My kidney failure was mistaken for laziness
A carer from Hull found herself labelled as ‘lazy’, when she was left exhausted by an undiagnosed condition which caused her kidney function to deteriorate.
Signs of kidney disease
Eso Osagiede, 39, says: “I was always sleepy as a teenager into early adulthood. But what nobody realised was that I was fatigued because my kidneys were failing. I now recognise several signs from my childhood that, with more awareness, could have been identified long before my kidneys failed in 2012.
“I want to share my story so that other people are aware of warning signs and can seek help at an earlier stage. I hope that will mean steps can be taken to prevent kidney failure, removing the need for people to have treatments such as dialysis or a transplant.
“I’ve been receiving dialysis three times a week, for the past five years while I wait for a second transplant. There is not much fun in my life now, but my mind and spirit are unbroken. I try not to let what is happening in my body get to my head. It is hard sometimes, but I try to stay strong.”
I wish I’d known these signs of kidney disease
In the 15 years before her kidneys failed, Eso experienced recurrent symptoms which, in hindsight, were signs of her kidney disease.
She says: “When you come from a healthy family, it is easy to be ignorant to health problems. There are always ways to explain away symptoms which seem small at the time. Along with fatigue, I’d had puffiness in my face and swollen ankles. However, we just assumed it was weight gain. After my kidneys failed, I realised I’d also not been passing enough urine, and my shortness of breath was because my body was retaining water.
“I’d had a lot of urine infections growing up and my lack of awareness of kidney health meant I was doing harm in how I tried to prevent those infections. I often held my urine to avoid using public toilets as I thought a lack of cleanliness in those restrooms could be a contributing factor. This meant restricting the amount of water I drank outside of the home.
“As my kidney problems remained undiagnosed, there was no opportunity to prevent or delay kidney failure. I had just graduated from university and was working as a teacher, then suddenly found myself in hospital needing dialysis and a transplant. It broke me.”
Treatment for kidney failure
Eso needed dialysis for a year before receiving a transplant from her mother in 2013. She says: “Mum gave me my life back but sadly after seven years my transplant failed when I caught the Covid-19 virus in 2020. It was traumatic to be told I needed dialysis again.
“I had been excelling in my career as a teacher but had to make the difficult decision to leave that profession because of how much dialysis drained me. It has also prevented me from pursuing my ambitions as a singer. The treatment has limited my life in many ways, making it harder to travel and socialise with friends. I try not to think about when my transplant will happen. I just keep faith that it will happen eventually.
“While I wait, I want to inspire others going through similar challenges and raise awareness through my Tik Tok page and Eso Kidney Alive Foundation in Nigeria. When I was first unwell, I worried about the stigma and people seeing me as fragile. Now I’m really glad I opened up to talk about my experiences.
“It has given me the chance to talk about the importance of organ donation, particularly increasing the number of donors from Black communities. There are so many cultural and religious beliefs that put people off. I would probably have shared similar feelings without having been through it myself. Mum was in her 50s when she donated a kidney to me. She’s still healthy and I hope that shows that being a donor is something we can all consider.
“Organ donation is life changing. There is so much I want to do once I’ve had my second transplant. I’d love to get back to teaching and singing. I want to have lots of life experiences and travel more again.”
Kidney health check
There are estimated to be 7.2 million people in the UK currently living with chronic kidney disease, more than 10% of the entire population. However, symptoms can often remain undetected or attributed to other causes.
Knowing your risk of kidney disease could help you and healthcare professionals to protect your kidneys, preventing or delaying the need for life-altering treatments such as dialysis or a transplant.
Why not make a donation now?
Every £ counts towards transforming treatments for people living with kidney disease.