Has anyone heard of an artificial kidney being made?

Posted by gregsr @gregsr, Mar 9, 2016

Has anyone heard of an artificial kidney being made?

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@contentandwell

@marvinjsturing A mechanical kidney! Wow, that sounds like a great step forward. As one who is on immunosuppressants after my liver transplant, I know how great it would be to not have to be.

I hope your sister will be approved and that you can move forward. If you have a living donor do you still have to wait to reach a certain level of lack of function?

For those of you who are familiar with living donors for livers, is there a certain MELD that has to be reached before you can get that transplant? I presume insurance will not pay for it until you do reach a level of malfunction.
JK

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@contentandwell JK, kidney function is measured by GFR. You have to have a GFR of 20 or below to qualify for a transplant. In the last 4 years, my GFR has ranged from 10 to 17. When I had my initial evaluation I asked Mayo about the insurance I had and was told that they typically cover the transplant so I'm hoping things go through quickly.

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@marvinjsturing

@contentandwell JK, kidney function is measured by GFR. You have to have a GFR of 20 or below to qualify for a transplant. In the last 4 years, my GFR has ranged from 10 to 17. When I had my initial evaluation I asked Mayo about the insurance I had and was told that they typically cover the transplant so I'm hoping things go through quickly.

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@marvinjsturing please keep us updated on your progress. It’s such an exciting and also sort of scary time when you are finally about to get a transplant. By the time got the call my husband and I were excited but amazingly calm. I had reached a point where it was not really scary because I was pretty miserable, and my husband had not told me, but he and my sister thought they were going to lose me. I never thought of it like that, I just wondered how I was going to deal with my misery until my transplant time came. I really hope your donor works out for you.
JK

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@kamama94

@rosemarya, feeling quite well and energetic though I have no idea what my next labs will say.

Bioengineering kidney tissue or an entire kidney will be in the near future, though probably not near enough for some of us. I'm still looking at eventual dialysis but am trying to postpone it as long as possible with proper diet, rest, appropriate fluids.

Neph wants me to have an AV graft sooner rather than later, 2nd opinion neph disagrees, so far nobody has decided anything. Or if they have they forgot to tell me.

Getting info from my neph is like pulling teeth. Sometimes I wait a couple of weeks for a less-than-satisfactory partial answer. Since I cannot travel and have few insurance options, my current neph is basically the only one I can access. It's a bummer but I'm coping.

Currently working on diabetic and kidney friendly Native American ingredients recipe collection and having lots of fun. "Cooking Cherokee" literally is in my DNA, I just have eliminated all meat from my diet and from the recipes. Other than that, they're authentic.

How are YOU?

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@kamama94, Thank you for asking me how I am. I had my annual checkup for my 10th year post liver/kidney transplant in early May.. My organs are from a deceased donor. I had a simultaneous transplant - 1 deceased donor, 1 surgery. I am excited to share that they are both doing extremely well. My doctors told me to keep doing what I am doing to take care of my organs. And that includes routine labs and taking my antirejection medications.
I hope that you have good lab results coming up. You deserve it because of your dedication to your diet. Your self determination is admirable and an inspiration. I enjoy reading your posts.

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@rosemarya

@kamama94, Thank you for asking me how I am. I had my annual checkup for my 10th year post liver/kidney transplant in early May.. My organs are from a deceased donor. I had a simultaneous transplant - 1 deceased donor, 1 surgery. I am excited to share that they are both doing extremely well. My doctors told me to keep doing what I am doing to take care of my organs. And that includes routine labs and taking my antirejection medications.
I hope that you have good lab results coming up. You deserve it because of your dedication to your diet. Your self determination is admirable and an inspiration. I enjoy reading your posts.

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How nice of you.

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@marvinjsturing

@contentandwell JK, kidney function is measured by GFR. You have to have a GFR of 20 or below to qualify for a transplant. In the last 4 years, my GFR has ranged from 10 to 17. When I had my initial evaluation I asked Mayo about the insurance I had and was told that they typically cover the transplant so I'm hoping things go through quickly.

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@contentandwell @retiredteacher @rosemarya @kamama94 @gaylea1 @colleenyoung @hopeful33250 @gingerw @cehunt57 I don't remember who all is following my story. Latest update: both Mayo and my insurance company have approved my kidney transplant and I am now on the UNOS list as an active candidate. My sister was trying to get approved to be a donor. She was scheduled for her test in mid June but had to reschedule because she was sick. When her sickness did not go away, she finally went to the doctor again. She had a collapsed lung and an enlarged spleen. Still waiting for test results, but doctors think she has some form of lymphoma. Should know by Wednesday. There are a lot of prayers being said for my sister right now.

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@marvinjsturing

@contentandwell @retiredteacher @rosemarya @kamama94 @gaylea1 @colleenyoung @hopeful33250 @gingerw @cehunt57 I don't remember who all is following my story. Latest update: both Mayo and my insurance company have approved my kidney transplant and I am now on the UNOS list as an active candidate. My sister was trying to get approved to be a donor. She was scheduled for her test in mid June but had to reschedule because she was sick. When her sickness did not go away, she finally went to the doctor again. She had a collapsed lung and an enlarged spleen. Still waiting for test results, but doctors think she has some form of lymphoma. Should know by Wednesday. There are a lot of prayers being said for my sister right now.

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@marvinjsturing I'm so sorry to hear this is happening. Mayo is a place filled with miracles, I hope your prayers are answered.

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@marvinjsturing

@contentandwell @retiredteacher @rosemarya @kamama94 @gaylea1 @colleenyoung @hopeful33250 @gingerw @cehunt57 I don't remember who all is following my story. Latest update: both Mayo and my insurance company have approved my kidney transplant and I am now on the UNOS list as an active candidate. My sister was trying to get approved to be a donor. She was scheduled for her test in mid June but had to reschedule because she was sick. When her sickness did not go away, she finally went to the doctor again. She had a collapsed lung and an enlarged spleen. Still waiting for test results, but doctors think she has some form of lymphoma. Should know by Wednesday. There are a lot of prayers being said for my sister right now.

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@marvinjsturing, so sorry about your sister. Glad you're now on the list but want to send good wishes and healing thoughts to your sister, will be thinking of you.

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@marvinjsturing

@contentandwell @retiredteacher @rosemarya @kamama94 @gaylea1 @colleenyoung @hopeful33250 @gingerw @cehunt57 I don't remember who all is following my story. Latest update: both Mayo and my insurance company have approved my kidney transplant and I am now on the UNOS list as an active candidate. My sister was trying to get approved to be a donor. She was scheduled for her test in mid June but had to reschedule because she was sick. When her sickness did not go away, she finally went to the doctor again. She had a collapsed lung and an enlarged spleen. Still waiting for test results, but doctors think she has some form of lymphoma. Should know by Wednesday. There are a lot of prayers being said for my sister right now.

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@marvinjsturing I am glad to hear from you. I thought the other day that maybe you had some news. I wish it could all be good, but your approvals are really positive. I will pray that your sister gets well and in the meantime, maybe a donor will come available. I pray for you sister and I also pray for you. This, hopefully, is just a bump in the road, and soon things will be on the ready again.
Bless you and your sister that your transplant can take place and be successful.
Carol @retiredteacher

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@marvinjsturing Congratulations on the approval for a kidney transplant. I hope your sister will improve and that it is nothing too serious, not only because she could possibly be a donor for you, but just because she too deserves to be well. If it works out that she can be a donor after being treated for her lung and spleen, that's a bonus. If not her, I hope you do find a donor. It seems more common for people waiting for kidneys to have a live donor than for people waiting for liver transplants.
JK

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@marvinjsturing

@contentandwell @retiredteacher @rosemarya @kamama94 @gaylea1 @colleenyoung @hopeful33250 @gingerw @cehunt57 I don't remember who all is following my story. Latest update: both Mayo and my insurance company have approved my kidney transplant and I am now on the UNOS list as an active candidate. My sister was trying to get approved to be a donor. She was scheduled for her test in mid June but had to reschedule because she was sick. When her sickness did not go away, she finally went to the doctor again. She had a collapsed lung and an enlarged spleen. Still waiting for test results, but doctors think she has some form of lymphoma. Should know by Wednesday. There are a lot of prayers being said for my sister right now.

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@marvinjsturing so happy for your acceptance, approval & listing on the kidney transplant list. You have waited a long time and this is an answer to many prayers. Now I assure you that more prayers are going out for your sister. God’s plan & timing can be trusted!

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