female, white, 70 yrs. retired, widow. Texas
Labs revealed my kidney disease. Surprised, concerned, poor health but NOT a diabetic.
Educating myself and need to connect to other kidney patients. This is difficult to understand. I would like to observe and listen to the experiences of others.
welcome.do you know what stage you are?the davita kidney foundation pages have lots of good info on them.scroll through ive learned a lot since ive been on this forum.above all research research and research you gotta be your own advovcate.mayo clinic is another good site as far as info.i know when i got diagnosed it landed like a ton of bricks but i found a lot of help here
I appreciate your support and quick response. I will be following this site & grateful to everyone.
Stop and take a deep breath. At 70 it's common for kidneys to start showing decline. What is your eGFR. Was it a one time lab? Could you have been dehydrated that day? Lots of factors will affect labs, they are just a one day snapshot.
You'll find some very nice people here. They can share their experiences but everyone is different so yours will be too.
my eGFR is 15. I’ve had labs done three times.
Welcome.Let us know a bit more about you and what stage CKD you are in. There is a ton of information on this forum. Please feel free to ask specific questions.
My skin is itchy dry. Super dry !! I’m flakey all over. I feel very tired, difficulty sleeping through the night. Overweight, I eat very little, HONESTLY, it confuses me that I’m still overweight. My over all health is poor. Have a great deal of body pain, large swollen legs & feet. Wheelchair bound. Sleep in my recliner. Rarely leave my house. Try to drink plenty of water. Bottom of both feet & heels hurt. Feels painful and raw. Sensitive to put them to the floor. I tend to doze off all day long. My joints jerk unexpectedly. Can’t concentrate, forgetful, headaches. I’m a mess 😳
I am going to be brutely honest with you. Sitting in a chair all day is not going to help you. When was the last time you went to the doctor. It sounds like with the leg jerks and swollen legs you have possibly circulation issues. That is something you do not want to mess with and not deal with. It also is possible that the fluid is because your kidneys are failing. If you have swollen legs, you have fluid elsewhere, like around your heart. This is not something to dismiss. When was the last time you looked at the bottom of your feet? They can get infected very quickly, especially if you are not moving.
As far as being over weight and not eating much,..... its what you are eating or NOT eating that is causing you to keep your weight or gain. See if you can go to a renal dietician or any dietician and get help with your food selections. I did many years ago, and to my utter surprise, all my years of dieting, I was eating totally the wrong things. Just working with her, I lost 50 pounds and it was very easy.
Flaky. itchy skin can be a sign of something much more serious than just dry skin. Again, see your doctor. Have a test done for phosphorous. At a GFR of 15, it is possible that your CKD is causing issues, like skin and tiredness (anemia) that CAN be helped if you work with your doctor.
I realize that this may seem a bit abrupt. But until you see the doctor, and change some of your habits, there really isn't much we can do for you. At a GFR of 15, you are headed for dialysis. But you can possibly stay off of it for awhile with good medical support.
welcome did the doctor say what your kidney disease is from. Yes as we age our efgr goes down . So many factors can cause kidneys problems lots more than just diabetes. Be careful in over counter medication you take stay away from ibuprofen not good for kidney
I was 76 when I was diagnosed with CKD, level 3b. I was put on a CKD diet by my Primary Doctor, who was experienced with CKD. The diet has helped. Here is a link to National Kidney article explaining the eGFR calculation. kidney.org/atoz/content/gfr
I had AKI at 29 years old in 1996 since then eGFR sub 20, around 17-19 for the last 28/29 years. Latest reading 19 so if you do some simple things such as watch your diet, avoid the foods you must eat healthily and exercise especially if you are not suffering from a serious long-term chronic illness such as T2D then you can have a “normal” life…I’ve had sub-20 eGFR since ‘96 and last reading was 19 at age 57…so far so good! My best to you!
As you can see, many of us are around your age. And don't worry about asking dumb questions-we all have-and there's really no dumb question. Welcome to the crew.
Overlapping symptoms - new to CKD
I’m new to all this 
Hi! I’m new here!
