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← Return to Stage 5 renal failure: Docs says options are death or dialysis
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Stage 5 renal failure: Docs says options are death or dialysis
Kidney & Bladder | Last Active: Apr 1, 2020 | Replies (16)Comment receiving replies
@larry1943, Welcome to Connect. In February 2009, while waiting for a liver transplant, my kidneys failed suddenly and I was placed in ICU and put on emergency dialysis to keep me alive until the doctors could stabilize my condition and seek further treatment. I tell you that because I also heard "short stay in hospice" as one of two options for me. I tell you that because I definitely know what you are saying and feeling right now.
I was 60 at that time. And my husband agreed to dialysis for me when I couldn't speak for myself. I am glad he did that. After hospitalizaton, I became an outpatient for dialysis. Dialysis kept me alive untilI was able to qualify to be returned to the liver transplant waiting list.
Talk with the doctors. Will the dialysis give them time to find out what caused this situation? Might it be temporary? If it is permanent, is that so bad? I have friends who are doing well and remaining active while on dialysis.
How can I help you?
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I had the same problem just before my transplant. 12 years ago, I had been evaluated for a liver and rejected at a local hospital because of my weight (too high). Four days after I left the hospital my kidneys failed and I went to the ICU and put on 24 hour dialysis. I was told I needed a liver transplant quickly and my doctors tried to find a hospital that would accept me. My nephrologist had a colleague that now worked at Mayo, Jax. The colleague asked for my chart and it was faxed to them. The next morning, Mayo called and told my nephrologist to get me on an air ambulance ASAP. The next afternoon my wife and I flew from Dallas to Jacksonville. I was admitted to the ICU and placed back on 24 hour dialysis. After 5 days of evaluation I was put on the top of the liver list with a meld of 43. (Extra points for the kidney failure.)
Of the team of nephrologists there, they said they would like to have time for a liver - kidney transplant, but I didn’t have the time to wait for a kidney. My liver was failing too quickly and I could live on dialysis until a kidney became available. Also, they said there was a great chance the kidney would start working again after the liver transplant. They said the kidney failure is from hepatal-renal syndrome. The diseased liver forces the kidneys into failure.
I had my liver transplant 10 days after I arrived at Mayo.
It turned out my kidneys did start working again, but not well. The best I got was a GFR of 26. They predicted I would lose the little kidney function I had and I would be put on the kidney transplant list in 5 years. As it turned out, 10 years after the transplant, the kidney function dropped to 17% and it has stayed in that area for almost 2 years. I am currently on the list, but looking for a live donor.