Kidney function

[~Wingnut~]

If a transplanted kidney that was functioning at 30%, but then over 7 years the function has shown to have dropped 10%, could you through diet & medication improve the function back up to 30% or even a small amount or is it once the function drops it can't go back up again?

[Sqad]

I am not and never have been a transplant surgeon, so please take my post with that in mind.

A transplanted kidney never functions as well as a transplanted kidney.

A reduction of function of a transplanted kidney indicates permanent damage to a kidney which can never be restored through diet or any type of medication.

Other more informative posts may be more reliable.

[Sqad]

Sorry.

" A transplanted kidney never functions as well as a normal kidney"

[~Wingnut~]

Thanx Sqad. I was worried that would be the case. My husband went to clinic today for usual check-up and they told him that over the 7years he has had the trasplant it's function has dropped by 10% and now have to start preventative measures.
World turned upside down again.

[Sqad]

Wingnut....sorry about that, but more informed posters may give you better news.

The problem is transplanted kidneys, for a number of reasons, tend to lose their blood supply which causes irreversible damage t the kidney.

Repeat transplants are a common feature of organ transplantation today.

[anneasquith]

sorry you got bad news wingnut.

[~Wingnut~]

Thanx again Sqad. This will be his second transplant, the first one lasted 20+years, I hope this one can hang on because I really don't think he will go through with dialysis again.

Thank you anneasquith, hopefully we can get a few more years out of this kidney yet, the hospital seem to be keeping a good eye on him.

[jno]

presumably as 10% of 30% is 3%, it has dropped from 30 to 27 rather than 30 to 20?

[~Wingnut~]

Hi jno,
I'm not sure, all I know is that they had all his readings on a graph and it showed a steady increase over the 7 years of his creatin levels indicating it's function had decreased by 10% from 30% to 20%. The transplanted kidney has only ever worked at 30%, now it's function is only 20%

[jno]

oh, okay, strictly speaking that's a 33% drop then (it's 10% of 100, which it never was, but 33% of 30, which it was). Shame, I was hoping it wasn't as bad as it sounds, but that is well down. Good luck. From what Sqad says it doesn't sound too horrific.

[karenmac60]

Ah Wingnut, I'm sorry to hear this. I've been asking mr mac for you and he says he has heard of other people whose function decreased and then went back up, but it's only anecdotal and he's really not sure if any of the cases were genuine or what the circumstances were. I know his function has dropped on a few occasions, due to medications for other problems, but once the meds have been altered it's gone back to normal. When his first transplant failed though it was like you are describing - a steady decline over a number of years, but he did still get a good few years after they initially told him. I really hope things are ok for you both , Karen x

[society]

What an interesting question.

Sorry to hear 'bout your hubby, Wingnut, I Hope everything turns out well for him.

[mrs_overall]

Hi wingnut

I'm sorry but it sounds as though the kidney is on its way out.
However, creatanine levels can go up and down, so if he had a blood test when his creat level was lower, it would indicate a higher % kidney function.
Dialysis is the only option for the future. When he would need it is down to a) how he feels/his creat & urea levels and b) the policy of the renal unit. Some units have 10% function as the cut off point for starting dialysis - some units don't have a patient starting dialysis until function is much lower. The lowest a patient is allowed to get to is 5% and by that time he would be feeling very very unwell.
The only preventative measures I can suggest are:
Watch his intake of salt and foods rich in potassium and phosphates. Taking sodium bicarbonate is now proven to help prolong renal function.
Avoid all NSAID's (such as ibuprofen) like the plague.

[~Wingnut~]

Hi Jno, thanx again for your reply. Sorry if I sounded a bit curt to you, I was tired and couldn't think how to word it all properly.

Hi Karen, all this made me think of you and Mr Mac, I hope your both ok.
I'm going along to his next appointment as they suggested I should be there too and hopefully we will know alot more where we stand with things. xx


Thanx Society, it's means alot to hear that :o)

Hi MrsOverall, thank you for your very detailed reply. Seems the worst nightmare is beginging again only this time I know what to expect and so does he but only too well. He has said for quite a few years now that if this kidney stopped working he wouldn't go back on dialysis again, maybe he said that thinking it would be years away? I don't know, everything seems very odd at the moment.

Thank you everyone for your replies, I will try to update as and when xx

[mrs_overall]

wingnut - if you want a further chat about this, drop me a line

[email protected]

[~Wingnut~]

Thank you Mrs_Overall, thats very kind, please don't think me rude if I don't e-mail you straight away, I will see how we get on in a months time and will prob e-mail you with a lot of questions! I do appreciate it tho :o)
xx

[mrs_overall]

No probs wingnut, I hope all goes well xx

[karenmac60]

Hi wingnut, Mr mac is doing fine at the moment - thanks for asking :) How long is it since your husband last dialysed, and if he were to go on again would it be the same unit? I only ask as it can make a huge difference. Mr mac used to do the night shift at a hospital in Glasgow and although he wasn't ever ill with it he found it very depressing and he hated it. Then they opened a unit at our local hospital and he could do the day shift and the change in his mood was immense. The staff were all very professional and caring, but they also liked to have a laugh - they would have fancy dress parties at Halloween, the day after our wedding one of the nurses wore a toilet paper wedding dress and they covered his bed in confetti. All sorts of wee things like that which made his sessions much easier to bear. It wasn't a picnic, but it did help, and even the patients who didn't keep well on the machines seemed to be much brighter in spirit. It's worth keeping in mind if mr w gets to the stage where he has to go back on the machine. Good luck, and feel free to give me a shout any time.

Karen x

[~Wingnut~]

Hiya Karen :o)
So glad to hear Mr Mac is doing well.
We've talked quite a bit about this as you can imagine since Weds and thankfully Mr Wingnut seems to be accepting it better than I expected.
He's talking quite openly about it and has said that as he is older this time round he just wouldn't be able to work full time like he did last time but it would mean he would be able to go to a unit only 3 miles away from us.
He use to dialyise 7pm at a hosp about 20miles away and get home usually about 1am and then get up for work 6am and work till 5pm!! Looking back how the hell he did it I just don't know, but he was determined not to let it rule him.

I think your right too about how his time on dialysis was as there use to be a man who was there at the same time and all he did was wail, moan, shout and scream the whole 4 hours and I know it really use to upset my husband. The man was perfectly fine once he had dialyised, it was just that he didn't like it, like any of them did?

I know that (hopefully) this could be years away but it's good to hear him talk like this knowing that he hasn't given up all hope.

Thanx everyone for your posts and for taking the time to read mine, I think typing all this out has really helped :o)

[society]

Talk / type anytime Wingnut. There are some really nice people on here who know just what to say, and have great answers and excellent suggestions. With all that is going on remember to look after yourself too. Take care. x

[karenmac60]

Wingnut, that sounds just like Mr mac - the night shift was full of people who moaned constantly and the staff tended to stay away so there was nothing to lighten the mood. He reduced his hours at work and moved to the day shift and it was all so much better - he wasn't killing himself trying to prove he could do it all for a start and the staff at the other unit were so good. I'm glad mr w is talking more positively about things now - hopefully for you both it will be a long time off, but the worst thing you can hear is someone saying they're not going to dialyse again! My email address is [email protected] if you ever want to talk x