I think I have kidney disease and I'm terrified.

So it took you 25 years to get kidney damage? Well when did you start taking blood pressure medication though? Did you start taking the blood pressure medication 25 years ago? or did you just recently start taking medication for your high blood pressure? And well I am 30 years old now. But what if I have had high blood pressure since I was in my early 20's? that could have caused alot of kidney damage if i have had high blood pressure for about 8 to 10 years. I just think that it's strange that i have had all of these symptoms that occur with kidney disease too. But i guess i could have a different issue like maybe diabetes or heart problems or something like that. I don't know but whatever it is probably won't be good because of the symptoms that I am having. I know it's good that I don't feel weak, sick, and tired though. But I suppose that i still could have kidney disease and maybe I can just function better than most people with kidney disease. I don't know what i would do if I get bad news though. I know i will have to find out sooner or later though so i know that it's good to get it over with as soon as I can. 

Hi Megan,

I was quite a fit guy, and was a professional pilot so had strict medicals every 6 months. My BP was always above what I thought was right, and crept up till I needed Meds to keep it acceptable.  I took these meds for 25 years before there was any sign of kidney problems.

So I would recommend that you agree with the doc on how to control your BP, I think at your age it is unlikely to have caused damage yet.  Eating well and exercising works too!

I was totally aware that stress could produce BP peaks as we had a keen aviation doc who used to wire us up for some flights, and the BP peaks could be pretty high.  But that is what the body system does and is quite normal.  However what you do not want is very high BP in resting unstressed situations.

Measure it yourself!

KenR

Megan,

I agree with what Ken and Rick have said. My BP is also ALWAYS elevated at the dentist's office. I've actually told them that they need not both to take it since they use an inferior BP monitor (i.e., the infamous cheap wrist monitor) and do so with my feet elevated, etc. not yo mention, I absolutely hate going to the dentist and so am always pretty stressed out while there.

I've gone to the extreme of taking my daily BP table (i.e., from my regular home monitoring) in to my dentist along with the BP reading I get when visiting my primary care physician as well as my nephrologist. Clearly, the readings they get in the dentist's office are the highest--and, they are considerably higher.

Anyway, I take my BP 4 times a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime. This gives me s pretty good idea what's going on with my BP throughout the day on a daily basis. I give copies of my BP readings to all my doctors.

Ken is right! For me, knowing exactly what's going on with my BP has been quite empowering. Frankly, the more I u dears tans my medical needs the better job I can do taking care of myself on a daily basis. So I would definitely suggest you get a blood pressure monitor and begin monitoring your BP on a daily basis at home. You can take that information in to your doctor's visit--even your first doctor's visit.

The pharmacist at your local pharmacy can help you select a good blood pressure monitor you can use st home; one that will be quite accurate.

Marj

Yes they usually use the cheap wrist blood pressure monitor at the dentist I go to also. But sometimes they also use the other kind of blood pressure monitor where they do it on my arm. The last time I went to the dentist they did use the arm blood pressure monitor. But yes it could have been higher because I was nervous about them putting the crown on my tooth. But when I go to the doctor and they take my blood pressure it's going to be very high there too I am sure. Because i get even more scared at the doctor than  I do at the dentist. But yes I will buy a blood pressure monitor and take it at home when I am calm and my anxiety isn't bad. Then i will bring the blood pressure readings to my first doctors appointment and tell them that this is what my blood pressure is when I take it at home while im calm. Thanks for the advice. I will buy a blood pressure monitor that i can use at home next week. 

Hi Megan

Good plan I think.  What matters is your BP on normal days doing usual things.  If I take mine in the daytime I sit and rest for a few minutes, then do a reading but dont bother to look at it then take another one and see what I get - I might even do yet another one.  The idea is to get used to the process and stop worrying about it!  But do make the doc appointment!  I think you will be fine, and if you need some BP meds then take them and see how your BP behaves.  You are in charge!  If your BP does not go where you want go back for a dose change or different meds.

Start by making the appointment,  I think of it like getting my car serviced- something is misbehaving I must get it fixed!

KenR

I think my blood pressure has been high for awhile too. I think it was alittle high in my 20's. But now it's alot higher than it was before. I will try taking my blood pressure at home when i'm calm and see if it's still high or not though. And I sure hope that my blood pressure hasn't caused kidney damage yet. I just have a feeling that it has though because of those symptoms that i have. I don't really eat a healthy diet or exercise much either. I know i need to start doing that now though. And i saw someone said on another post here that some people have stage 4 and 5 chronic kidney disease and dont' even know it yet. So that makes me worried too. I could be in stage 4 or 5 and not know it yet too. And the dark urine is not good either. Sometimes my urine is like a tea colored urine in the mornings too. I don't think tea colored urine is normal is it? So i could very well have kidney disease already. I will mention to my doctor about the urine though. 

I agree comment lately, Ken!

Marj

If you have a smart phone you could take a color of your urine first thing in the morning. Then you can both describe it and show it to the doctor.

When is your appointment?

Yes I have a smart phone so i will take a picture of it and show it to them. Also i am still trying to find a primary care doctor. I don't have that good of health insurance so most of the doctors that i have been researching online don't sound very good at all. like i have been reading reviews online of different doctors that would take my insurance. From the reviews it seems like alot of these doctors don't sound very reliable or very good. I think i might have found one that sounds alright though. So i should probably just go ahead and try going to her and see if i like her. And if i don't think that i agree with what she says i can always get a second opinion later if i need to. 

Yes that's true. If i still have problems with my blood pressure after I get the medicine then I will go back and ask them for a different medication or something. that is great advice. And i try my best not to worry. But it's easier said than done. I just worry alot especially about those symptoms that i have. 

Does your insurance company have a customer support phone number? If so you might call them to find out which primary care doctors in your area accept their insurance. Or they may have a list of those doctors on their web site.

Also, do you have any friends who are nurses or medical technicians? If so you might ask them about the primary care doctors your insurance covers. They will know who is decent.

I'm not sure the online reviews are really that helpful. I've had very good experiences with doctors who have had average reviews online as well as poor experiences with doctors with excellent patient satisfaction reviews.

If you think about it, the doctor is actually working for you. If you aren't satisfied with your treatment outcomes, your doctor's knowledge base, etc, you can bite with your feet and try a different doctor.

My first primary care physician after learning of my diabetic situation didn't do a good job with my treatment plan. I worked with Jim for 2 years to try to get it resolved. After two years with no improvement I tried a different person got primary care. I still see that person today. 6 months after I started seeing my current internist she had my medical issues under very effective medical treatment.

So, right now, the important thing is to schedule that first appointment. Get up the appointment and get the lab tests run. Then you and your doctor will be able to figure out what, if any, next steps you'll need to follow.

Marj

One more thought--I refuse to let my medical insurance inhibit my medical care. So I have done my best to learn as much as possible about my insurance. You can do this too. Make your insurance work for you🐶

Marj

Megan, I'm sure that you'll find you worry less once you get your test results back and you know exactly what is going on. Also, with a specific treatment plan, e.g., some diet modifications, exercising, taking a blood pressure medication, you'll have specificcactions you can take on s daily basis that will help your body work st it's best. For me, taking action on s daily basis also greatly reduces stress and anxiety. Hopefully you find that to be the case as well.

Marj

Hi Megan,

You should be able to have the blood tests at any doctors, but it is good to find one you trust - but you need to go and see how it works out!  You can do something about your diet and exercise yourself, but it takes a bit of willpower to change your lifestyle!

Are you quite sure you are taking enough fluids?

Whatever your results show, you need to know, as you have to preserve everything you have.  If that means meds - Fine, BP control - quite easy- do nothing, possibly bad!  Go for it!

Yes you are right. I should just pick any doctor that I can get an appointment with as soon as possible. And well no i don't think that I am drinking enough water. So i don't know if my urine is really dark because I am not drinking enough water, or if it's because of something else. I guess i can try drinking 7 or 8 glasses of water in one day and see if that helps to get my urine a normal color. And i know you or someone else on this post said that drinking more water isn't a cure. But i will just try it to see if that makes a difference. And yes you are right that i need to go to the doctor as soon as i can because if i do have kidney disease then I can start preserving what I have left of my kidney function. I guess I am just scared about seeing my blood and urine test results. And if I do have kidney disease then I would just feel like it's my fault because I don't really take good care of myself. Like i don't exercise much and I don't eat very healthy most of the time. I know i should go though because I don't want to get so bad that I would have to be in a hospital or something. 

Yes my health insurance company has a customer service number. I can also look on their website to find a list of doctors who take my health insurance.  I don't have any friends who are nurses or doctors or anything. So i wouldn't be able to ask them. I guess i could always ask them what doctors they go to though. I will just try to find one on my own though. And if I don't like the doctor I go to then maybe I could ask my parents for help to find a different doctor later on. 

Well if my blood tests and urine tests come back with bad results then I will actually worry more than I am now. I don't deal with bad news very well. So if It turns out that I do end up having kidney disease then I just would get very upset and depressed. But I already do think that I have it now anyways. So if the doctor does say that I have it then at least it won't be a huge shock for me since I'm already expecting it. But even though I'm expecting it I will still be extremely upset. 

Hi Megan,

that is not the way to look at your situation.  You do not know if you have CKD.  Until you know, you are risking having a problem  but not treating it and so could be worsening the outcome.  In other words you are endangering yourself. 

Take charge of your own future.  Check if you have high BP and have it treated if necessary as it can affect your kidneys. Get the kidney blood tests and see what is going on.  Take any treatment that this indicates.  Make positive steps and you will reduce your worries!

You are still not saying that you have made an appointment with a practitioner.  If you had a busted leg you would not stay home as it was painful, you would have it fixed immediately!

You can do it! Docs are just people and their job is to help.

KenR

Yes that's true. i guess it's possible that I don't have kidney disease like I am suspecting. I could just be very dehydrated because i don't drink much water. I usually only drink 1 or 2 glasses of water per day. And some days I only drink like maybe less than one glass of water per day. I drink mostly lemonade, sodas like dr. pepper or coca cola, and lemonade. So i guess it's possible that my only problem is that I'm very dehydrated. It is good that i don't feel sick or tired or anything. Unless i'm just one of those people who does have kidney disease and just doesn't have any major symptoms yet. But yes I know it's imporatant for me to go to the doctor because if I do have a problem then I can get help before it gets worse. Oh and actually i did call a doctor today to make an appointment. But they told me that they didn't have any appointments for 1 month. I told them about my high blood pressure. but they just said that they would call me back if they have any cancellations soon. I will try to find someone else though and i wont' wait for them to call me back. Or i will call some of those walk in clinics to see if they would take my health insurance. Hopefully one of those walk in clinics can take blood and do a urine test too. But yes I am really going to go to the doctor even though I am scared. I know i have to find out sooner or later if anything is wrong though. So i might as well get it over with soon.

When I moved to my current home for a new job I called several primary care physicians' offices. I booked an appointment with the one that could work me in the soonest. I knew I could shift yo another doctor if necessary at a later date. But I needed to keep my labs current due to my diabetic condition.

I'm glad you've called one doctor's office. Keep calling offices with the hope that someone can see you sooner than a month. But o hope you did make an appointment with the office you called today--that may be the earliest you can get an appointment.

Marj

Hi Megan,

You are on the right track in trying to get an appointment!  You could indeed have the tests done at a walk in clinic, then you would have some facts to discuss with the doctor and with people on the forum- usually someone will have had similar experience- but do not believe everyone!

I notice your drinking habits!  They are terrible - sweet soda is full of sugar- 16 spoonfuls per bottle in some of them, and you do not fix this by going sugar free, as the sweetners still have an effect.  Sugary drinks are recognised as a driver towards diabetes, and here in UK the manufacturers have had heavy tax added to sugary soda.  Plain water is best, but carbonated water if ok too.  Make the change!  Here I would say drink more tea-without sugar!

KenR

Oh yes i am going to look online for a walk in clinic that will take my insurance. And yes I agree that my drinking habits are pretty bad. I will try not to drink sodas anymore. Sometimes i do drink tea with sugar in it. But i will try having tea without any sugar. Also today I started drinking more water. I drank about 7 glasses of water today. That might be a little bit too much though. I might not need to drink that much every day. It looks like my urine is not as dark as it was before. So maybe I am just really dehydrated since i never drank much water in the past. I have a question though. Can people who have kidney disease make their urine a lighter color by drinking more water? Or does drinking water only make peoples urine lighter if they don't have kidney disease? Just curious about that. Because when you said i could be dehydrated the other day you might have been right since now my urine is a more normal color. I will still go to the doctor though because even if I don't have kidney disease i could still have another issue. 

I didn't think to make an appointment with them since they said it would be 1 month but i will call again tomorrow and ask for an appointment. And also i will try calling a few other doctors offices and see if they can get me in sooner. If someone else can get me in sooner then i could call back the other doctors office and cancel the other appointment that i am going to make. 

If you drink more water your urine will change to a very pale yellow--this happens with me too even though I have Dtage IV CKD. So the color of your urine is not necessarily an indicator of CKD or lack thereof.

But glad to hear that you are drinking more water now!

Marj

Hi Megan,

that's the idea.  You will feel much better about yourself when you are in control.  You will not be the first person to have tried 'burying your head in the sand', but it does not make problems go away.  But you can fix them.  The doc is just like the mechanic who fixes your car!  Find one who can do the job soon and preferably is recommended by other people! Go for it!

KenR

Hi Megan,

Whether or not you have CKD drinking sufficiently is the right thing to do.  You know that you are taking enough if the colour is light.

KenR

Do a google search on "urine color" and you will find literally hundreds of websites that show charts of what different color urine indicates and how it reflects hydration and if very bad any disease such as blood in the urine.  You can have the clearest urine color there is and still have CKD.  However my doctors push me to drink lots.  It helps the kidneys to flush out toxins.  The water does not actually help the kidney, it helps your body.  A kidney in good health or in bad health has a maximum amount of  blood that it processes per day.  With 2 healthy kidneys it processes enough to keep your body in balance with proper sodium and toxin levels.  Now if you lose a kidney or have weakened ability, you can not process so much and the balance is not easy to maintain.  Water helps to maintain a more proper balance.  Think of it this way.  Take a glass of water and put a tablespoon of salt in it.  Now take another glass and put twice the amount of water, but still just one tablespoon of salt in it.  See how much clearer the glass with more water in it is.  This is what happens to your body, and why you are urged to drink.  They push me to drink at least 70 ounces of water a day...BUT..to balance it throughout the day.  do not consume more than 20 ounces within 90 minute period. 

yes i did look on google about urine colors since i am having this tea colored urine every morning I have noticed. And it said if it's brown or tea colored that could mean that a person either has a liver disease or kidney disease. And it also said someone could have brown or tea colored urine if they are very dehydrated. ya it's strange though because my urine is only tea colored in the morning when I wake up. Then it gets to be a normal color after i start drinking water during the day. But i'm guessing that it starts becoming a more normal color because I am drinking the water. That's one reason why i am pretty sure that i have kidney disease though because of the tea colored urine in the morning.  I will mention my dark urine to the doctor though and i will tell them that they need to do a urine test for me. 

Oh yes that's true. I will keep drinking more water every day and i will try to stop drinking all the soda and lemonade. But ya it's weird because even though i am drinking more water now I still get this tea colored urine in the morning. Then the urine becomes a lighter yellow color after i start drinking water throughout the day. So i am betting i still have kidney disease though because of my urine being tea colored in the morning. I think its supposed to be dark yellow in the morning. But even if i don't have kidney disease then i will still start being more healthier and drinking more water and eating healthy. 

Yes that's so true. I know i need to find out what is going on with me even though i'm scared. But i know i need to find out sooner or later. And it's better to find out sooner so I can start doing something about it. Even though it would be upsetting if i did have kidney disease. Because i was reading online that there is no cure for kidney disease. there is only treatment. Unless people get a kidney transplant or something. that must be the only cure that there is now. But yes i know i need to face my fears and find out. Also if it turns out that i do have kidney disease will the doctor refer me to a specialist or what? 

Oh yes my urine did turn to a pale yellow when i drank 7 glasses of water per day. But then this morning my urine went back to being a tea colored urine again. Sorry to ask this but is your urine ever tea colored? or no? just curious. But ya i did read online that tea colored urine can mean that a person has a liver disease or kidney disease. So i guess i most likely do have kidney disease then. Because i doubt that i would have a liver disease. I will mention the tea colored urine in the morning to my doctor though. And is stage IV mean stage 5 kidney disease? or is yours stage 4? sorry i'm bad with those roman numeral numbers lol.

You said: " Thats one reason im pretty sure that I have have kidney disease "

What makes you soo diferent from everyone else with kidney disease Megan??

How come you have kidney disease symptoms but those WITH kidney disease dont have the same symptoms as you?

Have you no sense at all??

I am begining to think you are trolling this web site.

Cant wait for your Drs appt I am actually looking more forward to yours than my own!

Please keep us informed.

Megan, my urine is never tea colored. If oil don't drink enough water it will be a darker yellow, but it's never tea colored.

And yes, I'm in Stage 4 CKD right now. Did you call the primary care doctors office back to set the appointment in a month? Also, have you found a walk-in clinic in your area that you can visit?

I'm hoping to hear that you have the appointment as well as have found a walk-in clinic in your area. Then I hope to hear you have already been to the walk-in clinic or will be going within the next few days.

Marj

Oh i see. i guess it must be different for different people then. Like maybe some people with kidney disease have tea colored urine and others don't. But i did read online that people who have tea colored urine either have kidney disease, cancer, liver disease, or they are really dehydrated. I should not be dehydrated anymore though since i have been drinking a lot of water. So i guess it's probably not going to be good for me when i go to the doctor. Cause i probably either have kidney disease or cancer. I bet I am already in stage 4 of kidney disease. Because i was reading online that most people don't get symtoms until they are in stage 4 or 5. Even though I am not tired at all and i don't feel sick or anything. But i read that some people don't get tired and don't feel sick until they get to stage 5. So i guess i could be one of those people who doesn't get severe symptoms yet. 

But yes i did call that doctor back and ask them for the appointment. So at least i do have an appointment for sure now. Also, I am looking online tonight to see if there is a walk in clinic around where I live that would take my insurance. And sorry that i talk on here alot. I guess i must be annoying since i didn't even get diagnosed with it yet. I guess i'm just scared and needed someone to talk to. well i know i could talk to my parents but i wouldn't want to worry them now. I don't even know how i am going to tell them if i do end up having kidney disease. because i bet they are going to be really upset. But i guess i should try not to worry about it now though.

I didn't say that i am different from everyone else with kidney disease. And i never said that people don't have the same symptoms as me either. I just said that I really think I do have kidney disease because I have alot of the symptoms. So i don't understand why you think that I was saying that other people don't have the same symptoms as me because I wasn't saying that at all. And I can't believe that you would think that i am trolling this website or making fun of people with kidney disease. My grandfather had kidney disease and he died from it. So i would not joke around about it or troll. I just found this website when i was researching kidney disease and i came here because I am scared and wanted someone to talk to.

So no i am not joking around or trolling. And yes I know there is a chance that i might not be right about myself having kidney disease. I don't know what else it could be though. Well i guess maybe cancer. But i was reading online that the tea colored urine, muscle twitches, bruising easily, increased skin pigmentation, occasional diarrhea are some of the symptoms of kidney disease. And yes I know that just because i have all of those symptoms doesn't necessarily mean that i have kidney disease. But it sure seems like a high chance to me though. I just thought I could come here and talk about my worries but i guess not.  I guess i should find somewhere else to talk about it then. And sure I guess i can post here again after I go to the doctor and let you all know if i do have kidney disease or not. But if i do end up having it then i hope you all will believe me. Or am I going to have to show proof of it for you to believe me?

And why do you think that I am trolling anyways? Just wondering. Is it because I posted here before I even got diagnosed? Well did you ever think that maybe I just wanted someone to talk to? I didn't want to tell my parents that i think i have it yet either. I wouldn't want to worry them. I know i would have to tell them eventually if I do have it. But for now i don't want to say anything. I mean yes i guess i could have talked to my friends about my worries instead of people i don't know. But anyways it just upsets me that you think i am joking when I am just very scared about what will happen when I go to the doctor.  And maybe most people on this forum haven't made a post like this before they got diagnosed. But you should realize that even though some people might not have made a post like this before they got diagnosed doesn't mean that other people haven't done it. And it doesn't mean that I am joking around or trolling just because I make a post on a forum before I go to my doctors appointment.. 

I'm glad you've got an appointment. Hopefully you'll find a walk-in clinic in your area so you can get the blood work done as soon as possible. You can then take the results to the doctor in three weeks. Plus, you may well learn from your lab results that your kidneys are fine. It would be good to know that sooner rather than later.

Have you started checking your blood pressure at home yet? If not, you need to start that as soon as possible too.

If you have hypertension I have no doubt your doctor will require that you make some lifestyle changes--dietary. You'll likely have to start following a low salt, low fat, low cholesterol diet. That means you'll have to start cooking. But it will help your cardiovascular system and your kidneys so it will be important for you to make those changes.

Basically, if the doctor finds anything like heart disease or CKD or liver disease, you're going to have to make some changes in your eating habits as s part of your treatment plan. If you do the things your doctor tells you, you will feel better and live better.

Most of the people participating in this forum have pretty serious problems with CKD. We have each had to make many major changes in our diets. Some have had to learn to cook from scratch; other were already cooking from scratch so just had to modify their diets. Most have to carefully monitor fluid intake too. Most drink water only. And most take various medications and vitamin supplements. Many, like myself, also have severe anemia. We calculate how much sodium, fat, cholesterol, potassium, and phosphorus we eat every day. Many also monitor protein intake daily. So this is lots to balance; it's complicated.

Because we have to do thinks exactly right each day to try to feel and function reasonably well, we find it difficult to understand why anyone who suspects a problem would not schedule a doctors appointment to get the problem checked out immediately.

Some are on dialysis right now. Others have chosen not to go on dialysis and so will pass away in the somewhat near future. Others are waiting and hoping for a transplant. But they are not sure a transplant kidney will arrive in time. Some have young children and do worry that they will not be alive to provide for their young children as they grow up.

So, perhaps you can understand their perspectives regarding your situation. Compared to what most posting in this forum deal with on a daily basis, it does seem fairly simple and quite doable for you. After all, you just need to schedule the doctors appointment, get the labs run, go back to go over the results, and then do what your doctor tells you. Most of us wish our situations were that simple.

I am glad that you have an appointment. I sincerely hope that you do not have CKD. But until you get lab results back, it is not productive to guess about what may or may not be going on with your kidneys.

Marj

How funny you have all the symptoms of Liver disease.

Bruising, skin colour changes, tea coloured urine!

Jane, I agree. The symptoms Megan describes are much more likely associated with liver disease--either nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or that related to alcohol abuse. I would not be surprised to learn that her doctor runs tests to check her liver as a part of her medical work up.

Marj

I thought people mostly get liver disease from drinking too much alcohol? I don't drink hardly ever. But I guess its possible for people who don't drink to get liver disease. Also see this website called National Kidney Center? http://www.nationalkidneycenter.org/chronic-kidney-disease/stages/stage-5/ Here is the one i was looking at. All of my symptoms that i listed on here are symptoms of kidney disease. I have easy bruising, muscle twitching, skin color changes, diarrhea, and i also have the poor digestion symptom too because sometimes i get indigestion. I also forgot to mention that i have changes in my menstrual cycle too. And i already mentioned about my high blood pressure.  I also seem to have easy bleeding now too because i got a nose bleed about 1 week ago. Then i also had a nose bleed 3 times back in January when I had a cold and i was sneezing a lot. I also was reading some posts on here and you all were saying it takes you along time to get over a cold or the flu. I am having that same problem now as well. I had a cold for 3 weeks in January and then i had the flu for about 5 days. I also forgot to put on my post that last year my feet and ankles got swollen about 3 times. like the swelling would happen for one day and then it would go away by itself.  Then the swelling would come back randomly again a week later. It hasn't happened again since last year though. I didn't think anything of it last year. But now when i read about kidney disease I notice that swelling is a symptom too. Those symptoms are all on that list on that website. According to that site I could be in stage 5 kidney failure. But yes i know that website isn't always right. Because i'm sure people who are in stage 3 or 4 can get those symptoms as well. But i did read online that some of the symptoms i have can happen in people who have diabetes and heart problems. So i know it's possible that i could have diabetes or heart problems instead or maybe I have both of those things. So yes i know it could be something else

I guess my post didn't show up. what i said is I thought that liver disease usually happens to people who drink alot of alcohol? I don't think hardly ever. But i guess it's possible that I could have it. The reason why I think i have kidney disease is because I was looking on the website called National Kidney Center. Under the symptoms for stage 5 it says people with Chronic Kidney disease have easy bleeding and bruising, muscle twitching, diarrhea, skin color changes, high blood pressure.And they said on that website that urine color changes can happen too. I have all of those. Also i saw it said menstrual cycle changes. I forgot to mention i have that problem as well. Then it says poor digestion too is another symptom. I think i have poor digestion because I get indigestion sometimes. I also did have feet and ankle swelling 3 times last year which is another symptom of kidney disease. I don't think i mentioned that in my first post. I didn't think anything of it last year because like my feet would swell for one day and then go back to normal the next day. But then a week later they would swell up again. I haven't had the feet and ankle swelling again since then though. I have had some nose bleeds 4 times this year though so that would go with easy bleeding. I was also reading some members posts on here and they said it takes them a lot longer to get better if they get the cold or the flu. I also started having that problem this year. I had a cold for 3 weeks and the flu for 5 days. So i was sick for about 1 month in January. That isn't normal for me either because I don't usually stay sick for that long. So that's why i think i have kidney disease because of that website. According to that website I'm in stage 5 already. But yes i know that sometimes people could probably get those symptoms that i have in stage 3 or 4. i know that the website isn't always correct about what stage everyone is in. But i did notice that some of the symptoms i have can occur with people who have diabetes or heart problems. So i may have either diabetes or heart problems instead. I just was looking on those websites about kidney disease and that one website i mentioned here has all of my symptoms on it. I really do hope that I'm wrong about having kidney disease. I pray all the time now and pray that i'm wrong. I really do want you all to be right when you say that you think i could have a different problem. 

yes i have read some of the other posts in this forum and I noticed that a lot of people were saying that they are tired most of the time and they just feel sick and weak. I'm not sure why I don't feel like that at all. But I did read online that some people don't start feeling sick or weak or tired until they are in stage 5. So i guess it's possible that I could have kidney disease and maybe i'm in stage 3 or 4. I could be one of the rare ones that don't have bad symptoms yet. But yes i know i shouldn't just guess since i don't know for sure yet. And it could be that i have something else like maybe heart disease or diabetes. because i did notice that a few of my symptoms occur in some people who have heart problems or diabetes. But yes if i did have diabetes then that could be why I am having the muscle twitches and diarrhea. I also seem to have indigestion sometimes too. The reason why I think i do have kidney disease is because I was looking online on the National Kidney Center website. It says some of the symptoms for stage 5 kidney disease are easy bleeding and bruising, muscle twitching, diarrhea, skin color changes, high blood pressure.And they said on that website that urine color changes can happen too. I have all of those. A few other things i didn't mention is that i have menstrual cycle changes and also i had 4 nose bleeds this year. I also remember last year my feet were swollen 3 times. They would swell up for one day and then the swelling would go away the next day. It has not happened again since last year though. But i noticed swelling is a symptom of kidney disease too. So i just am noticing some of those symptoms that are on that website that i was looking at.  But yes i know some of those symptoms can occur in diabetes or other issues too. Alot of people in my family do have diabetes too so i guess its possible that i just have that. But yes i know that no matter what i have it will be a good idea for me to go on a diet. That is great advice.  I am pretty sure I do have hypertension for sure though and who knows maybe something else as well. Thank you so much for saying that you hope that i don't have kidney disease. That's really nice of you. I really pray that i don't have it too. I really do hope that you all are right when you say that you think that i might not have it. Because if I do have it then I just will be extremely depressed. I will let you all know what the doctor says though if you all are curious. 

I don't drink alcohol hardly at all. I only do like once a year. But I guess i could have some other kind of liver disease. I don't think muscle twitches occur in liver disease though and that is one of the main symptoms i have. But yes i did read that tea colored urine can be from either kidney disease, liver disease or cancer. 

oh and i forgot to mention that no i didn't start checking my blood pressure at home. I wanted to ask the doctor what a good blood pressure monitor to buy would be. because i want to know which one would be the most accurate.