I was 23 years old and in my final year at university when the doctors diagnosed me with End Stage Renal Failure. Totally unexpected and clueless about Kidney health I laid terrified on the hospital bed attached to a machine that doctors claimed was saving my life! Chronic Kidney Disease is a progressive loss in renal (kidney) function over a period of time. There are five stages of CKD. A simple
blood test shows your glomerular filtration rate (GFR) this basically determines the rate at which your kidney is working,
1. 90 OR ABOVE
Normal GFR with some structural abnormalities, urine findings eg, protein in the urine or genetic CKD traits
2. 60 TO 89
Mildly reduced kidney function, other findings relating to stage 1
3a. 45 to 59 / 3b. 30 to 44
Moderately reduced kidney function
4. 15-29
Severely reduced kidney function
5. less than 15 or on Dialysis
Very severe, or Endstage kidney failure (ESRF) or sometimes called established renal failure. CKD can occur at any age. 1 in every 10 has some varying degree of CKD, becoming more common with increasing age particularly in women. However a number of conditions can cause permanent damage to kidney function. The most common likely cause of CKD is;
DIABETES
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
AGEING KIDNEYS
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CKD? Most cases of CKD - 'Stages 1-3' are mild to moderate and usually bear no symptoms (depending on the underlying reasons)
Evidence of CKD tends to develop at 'stage 4' severe. Tiredness, less than usual energy, general feeling of unwell. As the progression manifests itself other symptoms are more obvious;
DIFFICULTY THINKING,
WEIGHT LOSS,
PUFFINESS AROUND EYES,
FLUID RETENTION CAUSING SWOLLEN ANKLES AND FEET,
A NEED TO PASS URINE MORE OFTEN THAN USUAL,
FEELING SICK,
PALENESS IN SKIN,
DISCOLOURATION IN EYE
End-stage renal failure 'Stage 5' symptoms are all of the above and of course left untreated will eventually become fatal. MY JOURNEY
11 years on - 1,848 dialysis sessions later. The burning need to campaign and create awareness of #chronic #kidney #disease
I've seen too many young (and old) adults have lose their fight to this silent disease. But it only remains silent if you don't actively take responsibility for checking your health and knowing your Kidney status. There are approximately 7,500 people in the UK waiting for a Kidney transplant. However the presence of black people on the Organ Donation register is almost non existence in comparison to our white counterparts. Meaning black people are waiting three times longer for a kidney transplant! More and more black people are going through the doors of the UK dialysis units. We need to make a change, We need to be aware and take preventative measures. SO, WHAT'S YOUR KIDNEY STATUS?
