What is the life expectancy for End Stage Renal Failure w/no dialysis?

My dad is 67, had had 3 heart attacks over the last 3 years. Last summer he was hospitalized with a MRSA infection and had 2 vascular surgeries. He is also an insulin type 2 diabetic. After the second surgery he coded and was revived.He spent 9 weeks in critical condition 12 weeks inpatient in total, and was receiving dialysis 3 times a week.He spent 2 months in rehab and continued dialysis there. Upon his release in Dec '06 he no longer needed dialysis. In March he had a heart&kidney crisis and doctors told him that he may need to begon dialysis again and he refused. He is confined to a bed due to a muscle tear, and had been on hospice since April. He has gotten so thin- appetite goes up and down, and has now begun to itch all over his body. It is too late to turn back now, this is his decision, but how long can he linger like this? He obviously wasn't that dependent on the dialysis. Is there something that we should be watching for?

Hospice people are Godsent. They should be able to help you through this. Yes, he made this decision, and the most normal thing in the world is for you to question it now.

Say yes to everything hospice offers you. You need and deserve their help.

unfortunately it is a day to day thing now=sorry

Usually when hospice comes in it is to help the person and the family go threw the end stages of life iam very sorry to hear this is happeing to you i know what you are going threw

You could ask the doctor, but my guess would be a couple of months. There are some though that live for years after stopping dialysis, so it's completely dependant on the individual. The itching may be a medication side effect, especially if he's on predinisone, which is known to cause skin problems.
If he wants to prolong his life without the dialysis, he should talk to a nutritionist about what kind of diet he should be on to take stress off of his heart and kidneys.
If he is unable to concentrate his urine, dehydration could become the biggest problem. Make sure he gets plenty of fluids.

Have you considered donating a kidney?

I think from your description that your dad has decided to slip away at this point. I don't think having end stage renal failure gives your father more than a couple of weeks in terms of life expectancy.

I really hope you, your family, and doctors can provide him comfort during his remaining time. My dad passed away and I wasn't there, I regret that very much, so may I suggest that you spend as much time with your dad as you can.

Best wishes, and God bless you all.

One of the things that kidneys filter is phosphorus. If it is not filtered, it causes itchiness, which can be unbearable. Partnered with phosphorus is calcium, and calcium deposits are likely building in his arteries. The thing that will cause his death is another heart attack. This is because potassium will build up, the muscles (including the heart) are sensitive to changes in potassium levels. Once the potassium gets to a certain point your dad's heart will stop. The most telling sign of high potassium is muscle weakness, although this is misleading since it sounds like your dad has been weak for a while.

It's difficult to tell how long he will live because I don't know the extent of the care he is receiving, whether his diabetes is being controlled, how much protein he is eating. etc. It sounds like he has not had dialysis since March, and I'm honestly surprised he's lived this long. It won't be long. Other things to watch for are confusion as the urea (main waste in urine) builds up in his blood. If he loses the ability to make urine he will have some swelling, mostly in his ankles. As this fluid builds up it can congest the heart.

My father inlaw was on dialysis for 8 years. He had to have it or he would die. He made the decision in April of 2006 to stop treatments on a saturday and he passed away the following Friday.

How long your father has depends on many factors. His health prior to stopping dialysis, how much function his kidneys have at this point and how much urine he is producing, his will to survive.

Kidneys filter the blood from waste. Without sufficient filtering, toxins build up causing various symptoms, some of which you are already seeing - itching, probably some confusion and lethargy.

Allow him to eat and drink what he wants at this point. If he refuses food or fluids at this point, allow him this. Many family members trying to be supportive by trying to force their loved ones to eat because they feel guilty that their loved one is "starving to death". This is not the case. He is not hungry, therefore you are not starving him. Often forcing a terminally ill person to eat causes other problems -- nausea and vomiting, abdominal bloating. It is part of our culture to make people better with food - don't feel guilty because he can't eat, realize that this probably isn't a conscious choice, but a response to illness.

He will also start refusing fluids -- same issue as above. Many families want to start IV fluids at this time. If you artificially introduce fluids into a body whose kidney's cannot handle the fluid already present, then the fluid stays in the body causing swelling in the legs or fluid in the lungs - this will cause problems with breathing or pain associated with the swelling. Again - don't feel guilty if your loved one can not drink.

Some things you can do -- clean your loved ones mouth out with water or a very mild mouthwash with a mild flavor. Use a toothette (stick with a small sponge at the end) to clean the mouth and teeth. A toothbrush will probably be too hard on the gums at this time. Ask your hospice to provide if they haven't already. Apply a lip balm to the lips frequently. Apply lotion to the skin for the itching. Aveeno has a great lotion. You can try a benadryl cream for the itching as well.

As far as time -- probably a few days to a couple of weeks - again depending. Your hospice nurse could probably give you a better idea.

I am sorry for your father's illness. I was priviledged to care for my father at the end of his life. It is the hardest job there is to care for an ill loved one.

Hello,
I've studied and worked in dialysis with ESRD and Kidney Failure for many years. Many people who have Kidney problems, have other problems that occur along with it. Sounds to me like your Dad may be making the decision to not have Dialysis, but on top of his other health problems it is unsure to how long he will live. There are many factors that can determine why the doctor suggested to reinstate dialysis. From your question, you didn't explain what type of crisis he went through in March. If he has kidney function at all, the percentage of his kidney's that work is what is keeping him alive. When his kidney's completely fail, he will only live a short time. Not dialyzing during ESRD on top of other health problems will eventually cause his kidney's to completely fail. If he were to go on dialysis, it would probably help out, but there is no guarantee. The doctor would probably start him out very slowly and remove only small amounts of fluid over long periods of time. It is possible for him to survive, if he has his other health problems under control, if he would begin dialysis. If he begins to hold fluids(edema in his face, legs, and body) heavily, then that would be a good sign his kidneys have failed. Secondly, he would not be able to urinate, nor would catheterization be necessary. All in all, if his kidney's are the only problems he is having, Dialysis would be the answer. There is no amount of time I could give you, but I hope the best for you and your family. God Bless!