Can a diabetic 86 yr old benefit from dialysis treatment and maintain a good quality of life?
My 86 yr old grandmother has decided that she wants to pursue dialysis treatment for end-stage renal failure. She has diabetes that is pretty well maintained along with mild anemia and hypertension (again well controlled with medication). And while she has not had any major issues with her heart (a few angina attacks that were immediately relieved with nitroglycerin), we assume that even that organ is affected by the diabetes. I would like to know if anybody has had any experience with elderly people on dialysis who have comorbid conditions. And I know that dialysis is not a cure but merely life-support.
My grandmother was on dialysis for three years before she passed at 89. She wasn’t diabetic, and she was put onto a dialysis regimen fairly soon after her renal failure diagnosis. It was really hard on her. She was constantly bruised-not just at the port site, but anywhere she even lightly bumped. It drained her of all her energy. It would take her a few days to recover and she would carry on her daily personal care and even managed baking cookies and things for the staff at the center where she took her treatments, but other than that, she didn’t do much. She stopped grocery shopping and cleaning house and after about a year and a half, she moved in with my folks. It is pretty fair to say that the dialysis took over her life.
Posted in angina treatment
July 5th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
My grandmother was on dialysis for three years before she passed at 89. She wasn’t diabetic, and she was put onto a dialysis regimen fairly soon after her renal failure diagnosis. It was really hard on her. She was constantly bruised-not just at the port site, but anywhere she even lightly bumped. It drained her of all her energy. It would take her a few days to recover and she would carry on her daily personal care and even managed baking cookies and things for the staff at the center where she took her treatments, but other than that, she didn’t do much. She stopped grocery shopping and cleaning house and after about a year and a half, she moved in with my folks. It is pretty fair to say that the dialysis took over her life.
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July 5th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
She would seem to be a good candidate for dialysis — except for her age. That is a VERY serious consideration. Dialysis is a TOUGH treatment, and it is possible that she is already too frail to handle it.
She needs to consult with her doctor concerning this treatment. HE is more in-tune with her overall physical health, and can make a better decision as to how she might handle the treatments.
Most dialysis patients indicate that dialysis is NOT a "good quality of life". You are joined to a machine for 4-5 hours a day 3-4 days a week. SOMEONE needs to provide transportation and physical help — it is very likely that your grandmother would be VERY weak after each treatment — unable to drive, and possibly unable to walk unassisted.
But given the alternative, dialysis IS much better than dying! And THAT has to be your grandmother’s choice.
Talk with the doctor, and get more information from the internet:
http://www.kidney.org
Among your grandmother, her doctor, and her insurance, she should be able to make an intelligent decision.
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July 5th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Without dialysis she’d die a slow miserable death. Every person is different. If your grandmother decides dialysis is worse than death, then she can stop treatment.
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August 3rd, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Even for young, relatively healthy patients, surviving on dialysis can be a fate worse than death. One fourth of all dialysis patients die by withdrawing from the treatment, and many more in addition to that commit suicide by more conventional methods. Dialysis in very old people can be simply useless torture. A death from dialysis can be bad, but a good hospice unit can minimize the suffering from dialysis withdrawal.