29-year-old man has kidney failure because of staying up late and eating in a hurry during his student days

Habit of eating at night, staying up late from student days

More than 3 years ago, when he was still working for a company, the life of Duc (name has been changed), 32 years old, living in Hanoi , still revolved around long night shifts and hasty meals.

His job is not too special, nor is it much different from the usual lifestyle of young people in big cities: "I work late, often eat at night. When I'm too tired, I drink tea or coffee to stay awake. When I'm hungry, I eat whatever is convenient, mainly instant noodles and fast food," Duc shared.

According to Duc, the habit of irregular living began to form during his student years. “Since my student days, I worked part-time, coming home around 10pm-10:30pm. I started eating late at night, staying up until 2-3am,” Duc said.

During a routine health check-up at work three years ago, Duc suddenly discovered that his blood pressure was abnormally high.

Continuing to do in-depth tests, the results of high blood fat, kidney function index also showed worrying signs. "After going for a check-up, I found out I was in stage 3," Duc recalled.

At the age of 29, with a family and a small child, Duc blamed himself for the years of staying up late and eating irregularly since his student days, which led to his health being exhausted and leading to illness.

From company employee to full-time dad

The young father said that since discovering stage 3 kidney failure, he had to give up his stable job because his body was weak and he could not do heavy work.

"Starting from stage 3B, I quit my job at the company. I submitted a resignation letter, then went home to help the family, and my wife also became the main breadwinner," Duc shared.

When asked if he regrets the years of his youth that ruined his health, Duc admitted that it was the price he had to pay for endless night shifts and the grind of modern life.

Three months ago, Duc had to undergo regular dialysis because his kidney function had seriously declined, only about 10-15% left and he was almost unable to eliminate toxins on his own.

Since then, his busy career has given way to a new role: full-time father. His days are now cut into fixed blocks of time.

In the morning, he takes his son to preschool, then to the hospital for dialysis (3 times a week), which lasts several hours. In the afternoon, he drives back to pick up his son, allowing his wife to go to work. His 3-year-old son is too young to understand what his father is facing.

Don't wait until it's too late to think about your health.

For Duc, kidney disease is not a death sentence, but it has completely changed his life. From a healthy young man, the pillar of his family, now, every day of his life is associated with illness and medicine.

From his own story, Duc learned a painful lesson: "Before, I also thought that since I was young and healthy, I would work hard, working day and night. But the body has limits. Staying up late, eating irregularly, abusing energy drinks, coffee... in the long run is really dangerous."

More than 3 years of living with the disease has made the 32-year-old young father change many of his views on life.

He no longer has to chase after the rush of work goals like before, but spends more time with his family, taking his children to school in the mornings, and having warm dinners with his wife and children.

Illness, in a way, taught Duc to slow down, not because of loss, but because he appreciated more what he had.

According to Dr. Nguyen Van Tuyen - Head of the Department of Nephrology and Urology, Duc Giang General Hospital (Hanoi), unscientific living habits are becoming a common cause of kidney failure in young people.

"Many cases of chronic kidney failure are caused by eating fatty foods, staying up late, prolonged stress, and lack of exercise," said Dr. Tuyen.

The danger of this disease is that it progresses silently, with almost no obvious symptoms in the early stages.

"Regular health check-ups, especially early kidney function check-ups, are the only way to detect diseases in time. Unfortunately, many young people are still subjective, thinking they are still healthy so they skip regular check-ups. By the time they discover the disease, it is too late," Dr. Tuyen warned.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/nguoi-dan-ong-29-tuoi-suy-than-vi-thoi-sinh-vien-thuc-khuya-an-voi-va-20250620081158895.htm