Phospho-Soda and Kidney Failing Injury: Mary's Story

Mary is a 54-year-old wife, mother, grandmother and successful business owner.  As part of her preventative health plan, her doctor advised her to have a colonscopy.  A colonoscopy is a diagnostic procedure that allows physicians to examine the large intestine. The procedure is crucial in identifying problems with the colon and rectum such as cancer, inflamed tissue, ulcers, polyps, bleeding and similar disorders.

In preparation for this diagnostic procedure, three days before the procedure, Mary began a liquid diet to cleanse the lower intestine.  The evening before, she drank an oral laxative for bowel prep, Fleet® Phospho-Soda®, followed by a second dose in the morning. 

Her colonoscopy was uneventful—no signs of polyps, bleeding or pre-cancerous tissue. However, Mary did not feel right. She experienced stomach pain, bloating, extreme nausea and was too tired to get out of bed. Her husband rushed her to the Emergency Room and, after being examined by the medical team, learned her kidneys were failing. Kidney dialysis was provided and Mary was stabilized.

Mary was referred to a team of kidney specialists who diagnosed her failing kidneys as Nephrocalcinosis, a condition which occurs when calcium and phosphate particles block blood flow in the kidneys. Through extensive questioning, the team determined that the Fleet® Phospho-Soda® Mary ingested prior to her colonoscopy had caused severe kidney dehydration and, as a result, kidney blockage. Worst of all, her kidneys are permanently damaged and, as a result, she requires weekly dialysis treatments and eventually a kidney transplant.