Fatigue!

[Bax509]

My GFR is running 18-22, creatinine 2.6. I have noticed a significant decline in my energy level over the past year. My nephrologist said yesterday that my fatigue is unlikely to be the result of my kidneys at "this level of kidney failure". He's ordered a sleep study. My question to this group is - how common is/was your fatigue at about this level of CKD?

[stephanie904]

Hi Bax509,

I was severely fatigued. I was working full time. Going to dialysis 3 days a week. Thank God my boyfriend was awesome taking care of me before & after the transplant.

I would sleep a little at dialysis, but we had some really noisy patients there.

My boyfriend would have dinner ready for us when I got home, then I showered & off to bed.

The days that I didn't have dialysis, we'd eat earlier, but I'd still go to bed right after eating & showering.

It's rough. And people that haven't been through it usually don't understand. I hope you have understanding friends & family.

Ask your nephrologist if you qualify for iron infusions. That's the only thing that helped me until I had my transplant.

Best of luck to you 😊

[Transplant2018]

We are all different, but when my GRF got below 20 I was constantly weak and fatigued. I never felt rested no matter how much I slept - and I was sleeping a lot (no sleep study needed for me!). My nephrologist also thought my fatigue wasn't due to my kidneys at that GFR and ran other tests which were all fine. Having ruled out other causes, he then concluded the fatigue was indeed due to my kidneys and asked the transplant center to proceed with the evaluation of my potential donor. My donor was approved and I was transplanted when my GFR was 15. Finally had energy again!

[mhawk123]

Hello there,

I started to have fatigue once I hit at level of 15 but I made a lot of adjustments. I started watching what I ate to make sure all my lab values including my K, Phosp, Albumin and H/H levels were good. My doctor even suggested I have my TSH/ PTH checked more frequently. I saw the nurse who also recommended more consistent exercise regimen and a sleep journal to make sure I was getting all the important things in every day. Continuing on a good B complex supplement and Procrit helped me along to continue to work! GOOD LUCK with the process.

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

Everyone is different. When I was nearing time for dialysis, I too was very fatigued. I wasn't working then, and found myself taking frequent naps during the day. Once I had my transplant it was really remarkable the energy I had. I had my transplant in 1999 and that was before they figured out patients GFR, so I have no idea where my GFR was.

[Gardner-NY]

Hi Bax509, my spouse had his transplant 14 months ago at GFR 13 and before the transplant in Nov 2018 with his declining kidney function, he got tired very easily. HE napped as best he could but he was not a napper and always was a bad sleeper before GFR got this low. I give more of my support for years now for things he cannot do anymore due to how he feels and glad I can do that and happy to. I hope you are able to get a donated kidney soon. My spouse never was on dialysis and at the time of his transplant I was doing research on doing 'at home dialysis' for him. My spouse is retired five years mainly due to his high stress job and declining health of kidneys. I truly wish you the best. Just do the best you can, eat right, stay as stress free as you can (not easy I know) and make sure you have a few dependable people to help you when you really need assistance with things in life. I wish you all the best.

[DexterLab]

I was really tired before my transplant, and was running a creatine of 4.5 and GFR of 15 or so. My nephrologist said you can't look at just the numbers, but also at how the person is functioning. I am a larger, more muscular guy, so I was doing better with crummy numbers than a slender person would do. GFR of 15 is enough to trigger the transplant system in the U.S. so get a recommendation for a transplant center. I was fortunate to get a living donor and avoided dialysis. Good luck.

[Alport67]

Like others have said, everyone is different, however once the kidneys start going, I would say that it is normal to feel the way you are feeling. My GFR is 11 and creatine is 6. My red blood cell count is 4.12. I am not on dialysis and I am hoping to avoid it. Fatigue has been an issue for me the last year or so. I try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night however according to my fitbit I'm averaging about 7.5 hrs/night, but I am up twice a night to go to the bathroom. Even on those nights where I do mange to get 8+ hours, I'm exhausted during the day and find myself needing a nap, however I cannot take one because I am working full time. I was an athlete growing up and stayed active into my 50's, however just the thought of going for a run or doing exercise makes me tired now

I've started taking B12 and will ask my nephrologist about taking a iron supplement when I see him next week. I am going to make a more conscious effort to start exercising again. Even it it's only 15 minutes of light resistance work or walking. Based on other people's comments throughout this site, exercise is important.

If you are not on the transplant list yet, you may want to speak with your nephrologist about it and start researching local transplant centers. I am officially on the last as of 1/8. Meet with a dietitian to see if they can recommend a special diet for you.

So to answer your initial question....yes, feeling fatigued is a result of CKF, however you can do something about it. Hang in there.

Good luck. I hope you start to feel better soon.