Breathing Difficulty in Kidney Disease

Breathing Difficulty in Chronic Kidney Disease is an inevitable accompaniment in advanced stages. But why does CKD make you breathless in the first place? Learn here.

The other day, some of us at Team ATK just sat reflecting on our pre-transplant days with Kidney Failure. And we all concurred on the helplessness we felt about that relentless “out-of-breath” sensation even at the slightest exertion. In fact, right after transplant, this was one of the first positive changes that I remember as uplifting my quality of life. I could breathe fully, freely & effortlessly again!

So, what is this “breathlessness” or as the fancy medical terminology would have it, “Dyspnoea” (pronounced as “disp-neah”) in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) all about? Continue reading “Breathing Difficulty in Kidney Disease”

Muscle Wasting in CKD: Treatment

Muscle wasting & pain is a common complication reported in most patients with Chronic Kidney Disease, worldwide. Speaking from personal experience, this is also one of those “visibly apparent” physical changes in the course of CKD, which can have a negative impact on our already complicated quality of life.

So, can you prevent this from happening? Well, that’s the million-dollar (research) question, isn’t it?

In our previous article in this category, we covered the whole bunch of causes that conspire together in CKD to make your muscles gradually “lose themselves” over time. Fortunately, medical research has offered us effective solutions to keep muscle wasting in CKD at bay for as long as possible. In addition, some approaches can also partially restore muscle bulk and strength after muscle wasting has already started.

Muscle Wasting Treatment Cover

 

Let’s explore these treatments then, shall we?

Continue reading “Muscle Wasting in CKD: Treatment”

Muscle Pain & Wasting in CKD

Muscle Pain 

Muscle Pain cover

 

Muscle Pain & wasting (shrivelling) is a constant, debilitating & rather frustrating accompaniment during your CKD journey, in the advanced stages. It is only but one of the many myriad “complaints” arising from across multiple organs — something that’s a part & parcel of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

Previously, Team ATK has simplified the concepts of “Protein in Urine“, “Blood in Urine“, “Anemia” & “Bone Pain“, in the context of CKD.

Adding to this list, today we seek to cover the significance of skeletal muscles in kidney disease and explain why muscles begin to “lose themselves” when we enter the great abyss of Chronic Kidney Disease!

But first things first. Continue reading “Muscle Pain & Wasting in CKD”

Chronic Kidney Disease — The Basics

What is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also called Chronic Renal Disease is defined as the gradual loss of kidney function over at least 3 months to several years “since the time of organ insult by the root disease” (not since symptoms appear).

When kidney function is jeopardized in a gradual but progressive manner, they will be unable to perform any of their designated functions properly, that they otherwise normally carry out to keep you alive and kicking!

 

What causes CKD?

CKD is an umbrella term for a multitude of medical conditions that can affect and gradually damage the kidney during their natural course in our body.



 

The following diseases & conditions have been found to cause Chronic Kidney Disease:

Continue reading “Chronic Kidney Disease — The Basics”

11 Myths around Kidney Disease Debunked!

Kidneys are essential for your survival. And Kidney Disease is a major cause of sickness & death worldwide.  But if diagnosed early on, and necessary treatment procedures are initiated on time, some of these conditions could be reversed to normalcy, while for others, the progression of the condition to frank kidney failure can be effectively delayed. However, early diagnosis & treatment are not always implemented in reality. And some existing Myths around Kidney Disease have a significant role in hampering this process.

It is imperative, that you pro-actively educate yourself on this front to combat any ignorance, apprehension or confusion on this topic and choose a better quality of life for yourself, today and tomorrow!

So, here’s busting the commonest Myths around Kidney Disease with established facts. Read on to empower yourself!

 

Continue reading “11 Myths around Kidney Disease Debunked!”