How long does the fistula take to mature?

[jambo101]

 Had the fistula operation about a month ago and am seeing no signs of a maturing fistula, how long does it take before its matured enough that dialysis can begin?

[cassandra]

I think it's different for everyone but I'd think about 2 or 3 months. Are you doing exercises with a squeegy ball? Have you had a scan yet?


Good luck, Cas

[lulu836]

My vascular jake-leg surgeon never made the connection.  The first attempt failed to mature in 3 months.  The next attempts  for a fistula (5 of them) happened all in one night. Put me to sleep, cut my arm of his choice, wake me up, decide it will not work, put me to sleep..........on and on.  If he were not on staff at the hospital I use and also where the rest of the docs I use prictice I would have sued for medical malpractice immediately after I got out of physical rehab at the nursing home I stayed in for 6 weeks.  Also I had a couple of strokes one of which was while I was driving my van.  So totaled the van and went back to the hospital for another stay.

My forearm veins are so screwed up that I now don't have a lot of circulation in either arm.  Then in a subsequent surgery he went for a graft.  That didn't work either.  On the final surgery he put in a chest cather.  It works!  Suffice to say I feverently hope your fistula matures howver, in some cases they don't.

[Charlie B53]

Mine initially grew only about an inch long then stopped.  6 months later Srgeon went in again and found a narrowing.  Took that out and raised the vein closer to the surface while he was there.  Still didn't mature well enough.  Angio'd the whole length, that helped a little but still not enough.

2nd Surgeon fouond another narrowing at the very beginning, ballooned that and things started growing.

Have been using it for a year now.  Still has a poor area in the very middle third so we just do not stick there as there is plenty of room above and below.

Figure now that if it works, don't fix it.

Someday will have another rouond of ballooning but all's well for now.