3 failed fistulas, get av graft on Wed.

[Wat76]

What was your experience with failed fistulas?, did you have to gdecide on a graft?.  Are grafts really that unreliable.  I hope not, but have no choice but to get a graft, I guess it will be better than a catheter.

[Traveller1947]

I was never a candidate for a fistula, but my a/v graft has lasted seven years so far.  In the beginning there were a few instances of clotting and I've had it repaired several times over the years, but it still seems to be going strong.  I hope for the same good experience for you.  All the best to you, Wat76

[Southpaw]

Getting my fistula put in tomorrow morning. hopefully it will work well

[Traveller1947]

Good luck today, Southpaw.  I'll be thinking of you.  All the best.

[Sax-O-Trix]

I hope everything went well for you and your recovery is uneventful!

[Rerun]

I've been doing dialysis off and on for 25 years and "grafts" use to be the best.  Now they say fistulas are.  I think the medical field makes more money off fistulas.  Your graft will work fine.  It is a tube.... more sturdy than your veins.  It is ready in six weeks.  I don't know where they get that grafts are bad.... ... unless there is nothing else then they are good.  I don't get it. 

[jackdempsey]

Hope your surgery went well.
What was the reason the fistulas failed?

Is Peritoneal Dialysis ruled out as not an option for you?

[justme15]

my mom had her graft for 17  years.  she had to have it revised and 'declotted' several times throughout the years, but it did the job!

[jbeany]

Mine chugged along for 3 years until I got my transplant.  I had to have it ballooned and stented pretty often, but 3 years is far longer than they told me to expect it to last with all my other medical issues, so I was quite happy.

[Wat76]

Well, the surgery for the AV Graft went well, unfortunately, it did not work.  Went back to get it checked out and it is not working. I am disappointed, but  dealing with it.  Is there anyone else out there been through this, this is starting to get me worried, I don't want to keep a catheter in me during my lifespan of dialysis.   

[frankswife]

Hubby gets his fistula on Monday. He had his consultation on the 17th and was told he didnt need vein mapping since he seemed to have some good veins available, so they went ahead and scheduled the surgery for the 30th. He is beginning to retain fluid in his legs, which hasnt happened before. We went for pre-op yesterday but I dont have the lab results yet. His GFR was 17 on his last labs. About the fistulas, what causes them to fail? It seems like a lot of people have trouble with them? More stuff to worry about!

[Grumpy-1]

I had a fistula and a DP catheter put in nearly at the same time.  Used the fistula only twice before switching over to PD.  The fistula worked great for the nurses taking the monthly lab blood draws, but it only lasted a year before it clotted.  A few months ago, I decided to try another fistula because my veins and blood don't want to cooperate with the nurses when they need to take blood.  The second fistula surgery was a flop as there wasn't enough vein or artery available to make a connection.  I'm still debating on getting another fistula put in the other arm.  But for now, the nurses have found a vein in my foot that seems willing to give up blood when needed.  Grumpy.

[smcd23]

My SO had fistula issues - first 1 never worked, 2nd one worked for 2 days before clotting off. Then he clotted my kidney. What they've found is he has a clotting issue whenever he has an arterial cut. So when he had his 3rd fistula put in (and when he gets his next transplant) he had to and will have to remain on blood thinners. He switched to PD, so that's not an issue anymore. Have they done any tests to see what is happening to the fistula? They didn't check on my SO, and as a result he lost my kidney within 2 days because of clots, and they didn't figure out what went wrong until they dissected the kidney. And with that knowledge they were able to the 3rd fistula which worked fine until he started PD.

[Wildrose]

So sorry to hear you have had 3 failed fistulas! I thought my one was bad. I have not had any experience with a graft, but from what I've heard it works equally as well as a fistula.
Good luck!