Totally unrelated to bc but need your opinion on kidney disease

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trigeek
trigeek Member Posts: 916
edited June 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer
Totally unrelated to bc but need your opinion on kidney disease
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  • trigeek
    trigeek Member Posts: 916
    edited June 2008

    Hi gals,

    I do not know who to ask about this so here I go.

    One of my daughters close friends have been having some health problems, fainting in the shower .. being hospitalized.. I did not talk to the mom since I do not know how she will respond to my inquiries. From what the girl says her kidneys are not filtering properly and once a month or so she has to go to get her blood checked and if it is 'not ok' they filter her blood ( I guess she does not want to use the word dialysis)

    This girl we are talking about was a cheerleader, one of the most bouncey uplift girls I have ever seen and I love her. Nowadays she is mostly sleeping, moping around ( I am suspecting about at least 12-15 hr / day ) The reason I know is that she does seem to like to stay in our house a lot even when mydaughter is not at home, which is fine with me.

    But I am seriously worried, is sleeping a lot, lethargy a symptom of kidney disease ? How do I approach the mom without sounding intrusive ? I know that she just got out of an abusive marriage and started dating and is working full time .. but I just cannot standby.

    What to do ???

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  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited June 2008

    Yes, trigeek, fatigue and lethargy are signs of chronic kidney disease.  Here's a partial list from www.emedicinehealth.com:

    Fatigue and weakness (from anemia or accumulation of waste products in the body)

    Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting

    Need to urinate frequently,especially at night

    Swelling of the legs and puffiness around the eyes (fluid retention)

    Itching, easy bruising, and pale skin (from anemia)

    Headaches, numbness in the feet or hands (peripheral neuropathy), disturbed sleep, altered mental status (encephalopathy from the accumulation of waste products or uremic poisons), and restless leg syndrome

    People with kidney failure can feel really sick even if they're on dialysis.  Also, the poor kid might be clinically depressed because she thinks her future is bleak.  I wonder if she's on a transplant list....
    otter

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  • Isabella4
    Isabella4 Member Posts: 2,166
    edited June 2008

    Tri geek....yes, sleeping and lethargy do come along with kidney problems.

    My DD was recently diagnosed with horseshoe kidney, she has been really unwell for months, in a lot of pain, always taking to her bed, she has been so weak, and tired. She is constantly in and out the bathroom, and her legs and body itch a lot of the time so she uses a wire hairbrush to scratch herself !

    She has very bad bouts of pain, apparently this is kidney stones being passed, she was hospitalised twice with the pain, and given morphine, yet it took another 3 months after her hospital stay to get a diagnosis! She is now on long term antibiotics, while the docs decide what to do with her.

    I think this girls mother needs to know where her daughter is spending time when she is ill, and you really need to know what is going on. Its nice the girl finds solace at your place, and someone who will be there for her. Let her mother know you are OK with this, then maybe she will be pleased you are taking an interest, and can help her out while she is working fulltime.....(what kind of mother is she anyway when she's out at work all day, with a sick daughter being left on her own ???)

    Isabella. 

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