I have had Type 1 Diabetes for 46 years and have recently been diagnosed with Stage III Chronic Kidney Failure (CKF). Other than the usual high and low BG's over these many years that all Diabetics who take Insulin experience, I've had very few other complications and no major ones until this surprising development. Problem is, I don't believe it. I may be deluding myself, but I just don't feel like there's anything wrong with me (other than Type 1 Diabetes, that is). I have no symptoms that would lead me to believe that my Kidney function is not up to par.
I found out about the problem by accident really. I went to see a doctor about something completely unrelated and after being passed around from one doctor to another, ended up with a Nephrologist after my labs showed irregular numbers surrounding my Kidney function. But that lab work, too, was suspect, considering that I was very dehydrated at the time the blood was drawn.
At any rate, I have to do follow up blood and urine tests next week and wonder if there's anyone out there who has had complications related to their Kidney's and if so, can they tell me anything about their experiences. What symptoms have they endured? What have they gone through? If it turns out that I really do have Stage III CKF, What should I expect?
Thank you so much for sharing your personal experience with me
rrrruff,
Oh my friend I feel your pain.
I went to my endo in April of this year and of course there was lab work done. He comes in the room and asks me if I was on dialysis and I told him know. He said that I should be. Then end of May I had my first treatment.
Now the symptoms.
You can look on line and find out a wealth of info. I am not a doctor so please take nothing I say as the truth. This is what it was for me. You could be different.
I really had no idea how bad I was feeling until I got started on treatments. I was tired and had problems staying awake. Leave me alone for 5 mins with nothing to do and I was out.
I would also say swelling in the lower legs but I have had that for years before my kidneys failed. With the swelling comes itching in your lower legs that just will not stop. I used to scratch my legs so bad I would bleed all over the sheets at night.
The other symptoms that I had were all blood test related. Everything kidney related were not just out of normal band they were way out.
Go to my page and read my blog posts called D&D. It will chronicle what happened to me and my journey since.
Sparky
My husband didn't believe it either til he went in for dialysis surgery last Thursday. He's in end stage renal failure, so the symptoms didn't become obvious until he was under 15% function.
Like Sparky he is always tired, and can't be left idle because he will fall asleep. Of course now he can hardly pee at all or it's a big struggle.
Our problem was the Dr. ignored his first tests saying that he must be dehydrated, dehydration can skew the numbers but not nearly enough to indicate stage III or even end stage without causing a hospitalization.
And I watched my daughter go from stage 1 to end stage then death in just under 2 months, she never made it to dialysis. Don't ignore any of this crap just because there aren't symptoms it's just plain dangerous.
Hi rrrufff,
I'm t1 and I had a kidney transplant in July, 2011. It's been difficult for me both physically and mentally, but everybody has a different experience with it. I wasn't on dialysis, but I probably should have been. I experienced a lot of heart burn and nausea, and a tough time going to the bathroom. I had a constant stomach ache and always had either a bad case of constipation or diarrhea. I didn't sleep well and I got depressed because I shut myself off to the world. If you have support, it really helps. Use it. My biggest fear was finding a donor. Get on the list as soon as you can. Try looking for your own donors, but be vocal about it. I was silent about my feelings and thoughts, and I ended up waiting for four years because I was too scared to ask anyone for a kidney.
My sister eventually got tested and she was a match so I was completely blessed and elated. We had to both go through a lot of tests to see if she was a match. After my transplant, the most difficult thing for me to get used to was the immunosuppressive drugs they put me on. At first, they really alter your mood. They're very strong. I had constant hot flashes, didn't have much energy, and didn't sleep well. I also felt wonderful at the same time, however. Because I had a new, operating kidney, I didn't get the heartburn anymore, I was rehydrated, and I was finally able to relax somewhat seeing as the worst part was over.
The hospital who performed my surgery made me go into the hospital every morning for the first couple of months for blood tests. The doctors wanted to ensure everything was functioning ok and they kept a close eye on me.
Today, I'm still healing a little mentally, but physically, life is much better. It's definitely a worthwhile procedure. If you have any questions, please let me know. Good luck with everything.
The problem with me though is that I never released any of the toxicity in my body because I wasn't on dialysis.