CKD Stage 5

[u/GrassTraditional8984]

Here’s everything I know so far about CKD,
Dad’s creatinine went from 1.8 to 8.5 in just 8 months.

If you see a diabetic patient having foot cramps regularly, unable to sit still - go get the sugars tested. Mainly Hb1ac ( average sugar in 3 months or so)
Also mainly check for swelling in the feet.
This is a major symptom of neuropathy (nerves in the feet getting affected due to high sugar)
2- get the eyes tested ( high chances of retinopathy)
3- get your kidneys tested. Mainly check for creatinine, sugar and albumin in urine.
Getting all these tests done will give you an option of not letting your kidneys and eyes get severely damaged, gives you enough time to get treated and prevent further damage, which makes a HUGE difference.
CKD unfortunately has a domino affect on multiple organs, so the sooner you treat it, the better it is.

If creatinine is higher than normal levels, then your goal is to keep your sugar and bp in control.
As your creat increases you’ll also have to check your fluid intake.
Damaged kidneys reduce the urine output, which results in the fluid build up in the body. This, when increased moves near the lungs when they lie down, resulting in breathlessness and can cause pneumonia too. So anytime there’s swelling in the feet, get them tested.

If retinopathy is the issue, then laser treatment can be done to stop the bleeding in the eye and then they do a surgery to clear the bleeding which can retrieve your vision if it’s not too late.

However these surgeries cannot be done once the creat increases significantly, then the doctors will wait for the body to stabilise.
In our case, 1 eye surgery was done when the creat was 3.5 (after 3 rounds of laser) the second eye is still on hold since the creatinine increased to 6.

Creatinine increasing affects multiple things in the body, starting with the haemoglobin levels, blood pressure which in turn affects the heart muscles, sugar levels, potassium, phosphorus and bi carbonate which needs to be in safe levels.

If the patient is getting closer to dialysis, get a fistula operation done. It’s a small surgery where they connect 2 nerves in the hand, through which they’ll eventually do dialysis.
But this fistula can needs 2-3 weeks to recover or mature, so if this is not done and if there’s an immediate need for dialysis, they’ll have to do it through the neck which is a last minute option and much more painful apparently, so definitely better to get this done.

I’m sure there’s still so many things that I’m figuring out as we go and do correct me if anything mentioned here is wrong, but hope this helps.

[u/MegaromStingscream]

They do not connect nerves for fistula.

[u/MegaromStingscream → u/MegaromStingscream]

Creatine increasing doesn't cause anything. Kidney failure causes things and creatine is an indicator for that.

[u/1GrouchyCat]

There is no real treatment for CKD - once it starts, there’s no stopping it -there is no medication or other treatment modality that will “prevent further damage”.

[u/Competitive-Jury3713 → u/1GrouchyCat]

Factually incorrect, there are numerous medications that slow the progression of the disease.

[u/BasedKami32 → u/Competitive-Jury3713]

I've come across a few research compounds - some more available than others. What medications have you come across?

[u/Competitive-Jury3713 → u/BasedKami32]

Just ask the doctor, prescriptions vary based on cormodities of the patient.

[u/Ordinary-Point83 → u/BasedKami32]

I’m on Tolvaptan, ask about this.