Getting off dialysis ?!

[Kash597]

Hi Guys,
I hope everyone's doing Alright. well, as you may have read my introduction (http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=21892.msg360387#msg360387), My fiance is currently on dialysis. They've taken out one of her kidney's due to acute kidney failure and she has been on dialysis for the past 5 months. Her creatinine level was at 8-9 when we started. and its around 2.7 now,and GFR from 18 to 30 this week.
 
   Her Doctor said she could be off dialysis as early as next Monday but Im not sure to be real happy about it.  Although our doctor doesn't think so but i've read that there is a good chance kidney function decrease as soon as we stop dialysis.
   
   So now i want to see what ya'll think about our situation. Is there hope to never go back on dialysis again? i mean she is not Diabetic, no high blood pressure or any other problems what so ever...She just carries a heavy load of bad luck.

Cheers,
Kash

[RichardMEL]

They wouldn't contemplate taking someone off dialysis without good reason. That is the first thing you need to remember.

Second your fiance suffered acute kidney failure (why exactly did they remove one of hers?? weird).. anyway acute kidney failure cases can sometimes recover, and it sounds like whatever trauma caused the issues, maybe a problem with that kidney that had to be removed, has passed enough that the remaining kidney is returning to function - with a GFR of 20+ and a creat of 2.7, it seems dialysis probably isn't doing much for your fiance anyway at this point.

As you know many people live perfectly well with one kidney and don't need dialysis. If the trend has been for improving function of the remaining kidney I'd be confident that that would continue and she will be OK without dialysis (prepare to party!).

It sounds very positive to me - obviously if she is monitored closely after D stops to make sure that upwards trend is continuing, and at regular intervals, I think it could be OK.

Like I said, they wouldn't even consider it without good reason - so if I were you i would be quite optimistic about this. It sounds all quite exciting!

Let us know how it goes!

[okarol]

I don't have experience with acute kidney failure but from what I have read - if they think she can try to go off dialysis, and she's monitored carefully, she will find out if her remaining kidney can sustain her. The dialysis acts like a crutch, taking on some of the filtering that kidneys do, and perhaps the doctors hope that the infection or whatever damaged her other kidney has been treated and resolved.
It can take a year for the remaining kidney to grow larger and increase function (as in the case when a person gets a transplant from a living donor, both the donor and recipient's kidney grows larger.) Staying on dialysis too long can also have the reverse effect, where the remaining kidney loses it's residual function, because the machine is doing it.
Acute kidney failure can sometimes become a long term health problem which is called chronic kidney failure.
Here in the US your kidney function has to be below 20% before you can be evaluated to be on the wait list for a deceased donor kidney. The same criteria applies at most hospitals to get a transplant from a living donor.
Hopefully your girlfriend will improve and she won't have to worry about any of this. Best wishes to you both. 

[romanyscarlett]

When I had a nephrectomy last year, there was a woman on the same ward who was suffering with acute renal failure due to a form of cancer in one of her kidneys.

She was incredibly ill and had to undergo dialysis, plasma replacement and radiotherapy. That was in April last year and by the end of November she was in remission and her kidney functioning had increased. She was taken off dialysis and is doing incredibly well. She's been off dialysis for nearly 3 months now and nothing bad has happened to her. The hope is that the cancer will never come back and she'll never need dialysis again.

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for your fiance. Hopefully her luck will change and she can be freed from the machines.

[Kash597]

Thanks guys for your informative comments .  We certainly are hoping for the best  .
Wish you all the best.

[Ang]

i wish you well,keep things closely monitored and cross your fingers

[rsudock]

wishing your fiance well too Kash! fingers cross that her remaining kidney is recovering and D can be stopped....