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Kidney disease forces my son to be my carer at Christmas

Life-changing diagnosis

Berlina was just 22 when she discovered she was living with lupus nephritis – an inflammation of the kidneys caused by lupus. 

Berlina says: “I was an energetic person. I liked going out with friends, and spending time with family. Then one night I became so breathless I couldn’t climb the stairs to go to bed. I thought I just needed rest, but days turned to weeks without things improving. 

“I went to see the GP, who did a blood test and took a urine sample. When the results came back, he told me I needed to go to hospital, and that’s where they discovered my kidney function had fallen to 60%. That was a big shock. I felt scared that I would die and was worried for my family. 

“Doctors reassured me that if I managed my health well, I should be okay, and my kidney function would remain. However, I became tired all the time, didn’t have the energy to do things, and lost a lot of my friends who didn’t understand. I was studying nursing at university but had to give it up because I was advised my immune system would be at risk in a profession where I’d be exposed to germs. 

“I took a year out before returning to university to pass a degree in health studies. However, after I’d graduated, I had another lupus attack which halved my kidney function to 30%. It declined from there until I caught Covid-19 in 2021 and my kidneys failed. I collapsed in the bathroom where my son found me, and an ambulance took me to hospital.”