Can dialysis still sustain you once there... - Dialysis Support
Can dialysis still sustain you once there is no kidney function left - Egfr zero?
Yes no other treatment of revival of kidney either transplant or dyalisis but one has to be very careful to avoid any kind of infection. Infection is very difficult to treat.
Hello.
I have been on dialysis for 20 years with zero renal function remaining from my kidneys and I am well, active and intend being so in another 20 years.
I have only just retired from full time work at 55, I play golf twice a week, ride motorcycles and travel abroad. So the answer to your question is a resounding YES!!!
This is a very comforting reply as my doctor has told me that I wont be able to stay on dialysis as it wont be any good in the long run is it Hemo that you do?
I agree absolutely. My husband has end stage 5 renal failure and is 70 years old. He is still working 4 days a week as a professional, driving 30 miles each way, we still go to concerts, etc regularly, and he has 4 times daily peritoneal dialysis and manages it himself. He can't have a transplant due to an ensurism and has been told the dialysis should sustain him for life though he may need to transfer to haemo if he has problems with the cannula, so far - 3 years - he has had none, no infections or problems at all. The key factor is being methodical and having reasonable good hygiene - though our 4 cats are in and out of the room even during dialysis much to the shock of the renal nurse! x
Hello
Yes, it is Hemo is the method of dialysis that I use. I have never done PD etc and have had 2 failed transplants. I suggest speaking to a doctor who has a better understanding of renal failure and dialysis. I would also suggest getting in touch with your local Kidney Patients Association or The National Kidney Federation (The NKF).
Where in the UK are you based?
Regards
Colin
I lost my kidneys to cancer in 2011 - I'm still working full time and helping raise my young family. I get very tired, but it's amazing what you can get used to. I'm on hemodialysis, which I've been doing at home for the last 18 months.
Hi
Yes it's very possible. My function was almost zero when I started dialysis 25 years ago. I too held down a full time job Whilst I was on dialysis I met someone who had dialysed for 27 years. I was lucky and had a transplant very quickly and it's still working after 24 years come the end of this year. You will find that some days are better than others but that's exactly the same for everyone isn't it?
Hello There. The answer to your question is yes. Dialysis, especially haemodialysis in my opinion can sustain you with a zero Renal function. The difference being that your original Kidneys worked 24 hours a day, but any form of dialysis is periodic and done over specified periods of time. Therefore it can mean that the body has to become accustomed to losing waste products for only certain periods. This is why regular dialysis is so significant. I whole heartedly encourage you to ask as many questions as you can think of to the Doctors and Nurses in charge of your care. Dialysis of whatever system is designed to be a replacement for the Kidneys. But they will never be as efficient and accurate as the Kidneys originally were. Good luck in your search for knowledge and answers. I hope you get on well and thrive on dialysis. Its important to realise you can still have a full and active life on dialysis. Good luck.
Thank you all for your very helpful information.
my mother has ESRD with only 7% kidney function remaining. i have done a lot of imperical research, and read many articles over the past 20 years on kidney function, creatine levels, and suffer's symptoms....., and there is sooooo much wrong information out there (stupid information that says if you only have 5% function you'll die within 2 weeks etc etc) ....i have learnt that no two cases are the same..., my mother is 77, refuses dialysis, she still drives her car, goes to church, buys and cooks her own food, etc, etc, but her specialists insists she is lying to him and she must be secretly ill, (and most data says she must be ill also) but she isnt.
here's something else i know..., if you maintain Zero Lung Respiration YOU WILL DIE VERY QUICKLY, if you maintain Zero Blood Pressure YOU WILL DIE VERY QUICKLY, if you maintain Zero kidney function YOU DON'T DIE VERY QUICKLY.....
Why....................... ? because the labs under-estimate the true kidney function, and then there is also an error margian in the test that also further under estimates the result, and my studies have found that it is more than possible that someone being told they have a 5% kidney function could in fact have a true function that is closer to 10- ; 15% the significance of that is this... that error margain, could mean the difference of not being stage 5 and actually being stage 4.
now of course i know none of the above explains why a person whom has 20% function is gravely ill and the person whom has 5% function isn'r gravely ill.... other than, NO TWO CASES ARE THE SAME, WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS. i do believe in statistics but my research has proven time and time again Statistics Do Not Apply To Kidney Disease.
here's another thing to consider..., the kidneys perform many complex functions, they produce urine, remove excess fuid, creatine and other wastes, they have a role in manufacuturing and regulating blood volume, they also regulate sodium and potassium..., But the two things that produce the greatest missery for a renal Patient is the build-up of Creatine and/or the build up of Fluid.
when my mother saw the hospital dietician my mother was told to reduce her fluid intake to 250 mls a day.. but my mother had no problem removing fluid, and she should never have been put on a restricted fluid diet.... see there's that thing again treating all people the same way, when they're not all the same.
my mother's function has been 7% for the past 5 years...., but if you read the data it says that we all people lose 2% function each year, it is a natural part of ageing....
the point to this long post is this... WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT, WE ARE NOT THE SAME, DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU HOW YOUR FUTURE IS GOING TO BE BECAUSE IT HAPPENED TO SOME OTHER PERSON.
also, the thing about your Doctor, he's a careless, senseless fool..., he should have been taught during his Emergency Training..... Statistics apply, but they never apply to the patient that's currently before you.