Best friend had valve put in heart, not doing well???

Question

she is 39, had surgery on Monday, still in ICU, kidneys are failing, put her on dialysis last night and today.

She had stomach Cancer as a child, and has had 6 stints put in heart, will she still be able to go to bathroom normally after this is over or do you stay on dialysis forever once you start?

Answer 1

I am sorry to hear about your friends condition.

Not every patient who starts dialysis, stays on dialysis

For some it is temporary and for others it is permanent.

However it is very complicated to explain why some are long

term and others are not, because I don't know enough details about

your friends condition.

However it sounds like your friend had a very serious surgery

and urinary output is something the docs/surgeons want to see

functioning correctly right after surgery. You want to see the fluid

and electrolyte 'balance'. Alot of this is crucial, because fluids and electrolytes effect alot of things in the body, but they also effect how the heart functions. (how the heart pumps, etc).

So it would be hard to say what is forever and what is not, but

I would not worry yourself your friend is still very young. So just

be as supportive of a friend as you can, and don't be afraid to ask

the doctors and nurses questions about things you do not understand or are concerned about.

  

Answer 2

She is in ACUTE kidney failure.  That means that once she gets through this rough spot, her kidneys will probably function pretty well.  Short term failure doesn't equal dialysis.  Hopefully she will turn the corner soon and be off dialysis.

If, however, her kidneys don't perk up after a certain amount of time, she may need dialysis after wards.

Answer 3

Nobody knows the outcome of your friend's condition.  What I will tell you is, do not give up on her.  

My son was 11 days old when he had open heart surgery.  Four hours after the surgery he went into cardiac arrest and acute kidney failure.  He was placed onto life support with grim chances.  He stayed on life support for 6 long days.  He continued on dialysis for about a month.  He remained in the ICU for 4 months due to complications with his breathing.  With my son, his electrolytes did not balance out until 5 months later.  He has been home for 4 months now and is doing just fine.  He is off of all of his drugs and electrolytes except for one heart medicine.  Kidney failure is a complication of heart surgery sometimes.  When a friend of mine had to have a heart transplant at the age of 25 she as well went into acute kidney failure.  And today 6 years later she is thriving and doing great.