Kidney failure can be chronic or acute. Either way it can affect and change a person's life dramatically.

It is important to maintain your health effectively during this period. For that, a tailored care plan with a structured approach to medical, dietary and lifestyle adjustments is required.

Wondering what that plan should be like? Are you struggling to get on the right plan?

Worry not. You’re not alone in chalking this plan out. We will help you to do this.

In this blog, you can explore how to navigate this challenging period with great confidence and a lot of understanding.

Before diving into the care plan, let’s do a quick recap on kidney failure, its causes and stages. Because, every risk factor and stage of failure demands a customised care plan.

What is Kidney Failure?

When one or both of your kidneys stop functioning on their own, that condition is called Kidney Failure or Renal failure.

Kidney failure is the most severe stage of Kidney disease and without treatment it is fatal.

It can be Acute Kidney Failure or Chronic Kidney Failure. Acute Kidney Failure develops quickly and they are temporary. Chronic Kidney Failure is long term and it gets worse over time.

Causes of Kidney Diseases

Following are the common causes of Chronic Kidney Disease or Chronic Kidney Failure :

• Diabetes - If it is not managed your blood sugar level can rise which will lead to the damage of kidneys and other organs.

• High Blood Pressure - In this case blood travels forcefully through your blood vessels. If not treated on time, it can damage the vessels and tissues of the kidneys.

• Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) - In this condition, cysts or sacs filled with fluid grow inside your kidneys.

• Glomerular Disease - It will affect the filtering units of your kidneys.

• Lupus- This is an autoimmune disease which can cause organ damage.

Common causes for Acute Kidney Failure include :

• Severe dehydration

• Autoimmune Kidney Diseases

• Some medications you take

• Any obstruction in you Urinary Tract

• Heart disease, liver disease or any such systemic disease that are left untreated.

Symptoms of Kidney Diseases

During the early stages, it is hard to diagnose Kidney disease since there aren't any symptoms.

Usually, they are diagnosed only when you take any blood test or urine test for any other health condition you are experiencing.

If not detected on time, kidney disease may get worse and it may show any of the following symptoms :

• Fatigue or you are extremely tired always.

• Breathing trouble

• Poor appetite or metallic taste in mouth

• Weight loss

• Oedema or your ankles, feets and/or hands are swollen

• Nausea and vomiting

• Dry and itchy skin

• Blood in your urine

• Your urination tendency is increased, particularly during night

• Insomnia or difficult to sleep

• Muscle cramps or spasms

• Trouble to concentrate

• Confusion

• Erectile dysfunction (in men)

Stages of Chronic Kidney Failure

Chronic kidney disease has 5 stages. This division is based on Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR). This mathematical formula involves a person’s age, gender,and their serum creatinine level.

Following table will give you an idea about stages of kidney disease and kidney functioning in those stages.

Diagnostic procedure for Kidney Failure

Following are some the test through which Chronic Kidney Failure can be diagnosed :

Blood Tests - This is to test the amount of creatinine, a waste product, in your blood.

To calculate how much waste your kidneys should be able to filter in a minute, your doctor will use these blood test results along with your age, gender, size and ethnic group. This calculation is known as estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate or eGFR.

You can find the eGFR values during various stages in the above given box.

Urine Test - Through urine test ACR or Albumin to Creatinine Ratio in your blood can be determined. You can also check for blood or protein in your through urine test. This helps in determining the health of your kidneys.

There are other tests too, to determine the health of your kidneys.

Ultrasound Scan, MRI Scan, or a CT Scan can be used to check how your kidneys look now and whether there are any blockages.

A Kidney Biopsy can also be done for any possible damages to your kidneys.

Care Plan for Kidney Failure

Following are some of the issues you might face during kidney failure. The care plan your medical plan will follow is also described below:

Impaired Urinary Elimination

A nurse will monitor and keep track of how much urine you eliminate in relation to the liquid/water you drink or consume.

And if they think you are not urinating enough, your doctors will use diuretic medication or insertion of a catheter as the solution.

They will take steps to make sure that there is no infection. For that they will keep your pelvic region clean all the time. They will also teach you and your bystander or family or friends, about the importance of this care plan.

Fluid Retention

When your body holds too much of liquid, it is called fluid retention. This can cause your legs, ankles and feet to swell up.

Fluid retention can also cause confusion and difficulty in breathing.

Your nurse will continuously check whether you are facing fluid retention. There are different ways to check for fluid retention, which includes measuring your weight, measuring your urine output, checking for any swelling and listening to the sound of your breath.

And if they find that there is excess fluid retention, they will start restricting your fluid intake and give you diuretic medicines.

Swelling might sometimes cause your skin to break down. In order to avoid that from happening, swelled areas will be treated.

If you have stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease, you will be prepared for dialysis treatments.

Electrolyte Imbalance

Your body becomes unhealthy when it is facing kidney failure. Due to this, the balance of chemicals such as sodium, calcium and potassium also becomes unhealthy. This is called electrolyte imbalance.

Your nurse will monitor your results and any other vital signs daily inorder to make sure that these electrolytes are balanced.

And if they find any kind of imbalance, they will start procedures to maintain the balance. This includes providing lactose solution, giving diuretic medications and changes in your daily diet.

High Blood Pressure

If you have Chronic Kidney Disease, you will have high blood pressure.

A nurse will check your blood pressure regularly. And to decrease this blood pressure they will intervene and give you diuretic medicines. They will also change your diet and lifestyle.

Self Care Plan

Along with the medical care plans, you can also have your own self care plan. Some of the steps you can follow at home are given below :

• Your doctor might have prescribed you a specific renal diet suitable for your condition. Make sure to follow it religiously.

• If there isn’t any specific diet, make sure to eat healthy.

• If your doctor has recommended any restriction on fluids, follow it.

• Stay active - after consulting with your doctor, involve in some kind of physical activities.

• Check your blood pressure and its frequency should be as per the recommendation of your team.

• Monitor your blood sugar level

• Quit smoking completely.

• Take all the medicines as per prescription.

• Take plenty of rest.