Lewisham grandmother recalls shocking moment she was told she had kidney disease in bid to raise awareness

A pensioner who was diagnosed with kidney disease after being rushed to hospital during the height of the pandemic is raising awareness of the condition.

Susan Riley, 71, from, Lewisham, did not think too much about her history of high blood pressure, but was shocked when she was rushed to A&E, before her life would be changed forever. 

Now Mrs Riley is working with the charity Kidney Research UK to raise awareness and get more people to understand their risk factors.

At first the doctors struggled to find the cause of Mrs Riley’s problems, placing her in critical care before moving her to a heart ward.

She finally found herself in the care of the kidney specialists.

Mrs Riley said: “The doctors and staff were always caring and polite, but at the time I didn’t know what was happening to me.

“My mother had high blood pressure and so did other people in our family, and I never imagined that it would have such an impact on my life.”

A biopsy at Guy’s Hospital gave Mrs Riley and her family the answer to her health issues – she was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease known as membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. 

Mrs Riley was told she would need to prepare for dialysis as she was likely to go into renal failure within a year.

She said: “I was in total shock. I had been handed all these leaflets and materials to read with the understanding that it would be a year until I really needed this treatment. 

“I think I panicked a lot because you are suddenly faced with the diet restrictions, a new routine and you think it’s going to ruin your life.

“But the care and attention that I got on the dialysis ward is something that I will remember forever, and it helped me to see that dialysis, while difficult, is keeping me alive.”

For Mrs Riley, the dialysis treatment that now takes so much of her time – four hours in hospital, three times a week, is keeping her alive.

Sandra Currie, chief executive at Kidney Research UK, said: “Susan’s story will sound all too familiar to kidney patients but will be rather shocking to the others. 

“High blood pressure is a major risk factor for kidney disease – getting tested as soon as any risk factors occur is so important.”

Kidney Research UK estimates that of the 3.5 million people currently living with kidney disease, about one million are unaware that they even have the condition. 

The organisation is encouraging people to find out if they are at risk of kidney disease via the charity’s free online health check. 

To use the free health check, visit:  https://www.kidneyresearchuk.org/kidney-health-information/kidneyhealthcheck/

Pictured Top: Susan Riley (Picture: Kidney Research UK)