Kidney Disease after aspirin overdose? Please Help Posted: 12-03-07 15:53pm
So, I've been experiencing symptoms that I
think may be either a UTI, or some sort of
kidney infection/disease.
A bit of background:
Female, 19 years old, I haven't felt truly
healthy in years. A few months ago, I was
drunk and stupid and made a valliant
effort to kill myself by overdose. I took
around 75 aspirin (kinda just the regular
size round ones). I waited about 5 hours
before I got to the hospital. I only ended
up going because the pain in my abdomen
was absolutely unbearable. It was as if
someone had taken a chainsaw to my
insides. I had the most pain in my
stomach, and what I was told were my poor
kidneys. By the time I got to the
hospital, nobody was very confident that
my organs wouldn't shut down, and there
wasn't a lot they could do besides give me
around 6 cups of charcoal goop and hope
for the best. ER dr's and nurses felt that
it might be too late, until I started to
stabilize.
I was told of the possibility of needing
dialysis...but I'm a broke and stupid kid
who does not have and cannot afford
healthcare, and I was never able to follow
up.
I guess I could also mention that this was
a second attempt. The first being at the
age of 13, taking about 40 aspirin and not
seeking medical treatment.
So, I know that I have some degree of
kidney damage.
Recently, I've been experiencing:
-Back/abdomen pain, in the middle of my
torso, on both sides, and towards my
back.
-Extreme fatique. No matter what balance
of sleep I get, I'm still failing to stay
awake during normal activities.
-General disarray and confusion and
inability to concentrate. It's getting to
the point of where I have to stop in the
middle of a sentence because I've confused
myself.
-Urinary issues. I thought I had a UTI, so
I took a an OTC med to help with the
symptoms. Not much pain, but an inability
to urinate, and when I could, I was unable
to empty my bladder and got no relief.
-My urine has been pale and very cloudy,
and has a strange odor... I don;t know how
to describe it. It's not sharp.
-I've been urinating much less often
(although I drink the same amounts of
fluids)
-Loss of appetite. I've been trying to
pretend like I was hungry for about 2
weeks now, but it's not working.
-I've been experiencing bouts of extreme
nausea in which I dry heave very strongly.
To the point in which my muscles tense and
spasm so hard that I'm left feeling
totally void of energy.
-I have been in a constant state of mild
nausea.
-I have general lower abdomen pain, but
not trouble with BMs
-I have a general feeling of
unhealthiness. I feel weak.
I'm not usually too worried about my
health, but I'm scared, you know? I really
hurt myself with my attempts, and I want
to make up for it by making sure that I
seek proper treatment if I'm having
issues.
Anyone have any opinions on what could be
wrong?
I cannot afford to seek medical treatment
if it isn't absolutely necessary, so
please consider this.
Should I seek medical
treatment/diagnosis?
Any advice is welcome and much
appreciated.
|
^Serenity^
Moderator
Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 1430
Thanks: 139
Thanked:171
Posted: 12-03-07 20:34pm
Did the doctors tell you what your GFR is?
This is your glomerular filtration rate it
measures your kidney function and can help
tell the stage of kidney disease. There
are 5 stages of kidney disease.
I'm sorry to hear all you are going
through and have been through.
Is there a clinic in your area that will
offer to run a blood and urine test to
check your kidney function? Most states
have free or reduced clinics for people
with no insurance.