Kidney Disease Stages

The stages of kidney disease is one of the simplest ways to figure out how far the disease has gone. It is also a way wherein doctors can assess their patients and set up some guidelines, including dietary, lifestyle and medicine based to stop the progression.

There are two very important things you want to understand about kidney disease and its stages. One, kidney disease is often silent and you don't experience any symptoms until it has progressed a bit. For this reason it is important to have your annual checkups done specially if you have a family history of kidney issues.

The second important thing you need to be aware of is kidney disease is irreversible. It doesn't go away once it's there. But the one thing you want to do is keep it from progressing any further. Read more...

Anemia!

A couple of hours after I got back from my first dialysis session, a nurse entered the room and with a plastic bag filled with what seemed to be blood. She hooked it up to tall metal stand and proceeded to connect the plastic line from the end of the bag onto a small catheter that was inserted earlier on the top of my hand.

The nurse said that they were giving me a blood transfusion because I had low blood counts. I later learned that my hemoglobin levels, which is an indicator of how much blood was circulating in your body, was below 5.5. Normally it should be above 13.

Blood transfusions are the fastest way to increase your red blood cell count. Well, I'd have to qualify that a bit. By infusing blood into your body, a red blood cell transfusion quickly increments the the red blood cells that are circulating within the body. The result is instant and the RBC count, hemoglobin and hermatocrit levels go up.

The process itself takes a long time. This is because the transfusion is done via an I.V. drip. It generally takes about three to four hours to complete one bag, depending on how fast the drip is set. In most cases more than one bag will be ordered. I was given three.

Because the procedure began late in the afternoon, the transfusion went on throughout the night, and finished at around close to dawn the next morning. Between those times, the nurse would inspect the line at half hour intervals to see if everything was going well. And every three to four hours or so, she'd bring in a new pack filled with blood to replace the one which had been used up.

The good thing however, it isn't too bothersome, aside from tugging a line connected to a pole with wheels. I just dragged the pole where ever I wanted to go.
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10 Symptoms of Kidney Disease

While surfing the net, I came across this very useful article from lifeoptions.org explaining 10 symptoms of kidney disease.

"Many people who have chronic kidney disease don't know it, because the early signs can be very subtle. It can take many years to go from chronic kidney disease to kidney failure. Some people with live out their lives without ever reaching kidney failure.

However, for people at any stage of kidney disease, knowledge is power. Knowing the symptoms of kidney disease can help you get the treatment you need to feel your best. If you or someone you know has one or more of the following symptoms of kidney disease, or you are worried about kidney problems, see a doctor for blood and urine tests. Remember, many of the symptoms can be due to reasons other than kidney disease. The only way to know the cause of your symptoms is to see your doctor.

Symptom 1: Changes in Urination

Kidneys make urine, so when the kidneys are failing, the urine may change. How?

- You may have to get up at night to urinate.
- Urine may be foamy or bubbly. You may urinate more often, or in greater amounts than usual, with pale urine.
- You may urinate less often, or in smaller amounts than usual with dark colored urine.
- Your urine may contain blood.
- You may feel pressure or have difficulty urinating.

What patients said:

"When you go to use the restroom, you couldn't get it all out. And it would still feel just like tightness down there, there was so much pressure."

"My urine is what I had started noticing. Then I was frequently going to the bathroom, and when I got there, nothing's happening. You think, 'Hey, I've got to go to the john,' and you get there: two, three drops."

"I was passing blood in my urine. It was so dark it looked like grape Kool-Aid. And when I went to the hospital they thought I was lying about what color it was."

Symptom 2: Swelling

Failing kidneys don't remove extra fluid, which builds up in your body causing swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, face, and/or hands.

What patients said:

"I remember a lot of swelling in my ankles. My ankles were so big I couldn't get my shoes on."

"My sister, her hair started to fall out, she was losing weight, but her face was really puffy, you know, and everything like that, before she found out what was going on with her."

"Going to work one morning, my left ankle was swollen, real swollen, and I was very exhausted just walking to the bus stop. And I knew then that I had to see a doctor."

Symptom 3: Fatigue

Healthy kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin (a-rith'-ro-po'-uh-tin) that tells your body to make oxygen-carrying red blood cells. As the kidneys fail, they make less erythropoietin. With fewer red blood cells to carry oxygen, your muscles and brain become tired very quickly. This condition is called anemia, and it can be treated.

What patients said:

"I was constantly exhausted and didn't have any pep or anything."

"I would sleep a lot. I'd come home from work and get right in that bed."

"It's just like when you're extremely tired all the time. Fatigued, and you're just drained, even if you didn't do anything, just totally drained."

Symptom 4: Skin Rash/Itching

Kidneys remove wastes from the bloodstream. When the kidneys fail, the buildup of wastes in your blood can cause severe itching.

What patients said:

"It's not really a skin itch or anything, it's just right down to the bone. I had to get a brush and dig. My back was just bloody from scratching it so much."

"My skin had broke out, I was itching and scratching a lot."

Symptom 5: Metallic Taste in Mouth/Ammonia Breath

A buildup of wastes in the blood (called uremia) can make food taste different and cause bad breath. You may also notice that you stop liking to eat meat, or that you are losing weight because you just don't feel like eating.

What patients said:

"Foul taste in your mouth. Almost like you're drinking iron."

"You don't have the appetite you used to have."

"Before I started dialysis, I must have lost around about 10 pounds."

Symptom 6: Nausea and Vomiting

A severe buildup of wastes in the blood (uremia) can also cause nausea and vomiting. Loss of appetite can lead to weight loss.

What patients said:

"I had a lot of itching, and I was nauseated, throwing up all the time. I couldn't keep anything down in my stomach."

"When I got the nausea, I couldn't eat and I had a hard time taking my blood pressure pills."

Symptom 7: Shortness of Breath

Trouble catching your breath can be related to the kidneys in two ways. First, extra fluid in the body can build up in the lungs. And second, anemia (a shortage of oxygen-carrying red blood cells) can leave your body oxygen-starved and short of breath.

What patients said:

"At the times when I get the shortness of breath, it's alarming to me. It just fears me. I think maybe I might fall or something so I usually go sit down for awhile."

"I couldn't sleep at night. I couldn't catch my breath, like I was drowning or something. And, the bloating, can't breathe, can't walk anywhere. It was bad."

"You go up a set of stairs and you're out of breath, or you do work and you get tired and you have to stop."

Symptom 8: Feeling Cold

Anemia can make you feel cold all the time, even in a warm room.

What patients said:

"I notice sometimes I get really cold, I get chills."

"Sometimes I get really, really cold. It could be hot, and I'd be cold."

Symptom 9: Dizziness and Trouble Concentrating

Anemia related to kidney failure means that your brain is not getting enough oxygen. This can lead to memory problems, trouble with concentration, and dizziness.

What patients said:

"I know I mentioned to my wife that my memory—I couldn't remember what I did last week, or maybe what I had 2 days ago. I couldn't really concentrate, because I like to work crossword puzzles and read a lot."

"I was always tired and dizzy."
"It got to the point, like, I used to be at work, and all of the sudden I'd start getting dizzy. So I was thinking maybe it was my blood pressure or else diabetes was going bad. That's what was on my mind."

Symptom 10: Leg/Flank Pain

Some people with kidney problems may have pain in the back or side related to the affected kidney. Polycystic kidney disease, which causes large, fluid-filled cysts on the kidneys and sometimes the liver, can cause pain.

What patients said:

"About 2 years ago, I was constantly going to the bathroom all the time, the lower part of my back was always hurting and I was wondering why...and they diagnosed that kidney problem."

"And then you're having to get up all time through the night, and then you have the side ache, a backache, and you can't move."

"At night, I would get a pain in my side. It was worse than labor pain. And I'd be crying and my husband would get up, everybody, rubbing my legs."

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is produced by several small, bean-like parathyroid glands in your neck. Its "job" is to tell your bones to release calcium into your bloodstream. Too much PTH can become a problem in people with kidney disease.

Healthy kidneys convert a hormone called calcitriol to its active form of vitamin D. Calcitriol lets your body absorb calcium from food you eat. When your kidneys are not working well, they start to make less calcitriol-so even if you eat calcium, your body can't absorb it. PTH kicks in to make sure you always have enough calcium in your blood. Over time, this can weaken your bones.

A blood test can show if your PTH levels are above normal. If they are, your doctor may prescribe a form of active vitamin D."

These are definitely important symptoms to watch out.
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