chronic kidney failure and nausea

[adairpete]

Hi, I'm not on dialysis (yet) but I've found this forum to be very helpful and I had a couple questions for anyone who might have already gone through what I'm going through.  My kidney function is at 17% (creatinine at 3.3) however through whatever fluke I have never been anemic.  In the past couple months I can tell my energy level has gone way down but the biggest problem has been nausea.  Some days I can't eat or drink (anything-not even water) without getting nauseous.  2 days in the past 2 weeks I've been so nauseous that I was shaking and clammy.  The first time I was at work and had to leave after puking my guts out (in the bathroom thankfully).  Both times I took the anti-nausea pill promethazine, which does the trick but leaves me too tired to even function.  Most times I can still function, but am miserable.  Has anybody else had these symptoms?  Any non-promethazine remedies that have worked for anyone?   
Thanks for reading!





TOPIC MOVED to appropriate section - Bajanne, Moderator

[monrein]

It goes with ESRD for many of us, as toxins build up the nausea sets in.

[Chris]

been there done that, but I didn't know I was having kidney failure at the time. Thought it was just the flu. The vomitting eventually stopped, but then swelling started off and on.

Your not alone.

[Lucinda]

I have less than 10 percent kidney function and I haven't started dialysis yet.  I thankfully don't have too many problems with nausea since I have been taking Titralac.  It seems to do the trick with the nausea.  I think you will find a lot of people have had really bad problems with nausea with many saying it resembles morning sickness.  Really good you are not anemic but the lack of energy you feel now might be a start to that.  I take titralac instead of caltrate as it has a high content of calcium but it is also a strong antacid.  It is over the counter here so if you PM me with your address, I can send some over to you but check with you neph in case you are on low doses of calcium and in that case it may not be suitable for you.  Good luck with your journey.  You'll get a lot of help here. xx 

[adairpete]

Hi Lucinda, Thanks for the info about the titralac, but I am on restricted calcium so my neph probably wouldn't approve but I'll bring it up with her (the nausea is getting more frequent and very bothersome).  My kidneys like to take calcium and make lots and lots of pretty little stones with them. 
I just had labs done today and have to wait 2 days for the results, which I'm sure will reflect what I've been feeling--that my kidneys are getting worse.  My younger brother has offered to be a donor, but he is moving from Oregon to Colorado next week and hasn't completed any of the paperwork necessary to begin the process.  The last I heard he couldn't even find the paperwork, which I'm trying desperately not to take as a passive agressive gesture that he's no longer willing to donate.  So we'll wait and see....and try to stay sane....


PS: Thanks to the moderator for moving my post-I wasn't sure where to put it!

[staceyand joe92]

My Neph treated my nausea with Reglan.  I took it 30 min before each meal and at bedtime. It seemed to help.

[paddbear0000]

I'm in the same boat you are. My function usually sits around 17%, but has been fluctuating up and back again recently. I too have been dealing with increasing nausea and vomiting. I have promethazine, but hate taking it for the same reason you do. Plus it really aggravates my restless legs. I don't know if you have any fluid restrictions yet, but I find Diet Coke (or regular Coke would work too) helps when I just have nausea. Coke syrup used to be used as an anti-nausea medicine, and i still find it very helpful. Some people will tell you to stir out as much of the bubbles as you can, but I've never found that to be any more effective (or bothersome) than drinking it as is.

What strength of promethazine do you take? I have 25mg pills, but I find that cutting them in half still helps stop the vomiting. I still have the nausea, but that's where the diet coke comes in! I can still function (as long as I'm not sitting on the couch!) and my legs don't bother me.

[monrein]

Be careful about drinking cola drinks.  They're very high in phosphorus and we don't need that as it can cause calcium to be pulled from our bones and we can end up with osteoporosis and breaking bones.  I never drink colas.

[Sunny]

I have kidney function at about 16% and have been dealing with nausea issues. Drinking water helps me. I drink a whole tall glass of water and then lay down for a while till I feel better.
I can't take anything orally when I'm nauseous so the doctor gave my anti nausea suppositories which I use when the water doesn't help.

[paddbear0000]

I have the promethazine suppositories too. The funny thing is, they don't aggravate my restless legs, where as the pills do. Weird, huh? 

[RightSide]

Oh, ABSOLUTELY I had nausea before I started dialysis!

When my GFR dropped to around 13, I couldn't drive my car more than a few blocks (!!!) before I started getting motion sickness.  Then I would throw up, pass out, the whole nine yards.  On top of that, I was short of breath, even when I was just sitting in a chair.

In my case, the blood tests showed I had severe acidosis, and my calcium was at the "critically low" level.  As soon as my neph put me on bicarbonate to raise my blood pH, and I started taking half a dozen Tums a day, I started feeling better.

I suggest you have a complete blood test workup.  Your physician will know what to order.  Most likely it's going to show all kinds of numbers that are outside the normal ranges.  Your physician will work with you to get those numbers back to normal, as my physician did with me.  And that may help your nausea.

[adairpete]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone.  My neph put me on zofran, which is better than promethazine (even if I cut them up, I would still get too drowsy to function and I need to work!).  I've taken the zofran a few times and it makes me dizzy more than anything, but that I can handle that better than being so tired I can't keep my eyelids open!  I'm on a bicarbonate since my kidney disease (distal renal tubular acidosis) causes acidosis and tums are out because of the calcium in them, which my neph wants me to avoid.  When I get nauseous most of the time I can't eat or drink anything (even water) without making the nausea worse.  I went to the coast this weekend with my brother and both coming and going I was sick as a dog!  Those windy roads and me don't get along anymore, which sucks because I love going to the ocean.  I don't really understand why I'm physically feeling so much worse since my creatinine has been fluctuating around the same general spot for the past few months, but I've getting way more fatigued and nauseous in the past couple weeks.  Are all the toxins just building up to where my body is just saying enough already!? 

[paddbear0000]

My creat has been pretty much the same now for almost 3 years, but I've been feeling worse and having more symptoms (nausea, vomiting, exhaustion, bruising, aversion to meat, etc.) for the last few months as well. Sucks, doesn't it?