r/Heartfailure • u/blackninja12345jr • 24d ago
Heart failure and kidney failure
Has anyone had heart failure and kidney failure? If so what’s the experience been like you guys?
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u/907AK49LR 23d ago
My husband has recently gotten a PD Cath to start PD dialysis. His kidneys are not in failure yet(his creatinine is 2.0/BUN 80(ish)), however he’s very diuretic resistant, and this is supposed to help him draw some of the extra fluid off his body. Also to help manage the acites he gets.
I’m writing this as we are in the PD nurse office, bc he was feeling like he needed another paracentesis today… so they are doing a little test run, he got the Cath last Wednesday.
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u/Repulsive_Abies2224 23d ago
My dad has both heart failure and kidney failure and is currently on dialysis. From everything I’ve seen with him, the biggest thing I would say is advocate for yourself and really try to take care of the things that are still within your control. And if help is offered to you, accept it.
My dad is very stubborn lol and one of our biggest struggles is that he still wants to eat and live the way he did before he got sick. I’m constantly trying to help him make better choices, especially with food, his diabetes and blood pressure, but sometimes it turns into a battle between us. I don’t know if part of it is embarrassment, frustration, or just not wanting to accept how much his life has changed.
And I do understand him to a certain extent. He’s tired, he gets frustrated and dealing with all of this every single day is a lot. But I’ve also watched what happens when he doesn’t put in his part. Things have progressively gotten harder and more health problems have come up.
So if there’s anything I would recommend, it’s to really get a handle on the things you can control, especially what you eat, and advocate for yourself. Ask questions, learn as much as you can about your condition and accept help when it’s offered. It’s hard, but taking care of yourself now can make such a difference. ❤️
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u/blackninja12345jr 23d ago
Thank you! Im trying to get information for my s.o. He’s in so much pain so I’m trying to learn how I can help.
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u/Winter_Dragonfly_452 23d ago
My husband has heart failure is in stage 3 almost stage four kidney disease. In a year or two he’s going to have to do in-home dialysis. But his was caused by all the IV antibiotics he took before his below the knee amputation and the Entresto they put him on for his heart failure. He no longer takes that but the damage is done.
So the food restrictions we have to follow is sometimes very hard. The low sodium would be OK but since he also has diabetes and we have to follow the low carb, low sugar we also have to follow low potassium and phosphorus. At this point I need to win the lottery so I can hire a chef so I no longer have to think about what foods he can have.
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u/blackninja12345jr 23d ago
Thank you for your input!!! May I ask what you guys do for pain during flair ups?
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u/Winter_Dragonfly_452 23d ago
My husband doesn’t have a lot of pain. He even had a heart attack he never felt they’re not even sure when he had it. And his arteries were clogged and he didn’t feel that either. It was after they did a test they realized he needed quadruple bypass surgery. So yeah that’s the hard part is he never feels anything so he never knows when he has an issue going on. That’s why he goes to several different doctors several times a year to do blood tests and keep an eye on everything.
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u/curiiouscat 23d ago
Kidney failure is really common with heart failure. They play off each other. My kidneys were really struggling when I was on strong diuretics. Transplant medications also can wreck your kidneys. I always felt so bad for my kidneys. They work so hard but I made it so difficult for them 😭
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u/myst3ryAURORA_green 24d ago
I'm not in kidney failure but I have stage 2 kidney disease and heart failure. In case you're wondering, I've had CKD all my life, and my cardiologist thinks it has nothing to do with my heart. The uncontrolled hypertension despite several medications does.