My mom had a kidney failure. My question ... - Dialysis Support
My mom had a kidney failure. My question is Dialysis is the best option?
It's the only option until she is able to receive a kidney transplant. Presumably she's at that stage in her kidney failure that she needs dialysis? I started off doing peritoneal dialysis at home. This takes place overnight for 8 hours every night. It is a big commitment and quite hard work. There is a lot of equipment involved too so plenty of room and storage space needed. You also need surgery yo have a PD catheter inserted in your abdomen and you may need to carry up to 2 litres of fluid around in your abdomen during the day. However it means that your days are your own. I still worked full time but was exhausted. After 6 months my tube became dislodged and I had to start haemodyalisis in hospital. I do this 3 day's a week starting at about 8 am and lasting until 12 pm. It's a lot less hassle but I am usually quite tired after it but once it finishes the day is your own if you feel u can do something. I can no longer work but not everyone feels like that. Some people do evening dialysis after work! I'm not aware of any other options if she's at the stage where failure is bad enough to require dialysis other than if she is lucky enough to receive a transplant before she commences dialysis. I have met people who have been lucky. Also family and friends can be tested to see if they tissue match and if so if they wish to they can donate. Living donation has the best success rate apparently. When the time comes her renal consultant will take her through everything and anything she's not sure about can be explained by one of the renal nurses who are great! Hopefully this gives u something to go on. Best wishes for your mum and hopefully she'll have a happy and healthy future.
Dialysis, there are 2 kinds, or a transplant are all treatments for Chronic Kidney Failure..
There's a lot more information here:
kidney.org.uk/help/medical-...
And here: kidneypatientguide.org.uk/t...
Any treatment can work really well, so she needs to discuss all options.. Some people have a transplant before needing dialysis, so never actually go on dialysis when their kidneys fail..
Different kinds of dialysis work better depending peoples lifestyle and needs, and general health.
and sometimes its good to go through a list:
davita.com/treatmentevaluator/
Keep asking questions
The more knowledge you have the easier it is to make good decisions
J
YES dialysis is the option but there are two types of treatment to choose from. I suggest she discusses the option but she will need some sort of dialysis.
Yes but choose carefully which option you opt for. Do you need help? With administering meds. Changing dressings etc.
I have Ckd stage 4 also heart failure & anaemia , can't have transplant due to my health conditions am waiting for dialyses & am so worried. Has anyone else experienced this appreciate any advice. Thank you Maureen
I am a doctor treating people with kidney disease for the last 30 years. I hope you do not mind if I comment.
You can live for many years (maybe a normal length of life) without dialysis and feel perfectly healthy with chronic kidney disease stage 4. Many of the effects of failing kidneys can be overcome by medicines such as phosphate binders (to reduce the phosphate which causes itching), EPO (to reverse anaemia), alfacalcidol (a form of vitamin, normally produced in the kidney), bicarbonate (to reduce acid, normally eliminated by the kidney).
The kidney function would need to deteriorate a lot more than CKD stage 4 before it would cause symptoms which would interfere with quality of life. Even at that stage, any unpleasant symptoms can be controlled by the right treatment.
In the clinic where I work, we see hundreds of people with CKD stage 4. Most will never need dialysis. All we have to do is give the right treatment to control symptoms and to prevent the kidney function deteriorating. In most cases, the deterioration in kidney function can be prevented by good blood pressure control and good blood sugar control if diabetic.
We like to plan with the patients what to do if we can't prevent the deterioration in kidney function, while at the same time trying and hoping to keep the kidneys going. Dialysis and transplant are not the only options if the kidneys fail. Many of our patients chose 'maximum conservative care' where everything possible is done to keep the kidneys going and prevent symptoms, but we do not plan to do dialysis. These patients consider that it is more important for them to spend less time in hospital and to maximize remaining quality of life rather than to live longer with dialysis.
Most older people who have kidney disease will have experienced quite a lot of illness and hospital treatment already. In that case, dialysis or symptoms of deteriorating kidney function will probably be much easier to bear than what they have already experienced. Most older patients consider dialysis to be a chore, boring, inconvenient but not painful or particularly unpleasant. Some patients who have had a lot of health problems actually feel better when they start dialysis.
The situation is different for younger, more active patients. Younger people find dialysis frustrating and seriously interferes with quality of life. We would normally provide a transplant for these patients before the kidneys fail so they do not have to experience dialysis.
Where do you practise? I would agree with all your comments except the last sentence, because if your area normally provides transplants to young patients before the the kidneys fail I am moving to where you are!
Thank you Dr for your response ,it's refreshing to find somebody takes the time to explain and cares. You remind me of my doctor. I went through five doctors before I found one that cared more about me than the money. There is money in HD but not much money in PD it seems.
If you have kidney failure at Stage 4 and your GFR is running less than 10 it is time for a transplant. If you choose no treatment the swelling of your body and the cramping of your muscles will make your quality of life miserable as the swelling continues to put fluid around your heart. Then pulmonary edema sets in. I was on all the medication you suggested and all his happened to me anyway. Dialysis as much as I hate it has got me back to my "dry weight" transplantation gives you back your life but doing nothing but what you suggested will make you miserable. I know as I was so fluid overloaded right before dialysis and I was on 80 mgs of Lasix twice a day. If you can't find a donor you must go on dialysis. Doing nothing is not an option.
I was on dialysis for three years and had the wonderful gift of a kidney transplant last June. Dialysis is the only option while waiting for a kidney transplant. But as you can see it does the job until the transplant arrives.
I had a kidney transplant over 20 years ago. A friend stepped up and donated her kidney to me so I never had to go on dialysis. A year ago I beame allergic to my ACE inhibitor blood pressure medicine that was keeping my kidney happy. I got a frightening swelling of my face called angioedema. The doctors then refused to give me this medicine and protein started accumulating in my urine and ultimately the transplant failed. I am now on peritoneal dialysis. I chose that form of dialysis as I was told it was the easiest on my body and survival was the greatest. I am now on a waiting list for a cadaver kidney as this time I have no donor. I strongly recommend transplantation if at all possible. With the new kidney exchange programs you don't have to find a match, just someone who is willing to donate. The exchange program will find a match from others in the program. Good luck. I hate dialysis but have no choice at the moment. You mom will have a normal life once transplanted. There is no comparison.
