[wordsmith1953]

Can anyone tell me, from personal experience, what happens to an elderly patient with chronic renal failure. My father is 87 and his kidneys are failing. He's refusing dialysis. I'd like to know what happens is, as he wishes, dialysis is not accepted. What are the physical results? How long does someone survive with failed kidneys. I know everyone's situation is different, but this is all new to me so any information would be helpful. FYI: My father's creatinine level is 6.4 and he's passed out twice in the last two weeks.

[angieskidney]

[quote="wordsmith1953"]Can anyone tell me, from personal experience, what happens to an elderly patient with chronic renal failure. My father is 87 and his kidneys are failing. He's refusing dialysis. I'd like to know what happens is, as he wishes, dialysis is not accepted. What are the physical results? How long does someone survive with failed kidneys. I know everyone's situation is different, but this is all new to me so any information would be helpful. FYI: My father's creatinine level is 6.4 and he's passed out twice in the last two weeks.[/quote]


I imagine that with how old this post is (I clicked on it only because it said it was a new post since my last visit) that you already know this answer. But incase anyone else clicks on this post with the same question I thought I would say a bit.

But first, know that I am not a medical person in any way. I am a patient.

When a person refuses dialysis, the body isn't getting its blood cleaned which is what kidneys do. Also the body starts to swell with fluids as the kidneys that are failing take out less and less fluid and he urinates less because of the kidney no longer putting urine in his bladder. The body fills up with fluid. His lungs fill up with fluids and his body tissues. He becomes more tired as his hemoglobin might drop (becomes anemic) and his body becomes more uremic) higher amounts of urea in the body). I am typing this from memory as I have had kidney disease since I was 9 and have been on dialysis a total of 7 years. I have had 2 kidney transplants in my life and been on both Peritoneal Dialysis and Hemo Dialysis. But because I am not a specialist of any kind or any kind of nurse I could have said somethings inaccurately. Because of that I have searched for information for you below:

http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/Kudiseases/pubs/yourkidneys/#kidneys

The kidneys are bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage, one on each side of the spine. The kidneys are sophisticated reprocessing machines. Every day, a person’s kidneys process about 200 quarts of blood to sift out about 2 quarts of waste products and extra water. The wastes and extra water become urine, which flows to the bladder through tubes called ureters. The bladder stores urine until releasing it through urination.

Wastes in the blood come from the normal breakdown of active tissues, such as muscles, and from food. The body uses food for energy and self-repairs. After the body has taken what it needs from food, wastes are sent to the blood. If the kidneys did not remove them, these wastes would build up in the blood and damage the body.

The actual removal of wastes occurs in tiny units inside the kidneys called nephrons. Each kidney has about a million nephrons. In the nephron, a glomerulus—which is a tiny blood vessel, or capillary—intertwines with a tiny urine-collecting tube called a tubule. The glomerulus acts as a filtering unit, or sieve, and keeps normal proteins and cells in the bloodstream, allowing extra fluid and wastes to pass through. A complicated chemical exchange takes place, as waste materials and water leave the blood and enter the urinary system.

At first, the tubules receive a combination of waste materials and chemicals the body can still use. The kidneys measure out chemicals like sodium, phosphorus, and potassium and release them back to the blood to return to the body. In this way, the kidneys regulate the body’s level of these substances. The right balance is necessary for life.

In addition to removing wastes, the kidneys release three important hormones:

* erythropoietin, or EPO, which stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells
* renin, which regulates blood pressure
* calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, which helps maintain calcium for bones and for normal chemical balance in the body

What happens if the kidneys fail completely?

Total or nearly total and permanent kidney failure is called ESRD. If a person’s kidneys stop working completely, the body fills with extra water and waste products. This condition is called uremia. Hands or feet may swell. A person will feel tired and weak because the body needs clean blood to function properly.

Untreated uremia may lead to seizures or coma and will ultimately result in death. A person whose kidneys stop working completely will need to undergo dialysis or kidney transplantation.

Points to Remember

* The kidneys are two vital organs that keep the blood clean and chemically balanced.
* Kidney disease can be detected through a spot check for protein or albumin in the urine and a calculation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) based on a blood test.
* The progression of kidney disease can be slowed, but it cannot always be reversed.
* End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is the total or nearly total and permanent loss of kidney function.
* Dialysis and transplantation can extend the lives of people with kidney failure.
* Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of kidney failure.
* People with reduced kidney function should see their doctor regularly. Doctors who specialize in kidney disease are called nephrologists.
* Chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
* People in the early stages of CKD may be able to save their remaining kidney function for many years by
o controlling their blood glucose
o controlling their blood pressure
o following a low-protein diet
o maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol in the blood
o taking an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB)
o not smoking


[moderator note: contact information has been removed]

[SirFrancis]

Good Morning,

I am in the same boat as you except it is my husband who refuses Dailysys. His level at last check was 2.5 and the only diffrence is that he only has one kidney. And he is 75. This may be diffucult to hear-But my advice is to go to hospice sites. It will explain the process your dadis going through. I know the sites have helped me a great deal-My husband has no pain thank God and is very tired all the time. What is happening is his body is filling with toxins and waste. And he is dying.Everything I have read is that it is the one diases that there is not alot of pain involved and that by time the pain comes it is past the point of help-My husband had kidney cancer 2 years ago and we found it by chance. Now 6.5 cret level is kidney failure and my husband has been there and they have admitted him into the hospital and given fluids.I wish you peace on this journey with your dad.
Karen