are just run down.
Take time out for yourself and get on with life or you will end up manefesting a health problem through this anxiety state.
Megan3031 Guest
Posted
Well I hope you don't think that i was making this post for attention or anything. Because I wasn't. I honestly do think that I do have chronic kidney disease. Or if it's not that then maybe I have some other sort of health problems. Because those symptoms i have are just not normal in my opinion. But anyways I will post here again after I go to the doctor and let you all know if I do have chronic kidney disease or if it's something else. I sure do hope that I am wrong about it. But i just have a feeling that i will be correct.