does anyone get out of breath easily it happens to me i am stage 3 sometimes stage 4
Yep absolutely and i'm only stage 3 also, GFR 55/59 and there are some days i feel absolutely awful. Extreme fatigue,headaches, sickness, loin pain etc. I didn't have any symptoms in stages 1&2, it was when i dipped into stage 3 that they surfaced.
In a word, yes, it's very common. The most likely cause is low hemoglobin; at least, that's certainly been the case for me. My doctors have me on Aranesp and it helps.
How low was your GFR before you noticed obvious symptoms??
Hard to day; it took 17 years for my kidney disease to progress to the point I required dialysis. I would say stage 4 before I really started to notice it.
Thank you for answering, cheers. My symptoms are pretty full on yet my EGFR of 55 is not particularly low, i dare say it's different for evryone.
my last egfr was 28 that was about 6 weeks ago
It is. Age can make a difference, as well as whether or not the patient has other health issues. I'm in my 40's and based on what I've seen at dialysis clinics, I seem to be on the "younger" side of things which may have helped?
Hi Davey, You may have developed anaemia as many people with CKD do. Do you know your haemoglobin level an your ferritin level (iron store)? At first it is usually helped with oral iron and sometimes folic acid and Vitamin B12 injections but the main cause of anaemia in CKD is not iron deficiency but because your kidneys stop making a hormone called Erythropoeitin. This hormone is made in the kidneys and stimulates your bne marrow to make red blood cells. They fix this by showing you how to inject EPO subcutaneously- an artificial version of Erythropoetin- the same stuff cyclists and other athletes take. I have just started injecting EPO after a course of iron, folic acid and Vitamin B12 injections ( you need all these to make healthy red blood cells). .It has improved my Hb and I don't feel so breathless. It is quite easy to do and painless. Of course, breathlessness has other causes so you should check these out with your GP.
Hi davey,
Just my tuppence worth. You may be retaining a small amount of fluid now, it will happen at some point. You will see it on your ankles mostly where your sock elastic will dig in draper than normal. I'm only 65kg and built like a butchers pencil. Even I. Otice my ankles slightly. Anyhoo, this fluid also collects around your organs, especially the membrane where the oxygen from your lungs changes place in your blood with the carbon dioxide. As this membrane becomes waterlogged, less oxygen is transferred and less co2 is exhaled. The net effect is quicker muscle fatigue. Add to that their is a potential for your red blood cells level to drop (your oxygen carrier) it all adds up to being breathless. I'm currently 11% and I get shattered really easy, to the point a wee 20 nap in the car at lunchtime is sometimes called upon. Keep going to your neph, and try to keep active, even for shorter periods, try some sort of exercise
All too often, I've been on hemodialysis for one year and this has been going on for a little more than 2 months I have been given an inhaler and it does help. I believe the shortness of breath has a lot to do with my water intake and over eating. It doesn't happen on diyallis days. If this is of any help great, watch your water intake.