I have been at level 4CKD for nearly 2 years now nd at present my reading of eGFR is 26. I am due to have an Aortic Valve total replace ment operation in the near furture. I have been told that this will cause my kidneys to fail i.e Level 5. Has any one had a heart operation which caused this to happen? Do the kidneys ever recover or is it inevitable I will have to undergo kidney dialysis for the rest of my life? I am now 79 and hope to live a few years longer.
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Hi. I don't have experience of this, but have been told that my kidney transplant operation will reduce my remaining kidney function to a level where I need dialysis. Obviously, this won't matter if my transplant is successful. As you may have guessed, due to the fact that I'm due to have a kidney transplant, my function is borderline dialysis anyway.
So I would expect a reduction in your kidney function, but I'd hope not to the extent that you'd need dialysis immediately.
But it would probably reduce to a level where sometime in the future, dialysis would be likely.
Good luck with the heart operation. Your Dr must think any risk involved in the heart op is worth it.
gilders having a kidney transplant should prevent you needing dialysis thats the whole point of it! if you get the transplant before starting dialysis the sooner the better!
Hi Phillen. I understand that and that's why I was referred for a transplant 18 months ago. I have 3 people wanting to donate and it's taken 18 months to get to the stage I'm at. It is such a slow process in my area. I'm just lucky that my kidney function is hanging on by the skin if it's teeth!
I have a strong enough tissue match with the donor, but I have many antibodies (due to previous blood transfusions). My antibodies have reacted with my donor, so the tests are being repeated to see if the reaction is less aggressive. I wish they had done these blood tests 18 months ago. It would have helped if my other 2 donors could have gone through the tests as well, so I had a back up. But it all comes down to cost and my local NHS can't afford.
I see other specialists at Addenbrookes. It's completely different there. They want to spend money on preventing you getting worse. My local NHS hospital can, seemingly, only spend money when you've become so unwell you need life saving treatment.
The National Health Service is far from National!
heres hoping all goes well for you the run up seems to take about a year in general usually, you sound like you have a bit more of a problem we knew someone in clinic who first had a transplant off their father (ideal match) it rejected very badly didnt last long then she had one off the cadaver list & it was going strong she had had it over 4 years, Transplant of any kind is a last resort for most it seems a success for some not good luck with your testing x
My husband at 59 had an Aortic valve replacement he was already on dialysis though he was very ill but pulled through nearly 3 years ago another patient who had valve replacement pushed him in to kidney failure a friends father who was 81 & has a degree of kidney failure & suffers AF had his replacement & he is doing really well feels like a new man he said hes had his 18 months ago!
Its a risk you may have to take as when the Aortic valve gets too bad the damage will be too far gone for them to do anything about! it may improve function a little as circulation should be better as your valve gets worse it causes heart failure & fluid overload which in turn damages kidneys further my hubbys dialysis funnily enough has helped the heart as he is now no longer fluid overload which causes stress on the heart!
I hope you find this useful information if you want to live a good few years longer it is a risk you will have to take My husbands been on dialysis for 7 years now its not the end of the world its life changing but we still have short breaks & holidays x
Thank you so much for the positive reply. I have decided to go ahead with the replacement valve. It's just that I don't know what to expect in regards to dialysis but what you have told me gives me hope.
I hope all goes well for you my husband did PD dialysis at home for the first 5 years then HD 3 x a week hopefully you may not come to that on my hubbys unit they have people on dialysis who are in their 80s 88 one lady!
I f you didnt have it done, the problems that the valve causes can also damage the kidney further any way so you could end up on dialysis without giving yourself a chance, good luck hope it all goes well x
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