back pain behind kidneys and breathlessness after walking short distance

Hello,

My dad has been a diabetic for 40 years and is 75 year old. His doctor has him taking nefrosave tablets (acetylene cysteine 300mg and pyridoxamine dihydrochloride 50mg) after his serum creatinine touched 1.0. His fast sugar and post prandial seem to be in the normal range for a diabetic. However, recently in the past couple of months he has started complaining of breathlessness after walking a short distance (less than 10 feet) and has to sit down to catch his breath. Also, he gets fatigued easily after doing daily chores (like taking a bath). Recently, he has started complaining about pain in his lower back (above tail bone but below the chest rib cage). We started suspecting that pain is behind his kidneys based on what we read on internet. His urine color is transparent and not foamy. Additionally, he has been suffering from severe constipation and he has been taking dulcolax every day, but it doesn't seem to be help. Could you pl let me know if all of the above are symptomatic of kindney infection/inflammation?.

[montage9]

Based on the tests Doc's concluded that breathlessness and back pain were symptoms of hyponatermia / hypokalemia

[Marina_busybee]

I'm  glad  Drs  could  diagnose your  dad's  condition  and hopefully  have  started  a  successful  treatment  for him.

Take  care!

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Inadequate oxygenation can produce symptoms of breathlessness, as the body tries in an effort to compensate for the decreased oxygen supply. The breathlessness could be due to cardiac or lung disorders. Breathlessness on exertion could be due to the decreased lung function. Again in cardiac disorders the heart is unable to pump the blood adequately, more so when subjected to stress like exercise. So please consult your primary care physician who may ask for an EKG or a treadmill test to rule out a cardiac cause for the symptoms. He may even ask for blood tests and an X ray chest. Lung function tests could further help in evaluation.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[montage9]

Thanks for the suggestions Doctor!.

We did get my dad admitted in the hospital. The EKG/ECG turned out to be normal. They are currently treating him for hyponatermia/hypokalemia and secondary hypothyroidism (T3 was 39.4 when the normal range is between 60 to 180. the TSH and T4 are within normal range). They have suggested taking Eltroxin for 2 weeks and then return for a blood test.

Even after administering 3% saline solution intervenously for 72 hours, his sodium level moved up by only one point (127 to 128, whereas the normal range is 135 +).

At the hospital they did not suggest a lung function test since he has no history of lung problems. We are really puzzled by his reduced oxygenation. Additionally, his diabetic neuropathy seems to have advanced and he is not able to stand on his legs, he feels as if he might fall backwards and needs constant help to do his daily chores. Even about 1 month back he was more independent. So we are all very concerned.

Thanks

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

He could be having diabetic nephropathy also. Once his electrolytes and thyroid levels are normalized, his symptoms will improve.

But to prevent further damage, he will have to take medications regularly and check his blood sugars to ensure it is in the normal range of 80-120mg/dl. Strict adherence to a diabetic diet and regular exercise will further help to reduce blood sugars.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.