6. Having bubbly and foamy urine. Patients might notice bubbles in the urine, which makes them flush several times to make it fully disappear. This means that there is an excessive amount of protein – albumin – in the urine.
7. Constantly swollen face and puffy eyes. Patients with CKD say they always had puffiness around their eyes and that no eye patches or ice cubes would help before they found out what was really going on with them. Having failing kidneys means the body doesn’t remove extra fluid, which stays in the body causing a swollen face. This sign can also be explained by the kidneys leaking a large amount of protein into the urine.
8. Swollen feet and ankles. Some patients remember waking up in the morning and their feet being so swollen they couldn`t put their shoes on. If the kidneys are failing, they are unable to remove extra fluid and tend to retain salt in the body, which causes swelling in legs, ankles, feet or hands.
9. Having a poor appetite and food tastes differently. Patients with CKD often tell their doctor they don`t have any appetite and meat almost tastes like pure metal. This is a very wide-spread sign, but a build-up of waste in the blood can make food taste different and make us feel like we just don’t enjoy eating anymore.
10. Shortness of breath. Some patients share it was an alarming sign for them when they couldn`t catch their breath while walking or just sleeping at night. This happens for two reasons. First, extra fluids in the body can easily move to the lungs. And second, anemia which often accompanies kidney failure, can leave a body starving for oxygen.
