Joint Pain

[Unregistered]

I have been on PD since March and am on the cycler doing great except for severe pain in my right knee and ankle at night. The pain is so severe I "beg for mercy". Occasionally I have it in the left knee and ankle. My phosphorus is within normal limits. Does anyone else have this or am I the only one. I also suffer restless leg and neuropathy.
Nellie Pearl

[Dori Schatell]

Hi Nellie,

I'm so sorry to hear about your knee and ankle pain-it sounds awful! Since your pain is in one leg and not the other, do you recall any sort of accident that may have wrenched it--like a slide where you didn't quite fall? Have you started to wear different shoes recently? Or maybe hurt your back, and change the way you walk? Not everything that happens to you on dialysis is because of dialysis.

There are some conditions linked with kidney failure that can cause bone and joint pain besides high phosphorus levels. How long have you been on dialysis--PD or any other type? A condition called dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) can cause deposits of a waxy protein in joints, on tendons, and around bones. This is pretty common in dialysis--but usually after a number of years.

It is possible that your neuropathy may be contributing to your pain. This month's Topic of Month article is about neuropathy. You can read it at: http://www.homedialysis.org/resources/tom/200706/.

Please talk with your nephrologist about your pain--and if he or she can't find the basis of it, ask for a referral to an orthopedic specialist. One way or the other, you should at least be able to find answers, and hopefully some pain relief.