Even though there are no visible symptoms of the first two stages of kidney disease, symptoms may start affecting people with the advent of the third stage. Some people do not develop symptoms even in the third stage, and this is extremely dangerous because your kidney can be damaged without you realizing it.
Symptoms you should be aware of
When your kidney disease has reached the third stage, you may experience vomiting tendency and nausea, have frequent urge to urinate and have foamy urine. It is natural to have a swelling in the ankles along with puffiness around the eyes due to fluid retention. Most people affected with stage 3 kidney disease symptoms report that they feel fatigued easily and have a shortness of breath all the time. It is also common to have an aversion to eating and finding food tasteless. Other symptoms include dry, flaky and itchy skin, muscle cramps, particularly in the legs, poor sleep, and weight loss without any apparent reason.
Among children, there is also a retardation of growth with the third stage of kidney disease.
Understanding what’s causing the symptoms
There are various reasons behind these symptoms and understanding them can help in managing and treating them. Some of these include-
- Feeling cold even when others are feeling warm: This is not a direct effect of kidney failure, but is mostly caused due to a low hemoglobin count, which is associated with kidney issues.
- Shortness of breath without much physical activity: Running short of breath can be associated with kidney disease in two ways. The extra fluid in the body can start accumulating in the lungs, which can cause a shortage of oxygen. On the other hand, anemia can leave the body starving for oxygen, and you may experience shortness of breath.
- Feeling dizziness and weak: When kidney failure is associated with anemia, it means that the brain is not receiving enough oxygen. This can make the affected person feel weak and dizzy along with memory loss, trouble with concentration, amnesia, and other problems.
- Itchiness: Kidneys are in charge of removing waste materials from the body. In the third stage of kidney disease, when the kidneys are not able to function properly, it leads to build up of these wastes in the blood and cause severe itching and other skin issues.
- Swelling in the ankles, hand, and feet: When the kidneys are in a debilitating state, they are not able to eliminate the extra fluid. It gets accumulated in the legs, ankles, feet, and even face. Some people report that they cannot put on their shoes as their feet have swelled to a great extent.
In addition to all these symptoms, severe accumulation of waste materials in the body leads to a condition called uremia, which may upset the stomach and cause loss of appetite. If you are experiencing any of the stage 3 kidney disease symptoms, it is important to consult with an expert and follow the treatment process as early as possible.
