Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 3 - Leg / Foot Pain Help

Kidney and urinary tract
1

Hello, my 78 year old father has been suffering from severe leg and foot pain for the last 18 months to the point he is now having difficulty standing and walking for any length of time. This in turn has thrown him into the deths of depression now & his memory is severly affected. We have been going backwards and forwards to his GP and hospital and he is under the umbrella of the pain clinic but none of the pain killers that have been prescribed have had any effect. Nobody to date has been able to help with the pain or has had any suggestion as to why it is getting worse. He does have a cyst on the base of his spine which was identified 2yrs ago via MRI when he had back pain. He does not have any back pain currently. He cannot take certain meds but has tried all sorts and now on Duloxetine 30mg for a week to be followed by 60mg.

The most recent letter my parents recieved stated my father had stage 3 Kidney Disease which is complete news to us ! The consultant at the pain clinic today said that my fathers chronic leg & foot pain could be caused by his kidney condition. So, I am just wondering

a) what other symptoms my father could be suffering from without realising they are attributed to the kidneys ?

b) is it possible the leg & foot pain could be caused by his kidneys ?

He ids waiting for another MRI scan to check if anything else is going on with his back but I thought it worth investigating about the kidney idea ?

Many thanks for any advice or information.

2

Hi Tily

Sounds like sciatic nerve pain! Is the cyst putting pressure on the sciatic nerve?

Not convinced kidney disease would cause this leg pain.

Has the Dr tried Pregabilin for nerve pain? Unfortunately if the cyst is putting pressure on the nerve the pain might never go.

Has you Dad had physiotherapy?

3

I am on this forum because I have a cyst on my kidney, and I am keen to learn about it and conditions of the kidney.  But I also have Crohn's disease.  I was on prednisone recently for about 4 or 5 months, and it gave me hell with leg and foot cramps.  I'm not sure if this is what you are referring to.  But.  I thought I was getting enough magnesium and I wasn't. 

I got some capsules, and gel capsules is the best way to swallow it, I got some Magnesium Forte capsules, I bought it at a UFS pharmacy, here in Australia.  That took ALL the leg and foot pain way. 

I have frequent urination.  I'm 54 years old.  I have had frequent urination for years.  Could be coffee?  But prednisone increases that....  Cramps in the feet and legs can also be due to low: potassium, magnesium, salt, or water.  Eating lots of bananas or drinking banana smoothies helps with potassium levels, potatoes, hold much potassium, too.  Salt and water is easy.  Eat a packet of potato crisps.  Magnesium is trickier to eat.  So these capsules worked a charm for me.  I was having so much trouble getting any sleep, for the pain waking me up. 

It may not BE that issue with your father.  Maybe your father has leg and foot pain for other reasons.  I do not know. 

There is an Australian company that sells magnesium oil: 

I buy from them.  But you can find it in many brands now.  Magnesium oil can be wonderful for any type of pain.  Magnesium oil tends to bring the blood to the place of pain, and just that action seems to take the pain away.  So massaging your father's legs and feet, with magnesium oil, will definitely give him some relief!

People with chronic pain can find amazing relief from magnesium oil.  Watch this:

If you research magnesium, you will see it has many, many healing properties to it.  

So that is my take on it.  I am taking two of the magnesium capsules in the morning and again with dinner.   You can take it on an empty stomach.  But if you try it with your father, try it with just one capsule at first.  The immediate effect of excess magnesium orally, is diarrhea.  lol.  So stop just before that point, in the dosage.  I tolerate 2 morning and night just fine.  And no more cramps, no more pain in the legs and feet.  I SO, hope, that this helps you dear old dad.  Love and a big (((hug))) to you, Melody.xxxxx

 

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4

Magnesium oil opens up and relaxes the blood vessels, which can bring more blood to an area of pain.  (Calcium has the opposite effect).  So rubbing this legs and feet with magnesium oil, at the very least, WILL bring relief. Taken orally it might solve the problem, if it is cramps caused by low magnesium levels.

5

Tillyboo, I very much doubt your father’s leg and foot pain is in any way connected to his kidney function.  Many older people are diagnosed with reduced kidney function in the CKD3 range but there are rarely symptoms at this level.  We would have to know what his eGFR reading  is to know whether he is in the upper stage of CKD3 or the lower end.  Has your father had blood tests to check for inflammation?  Also, does he take a Vit D supplement- a severe deficiency can lead to pain.  Although he isn’t complaining about back pain at present, it is still quite possible to have a problem with the spine that causes pain down one or both legs.  I have a slipped vertebra at the base of my spine and sometimes experience pain from my bum to my foot usually because something is pressing on a nerve and causing sciatic pain.  This type of pain in particular can be relieved by a few treatments with a Bowen therapist - not cheap but it is obvious within  3 sessions whether it is going to work or not.  Best to wait for the MRI to rule out his spine as the cause before embarking on more investigation to eliminate other possible causes.  Lots of good luck wishes to him and to you!

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Thank you so much to all who have responded. The Vitamin D suggestion is well worthy of checking as a friend of ours was very nearly diagnosed with Fibro due to her chronic leg pains - she had zero levels of Vit D.

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Wow! Zero Vit D!  That must have needed a hefty initial dose of Vit D3.  

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Yes, injections I believe but she felt so much better after a while