'I thought I’d just broken a toe but I actually need a new kidney'
'I thought I’d just broken a toe but I actually need a new kidney'
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Niven Hopkins came home from work thinking he had broken his toe. He was shocked after finding out he would need a new kidney. The 27-year-old, who runs marathons, was diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease after his foot ‘ballooned’ to four times the size in July last year. Doctors told the electrical and air conditioning engineer that his kidneys were in such a bad condition they could not even do a biopsy to test it.
Niven, from from Bolton, said: “I couldn’t walk, I struggled to get a doctor’s appointment for the first couple of days so I couldn’t take any medication or anything. I just kind of had to battle it.". He added: "I managed to see the doctor and he said ‘we weren’t expecting someone like you to walk in, so young and healthy. We were expecting someone a bit older or overweight’.”.
Niven’s doctor diagnosed him with gout, but his whole world changed three days later after a phone call at 5am. He was told to rush to the Royal Bolton Hospital as tests showed his kidneys were failing. He said: “That was a big shock, obviously. My girlfriend was in tears. I was in there for about six days, where I was on a drip and undergoing loads of examinations.”.
It was there that Niven was diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease. Tests showed his kidneys only functioned at around 15 per cent. Niven, who is still waiting to receive a new kidney, said he is not sure what has caused his condition, with doctors suggesting he may have eaten a diet which was too high in protein. He believes that's "not 100% correct".
