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Originally Posted by KateH2b1  I was told that my grandmother is in kidney failure and dying (hours to days). This came about very suddenly. She supposedly had kidney issues for years that was overlooked. She must not have known because I never heard anything about it. She just had blood work a few months ago.
I was told by her DIL (my aunt) that she was on Lasix. It's unclear whether she was on Lasix and then went into kidney failure or if the Lasix came after. She supposedly has edema. It's hard to say because she's overweight and laying in bed. Her left hand definitely has it, but maybe that's because she's dying?
I'm just wondering if she should've beeen taking Lasix or if the Lasix could've sent her into kidney failure? I know it's not supposed to be given to cats with kidney disease, so I'm trying to understand what's going on here.
Additionally, she had complained earlier this year of left sided back pain. She also said the pain was on her left side. She described it as it feeling like a bowling ball rolling into her side. The doctors attributed the back pain to a botched back surgery from a few years ago. Now I'm wondering if it could've been her kidneys. She had tests done (blood work, xrays, and an ultrasound, I think) and if something was going on with her kidneys it was either missed or no one told her. Any thoughts?
Please don't tell me what you think I need to hear, I want the truth. At the very least, I want to be able to learn from this experience. |
It's difficult to nail down what exactly causes kidney failure for each person because everyone is different. My aunt had it and was not overweight although I believe she had high blood pressure. And high blood pressure can be a contributing factor. Also she was taking 5 medications and multiple medications can put a burden on the kidneys. Plus age alone can be a contributing factor: She was about 87 when diagnosed with kidney failure. I visited her after she was diagnosed and she seemed perfectly healthy. That's why they call it the silent disease. A person can seem just fine until they reach stage 4 or 5. Although it may be somewhat different for each person.
One thing, besides drugs, that I believe can put a strain on the kidneys is a diet high in animal protein, and processed foods. We should only eat as much animal protein as what our body requires, assuming one eats animal protein. They say a plant based diet is better so there is a choice everyone needs to make for themselves.
And I shouldn't forget exercise because that's needed to maintain good health in general. Being sedentary is a risk factor.
I lost my cousin to kidney disease too. She was also in her 80s and seemed fairly healthy until the last year of her life. Sometimes people like my cousin know they have it in an early stage but don't pay any attention to it until they reach kidney failure.
That's why it's important to establish good lifestyle habits as early in life as possible. It's difficult to make changes in older years.
Lasix for Kidney Failure? 
