5. Feeling wiped out all day for no reason
Toxins (uremia) + anemia from low erythropoietin = crushing fatigue that rest doesn’t fix.
6. Shortness of breath after walking across the room
Two causes:
- Fluid backing up into your lungs (pulmonary edema)
- Severe anemia from failing kidneys
7. Relentless itching — especially at night
Uremic toxins irritate nerve endings under the skin. Moisturizer and antihistamines do nothing.
8. Metallic or ammonia taste in your mouth + sudden food aversion
Waste products in the blood change how everything tastes. Meat especially starts tasting “off.”
9. Unexplained weight loss and zero appetite
Your body shuts down hunger to protect itself from more waste it can’t process.
10. Frequent muscle cramps — especially in legs at night
Electrolyte chaos (high phosphate, low calcium, messed-up potassium) triggers painful spasms.
11. Brain fog, trouble concentrating, memory slips
Uremic toxins cross into the brain. Many patients think it’s early dementia — until kidney treatment clears the fog.
12. High blood pressure that suddenly gets harder to control
Damaged kidneys release too much renin → vicious cycle of worsening hypertension and worsening kidney damage.