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Chemotherapy and Dialysis: Looking for others who have had both
Kidney & Bladder | Last Active: 4 hours ago | Replies (24)Comment receiving replies
Hello. I am searching for direction and came across this. My dad is experiencing a gradual decline in his eGFR. He has had CKD for a long time, but we are now creeping into dialysis territory. Two weeks ago it as at 17 and we will get most recent report back Tuesday. Unfortunately, we have also recently found out he has kidney cancer. We have his first oncology appointment on June 16. I don't know if he will make it that long before his eGFR gets so low we have to intervene. His nephrologist and oncologist are at two different hospitals. Any advice or experience on how to handle this would be greatly appreciated.
Replies to "Hello. I am searching for direction and came across this. My dad is experiencing a gradual..."
Oh I’m so grateful for the response. I feel very alone in this. He has had CKD for a decade at least. So did my grandmother. I am not sure we really know why. The cancer was found incidentally last month when he was admitted to the hospital for a UTI. His baseline eGFR has been in the mid to low 20s for a long time. But the UTI plunged him to a 9. They released him when it got to 20, but it isn’t holding steady. So I am unsure what to do between now and the oncology appointment.
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@mmmartin Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.
You don't mention the root cause of your father's CKD. Has the eGFR trend downwards been dramatic more recently? I hope the nephrologist has already approached your dad with information on dialysis and the different modalities, what to expect, etc.
I would suggest the following: Ask the nephrologist to get a background letter over to the oncologist, explaining your dad's current situation, before that June 16 appointment. That way information is hopefully already at hand. Ask for cooperation and communication between the two clinics, to coordinate care.
In my experience, my nephrologist and oncologist communicate via emails back and forth as needed, being in two different practices and records management systems. We all work together to coordinate the best plan for my treatment, which may not be the same for the next person. You don't mention your dad's age, your general location, or details about his kidney cancer. Unfortunately these days we need to be our own advocates, to make sure the care we receive is the best for us as a patient.
Please let me know if this has been any help to you, and if you have more questions?
Ginger