About Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD):
I didn't know about the existence of CKD until a loved one (who eventually passed on) was diagnosed with it. As I read about it online, I had a flood of emotions from "oh, if I had known", to the medical negligence on the part of the medical staff, to the ignorance of the patient etc. When all's said and done, we learn from our mistakes and within the best of our ability, educate others on how not to be casualties too; this is the reason for this post.
Writing this was a struggle though; I opened several tabs trying to put pieces together but it seemed like I wanted to write an academic journal, so I calmed a bit lol. I couldn't get myself to type and sat still, thinking, trying to hold myself for hours. Mustered some courage by God's grace and consulted the disease's NHS UK and NIH web pages for simpler information, from which the bulk of what follows is referenced from:
Some Background
The Kidneys are the organs in the body responsible for the filtration of blood and production of urine; also, they help in regulating the number of minerals and salts in the blood and in producing hormones (you can tell that they are very important). Normally, individuals have two kidneys but you can get by with one; most individual's who have had a kidney transplant for whatever reason tend to fall in this category, along with their donors. The Kidneys of an individual with Chronic Kidney disease do not function as they should.
Causes
The following diseases are the major causes of CKD: Hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, high cholesterol, kidney infections and having a family history. Please if you have any or a combination of these, or you know anyone who does, kindly schedule and suggest tests to check out the health of your kidneys during routine medical check-ups; the sooner it is caught, the better.
Symptoms
Unfortunately, this disease has no symptoms early on, but at an advanced stage, an individual with it could experience a loss of appetite, tiredness, swollen hands, ankles and feet, blood in the urine, weight loss etc.
Treatment
- The 'cheapest' treatment for CKD is preventive (it could be argued that this isn't technically a treatment, but oh well 😉); this could be achieved by integrating a healthier lifestyle than what one might have previously engaged in. Someone with hypertension should cut down on salt or anything that increases blood pressure; if diabetes, cut down on sugar intake; if high cholesterol, disease, cut down on foods (e.g. fatty foods) that can increase cholesterol etc.
- A lifestyle change which incorporates various forms of exercise is recommended.
- Depending on the severity of kidney damage, an individual might still carry on with his or her routine but have dialysis appointments several times a week.
- If the disease is well advanced, a kidney transplant may need to be carried out.
If you are at risk, please be proactive and if you know anyone who's at risk, please pass this on.
I have tried to keep this post as brief, yet as educative as possible. Please for further information, consult the references below and/or, talk to your physician.
References:
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kidney-disease/
- https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd
Stay healthy x
© Lydia Ndagilaya
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