164: The Relaxback UK Show with Mike Dilke - Episode 164

164: The Relaxback UK Show with Mike Dilke - Episode 164

This episode sheds light on the personal battles against chronic kidney disease and kidney cancer, mixing frank medical chat with very human stories. Aimed at anyone curious about long-term health — especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of kidney issues — you’ll get clear explanations without heavy jargon.

Host Mike Dilk first talks with Fiona Loud, Policy Director at Kidney Care UK, who shares her own experience of chronic kidney disease, five years on dialysis and a kidney transplant from her husband nearly 20 years ago.

As she puts it, “Transplantation, like dialysis, is a treatment, it's not a cure.” Fiona explains how common chronic kidney disease is (about one in ten people in the UK), why it’s often missed, and the subtle symptoms such as tiredness, nausea, swelling, and changes in urine.

She stresses simple but important actions: asking the GP for specific kidney blood and urine tests, staying hydrated, keeping blood pressure under control, eating less ultra‑processed food, and avoiding smoking because it also raises kidney cancer risk. The second half shifts to treatment options for kidney cancer with consultant radiologist Dr Alex King.

He talks through a minimally invasive procedure called thermal ablation, where small kidney tumours are frozen inside the body using needle-like probes and an “ice ball” guided by a CT scanner. Patients are usually in hospital for only a day, with recovery “measured in hours and days” rather than weeks. He compares it with surgery, discusses success rates, and encourages people with kidney cancer to ask their specialists if ablation could be an option.

Taken together, the conversations make kidney health feel urgent but manageable, with a blend of lived experience and practical medical advice that might just nudge you to check how your own kidneys are doing.