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Urgent Care (Expert Forum)
kidney failure
Answered by
Jeffrey S Guy, M.D., M. Sc. - Burn Surgery, Trauma Surgery, Critical Care Medicine, Med Spec/Interest 4 General Surgery, Pre-Hospital Care
Vanderbilt Burn Center
MEDICAL EMERGENCY- CALL YOUR DR. or 911! This forum is for questions and support regarding urgent care issues such as: Abscess, Angina, Animal Bites, Bronchitis, COPD, Cuts, Flu, Food Poisoning, Heart Attack, Mono, Influenza, Laceration, Nausea, Pneumonia, Rabies, Sports Injuries, Strep
kidney failure
by negra82, Oct 25, 2007 02:34PM
someone please help me my grandmas kidneys stopped functioning and now shes retaining water. she hasnt been able to urinate at all what can i do she doesnt believe in dialysis shes hypertension and im really sad and scared
Doctor's Answer
by Jeffrey S Guy, M.D., M. Sc., Oct 26, 2007 01:24PM
, Oct 26, 2007 01:24PM
Kidney or renal failure is a very serious problem. A large number of common chronic medical conditions can cause and contribute to renal failure. If this represents an acute change in her condition she needs to seek medical attention immediately. If she is, as you say, “retaining water,” this fluid can accumulate into the lungs creating a condition called pulmonary edema and/or stress the heart in a condition called congestive heart failure. Under the care of a kidney specialist (nephrologist) patients are able to do very well with dialysis. There are several types of dialysis, but typically, she would be placed on hemodialysis (HD). This requires going to a center two to three times a week and being placed on a machine for a couple of hours. It sounds scary and frankly it is, but between dialysis these patients live reasonable normal lives.
There are some important things to keep in mind, this is the result of an underlying disease such as hypertension or diabetes. HD will do nothing for the condition that lead to the renal failure. Given her resistance for treatment of the renal failure, one has to wonder if she is being careful in the management of her other chronic conditions.
Patients refuse therapy for a lot of reasons. Often patients are afraid, or they don’t want a change in their lifestyle or quality of life. If she has incomplete information she may make a bad decision because she doesn’t have all the relevant information. On the contrary, she may have all the appropriate information but elects not to have her lifestyle altered. Some patients may perceive that they are becoming a burden to their family. If that is the case, that is her decision to make regardless if we agree with it or not.
There are some important things to keep in mind, this is the result of an underlying disease such as hypertension or diabetes. HD will do nothing for the condition that lead to the renal failure. Given her resistance for treatment of the renal failure, one has to wonder if she is being careful in the management of her other chronic conditions.
Patients refuse therapy for a lot of reasons. Often patients are afraid, or they don’t want a change in their lifestyle or quality of life. If she has incomplete information she may make a bad decision because she doesn’t have all the relevant information. On the contrary, she may have all the appropriate information but elects not to have her lifestyle altered. Some patients may perceive that they are becoming a burden to their family. If that is the case, that is her decision to make regardless if we agree with it or not.
