Uraemia - CKD/statins

[Harry Bloomfield]

I think I may at last, have diagnosed the cause of the issues I have been suffering increasingly over the past year or so...

• anxiety or panic-like sensations
• nighttime restlessness
• cognitive fog / confusion
• hot–cold swings
• heavy limbs or muscle weirdness
• inability to get comfortable
• episodes lasting an hour to an entire night

I, at first blamed it on the statins, I had been prescribed, not knowing any better, and getting no diagnosis from medical professionals. I stopped the statins, and the episodes appeared to decline, which sort of confirmed statins were the cause, but since then, the weird episodes have returned. I suffered episodes, both last night, and the night before.

The past week, I've been doing some research, and finally came across the word 'Uraemia', which seems to cause some sort of poisoning of the brain, due to the kidneys, failing to adequately filter the poisons from the blood, but I was unable to find any symptoms, to confirm it. I also got in touch with the National Kidney Foundation UK, describing some of the symptoms, inviting their comments, and they responded, at length, agreeing they were common symptoms of Uraemia affecting the brain's function.

I have an face to face appointment tomorrow, with my kidney specialist, so I will attend, armed with a copy of my episode log, and a printout from the NKF, and the word 'Uraemia'.

 

[ellal]

You might also like to consider neuropathy as a possible cause.

And not wishing to jump to conclusions, but especially if alcohol has been an issue in the past.

 

[IT Minion]

They'll draw your blood and rule it in/out as soon as the results are back. Hopefully it's something else, while having a diagnosis is good having kidney failure is not. Good luck.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

You might also like to consider neuropathy as a possible cause.

And not wishing to jump to conclusions, but especially if alcohol has been an issue in the past.

No, I only rarely drink.

They'll draw your blood and rule it in/out as soon as the results are back. Hopefully it's something else, while having a diagnosis is good having kidney failure is not. Good luck.

There is no doubt about the kidney failure, I'm CKD5, in the care of PD. I have numerous times mentioned the episodes I have been suffering, to both the PD team, and my own doctor. None have even hinted that the problems could be due to my CKD.

 

[motorbiking]

Are you taking testosterone blockers?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Are you taking testosterone blockers?

Eh? Who?

 

[motorbiking]

Eh? Who?

you

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

you

No! Have you read and understood what has been posted?

 

[motorbiking]

No! Have you read and understood what has been posted?

I'm not a doctor, I read it, not sure I understood it. It's just that some of your symptoms are common with another type of mens health issue, so I wondered if you had an enlarged prostate that you were taking testosterone meds for.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I'm not a doctor, I read it, not sure I understood it. It's just that some of your symptoms are common with another type of mens health issue, so I wondered if you had an enlarged prostate that you were taking testosterone meds for.

Oh got you now, and no - my meds are mostly for lowering blood pressure, amongst them statins originally.

The past almost a year, I've been suffering some really frightening effects, mostly during the night hours, with no actual physically traceable cause. I managed to match, and read of similar symptoms, from several people, where they traced it to taking statins. I was already suffering many of the reported physical symptoms of statins. Having stopped the statins, the physical symptoms cleared up, and the mental issues seemed to improve, so I convinced myself it had all been due to statins. Then the mental issues returned recently, and so back to trying to find the cause....

I tried to describe what I felt like, during the weird episodes, to someone at the Kidney Foundation. The bulleted points, were symptoms, they suggested I might suffer - I was suffering all of them, during an episode. The reply I received back, listed exactly what I was suffering, and is one of the symptoms of failing kidney function, and a result of uraemia. I think I've understood it, in that it's nitrogen poisoning of the brain.

This was the first I'd heard of it being due to my CKD. I've numerous times mentioned the episodes to the medical professionals, and none suggested it might be a result of my CKD.

 

[motorbiking]

I hope you feel better - are there any lifestyle adjustments you can make?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I hope you feel better - are there any lifestyle adjustments you can make?

I don't know. I have an appointment to attend tomorrow, with the kidney specialist, so I will be walking in once more with my log of the episodes, and at last - my own diagnosis, of the cause, to see what they say.

When I first showed them my log, and described the episodes, they said it might just be my panicking, worried about the forthcoming catheter installation operation.

 

[big-all]

well done everyone for sharing its how we all learn

then old-fashioned "stiff upper lip" and "men dont show weakness" kills many many people sadly

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

well done everyone for sharing its how we all learn

then old-fashioned "stiff upper lip" and "men dont show weakness" kills many many people sadly

CKD is chronic kidney disease, absolutely nowt to do with being male.

I have known I had CKD now, for several years, and as soon as they discovered it, they had me under the care of the kidney department. Each time I've had an appointment, they have questioned me from a list of symptoms, and each time I have been able to say I didn't have any on their list.

I was on a variety of prescribed drugs, for blood pressure, and statins for cholesterol. All fine, but a few slight side effects, from statins. Then beginning last April, the effects I bullet pointed, where I began this thread, began, except I was so 'out of it', during the weird episodes, I struggled to even describe how I felt. As the episodes continued, I kept a log of them, gradually managing to describe symptoms. Three times, even calling 111 for help during episodes, for help. On the last of the calls, they sent an ambulance and got me to A&E, suspecting a heart attack, but they were not able to find anything physically wrong with me.

I read lots of critical posts about statins, and some which mentioned how they can affect the brain, causing many of the symptoms I seemed to have, during the episodes. I mentioned the problems I was having to my GP, and the kidney team, last September, producing my log - what I had read, and I was told to stop them, to see if the episodes cleared up. They did, gradually improve, and he put me on an alternative cholesterol med.

More recently, the episodes are back, with a vengeance, so I have repeated the process of handing a copy of my log to both my GP, and my kidney consultant. Neither, seemed to suggest the episodes might be connected to my CKD at all. In complete desperation, at the beginning of this week, I emailed the UK Kidney Foundation, describing all of my symptoms.

The reply from them was a bit of a bombshell, in that they listed exactly the same symptoms as I was logging, and a result of the CKD. I was suffering every single, horrible symptom. Armed with that email, yet another copy of my episode log, and the word 'uraemia', I had another appointment arranged, but with the kidney nurse, and so took the opportunity to pass on what I had found out. She is due to pass everything on, to my consultant early next week. Reading up on uraemia, apparently, it is a killer, nitrogen getting to the brain. Which I would guess, is similar to the nitrogen narcosis, which divers can suffer from.

This past week, I have suffered three such night-time episodes, but now at least I can recognise the signs of one coming on. Lat night, 2am I woke - The outer edge of my right-hand felt badly bruised, then both my arms felt incredibly heavy.
I sat up, tried sitting on the side of the bed, tried sitting doubled up, tried laying back down, felt both hot and cold, at the same time - nowt felt right. So I got up, had a glass of lemonade, watched TV, wasted a bit of time on here, struggling to keep still. Being occupied, seems to help me come out of the episodes, so I set about cleaning the kitchen down, and spent four hours doing that.
I am due the next stage, anytime, which is to have a catheter installed, to enable home peritoneal dialysis.

 

[Brigadier]

CKD is chronic kidney disease, absolutely nowt to do with being male

Big-all's point was not about ckd being a male - only affliction, but that being male - as you are - is commonly associated with delaying the seeking of medical advice.