Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): Symptoms & Treatment
Chronic Kidney Disease is a serious ailment that affects the lives of over 37 million Americans. If you are experiencing CKD symptoms or have been referred by your primary care doctor, you will see a nephrologist, such as Dr. Victor Carabello in Los Angeles.
What is Chronic Kidney Disease?
This term covers many different conditions that either damage or decreased kidney function. A damaged or malfunctioning kidney will poison the blood due to waste buildup that can no longer be cleared.
Symptoms of Chronic Kidney Disease:
- Bloody urine
- Persistent eye puffiness
- Muscle cramps
- Loss of appetite
- Foamy urine
- Swollen ankles and feet
- Increased urination - especially at night
- Sleep problems
Stages of Chronic Kidney Disease
CKD can happen in 5 stages. In the first stage, our office will advise you to control your blood pressure, exercise 30 minutes a day and avoid tobacco. At this stage, there are some signs of damage but the kidneys are still working well.
Patients that reach stage 3 in CKD may experience back pain, swollen hands, and feet, or bone disease. Our office will help you manage your blood pressure and ask you to check it daily.
If you reach stage 5 in CKD, Dr. Carabello will have to put you on dialysis as your kidneys have now completely failed. Dialysis will manually clean your blood. If you match with a living donor, our office can also prepare you for a kidney transplant before your kidneys fail.
How To Improve Chronic Kidney Disease:
- Stay active daily and maintain a healthy weight/BMI
- Get proper sleep
- Avoid alcohol and smoking
- Eat healthy foods - avoid fat and sodium
- Manage pre-existing conditions like diabetes
Whether your CKD is still in the first stage or you need a transplant, our office will provide extensive and sensitive professional care along the way. Ideally, we want to prevent chronic kidney disease. Dr. Carabello will work with you to do as much preventative care as possible to avoid late-stage CKD.
Don’t hesitate to visit our office if you need help with your kidney health. Dr. Carabello is an experienced nephrologist who can treat patients from all walks of life. Call us at 323-526-2880 to schedule treatment or screenings for Chronic Kidney Disease at our Los Angeles, CA-based office.