Can your kidneys come back?

[partj]

I have been on hemo for 16 months, 8 of the last at home. At my last clinic my neph said he wants to take a 24 hour urine test as my bun creatnine level was back down to 33 as it was prior to dialysis. All other meds optimal. Anyone have any experience with anything like this?

[okarol]

I believe the kidneys can come back if you have acute kidney failure, usually due to an injury or damage and it is temporary.
With chronic kidney failure they won't get better.
I am pretty sure the BUN is improved because of the dialysis, but would get worse without it.
My daughter had the 24 hour urine test many times and her numbers were very good, and the doctor explained it was that she was getting good results from the dialysis.

[sullidog]

Yes, in some acute cases, however I was acute but mine never did.

[RichardMEL]

Yes, it has been known to happen - I believe we have another member who was able to stop dialysis what last year??? However it's very rare. I wouldn't take too much from one lab looking good though. I remember one guy in my unit got very excited(and so did the staff) when it looked like his numbers were getting much better. They tested over a few weeks and decided he could have a break from D. it didn't last long

not trying to be a wet blanket - I'd hope like heck your kidney function has improved enough so that you don't need D - but being realistic it is going to be less likely than more.

[Rerun]

Let's hope and pray your's does.  Even for a few years!

   

[greg10]

As usual, okarol is correct.  ARF (Acute renal failure) is the temporary dysfunction of the kidneys and there are strong clinical data to suggest recovery is possible in some cases.  ESRD diseases are different from ARF, with generally slower onset and irrecoverable renal failure, the time frame will be dependent on the underlying causes of the renal disease.

In ARF, recovery seems to involve some type of stem cell re-population of the damaged kidneys:
 The mechanisms of recovery, less well understood, are felt to include a recapitulation of mechanisms originally involved in renal development. It is commonly believed that kidney progenitor cells, from either the kidney or an extrarenal source, repopulate the kidney during the recovery phase of ARF and drive the repair process (9). A popular model was that damaged/dead cells are removed and the kidney stem cells migrate to necrotic areas, differentiate, and repopulate the kidney.

http://ajprenal.physiology.org/content/289/1/F29.full
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15958042
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC516259/

I have been on hemo for 16 months, 8 of the last at home. At my last clinic my neph said he wants to take a 24 hour urine test as my bun creatnine level was back down to 33 as it was prior to dialysis. All other meds optimal. Anyone have any experience with anything like this?

I believe the kidneys can come back if you have acute kidney failure, usually due to an injury or damage and it is temporary.
With chronic kidney failure they won't get better.
I am pretty sure the BUN is improved because of the dialysis, but would get worse without it.
My daughter had the 24 hour urine test many times and her numbers were very good, and the doctor explained it was that she was getting good results from the dialysis.

[Ang]

yes, it can happen,its as rare as finding that needle in a haystack

had a patient @ dialysis who stopped D cause she got better and was having weekly blood tests last i heard

[Lillupie]

i have actually have heard of this more often then i think the average dialysis patient. A friend of mine was able to get off for a few years, atleast one person on here, and a few patients that my nurse has had. Yes it is rare, and by the miracle of God.
I wouldnt count on it either.

Lisa