Radical Nephrectomy

Hi Mary

First of all really sorry to hear about your tumour and hope you are on the mend. I don't have much experience of tumour related issues as my failure was a very gradual thing. When I first became known to my renal consultant I was in the eGFR range of around 30. No stages were ever discussed and I was advised to come back every 3 months. I simply thought it was just routine. After feeling dreadful inNovember 16 i went in to have a fistula made in my arm and started dialysis in January. If a doctor has told you that this may be progressively worse then with a little luck, it may be some time before you need to consider dialysis. I hope this is the case for you. I know this doesn't exactly answer your question but I thought id give you a brief summary of what happened to me and my situation is very unremarkable unlike yours. In short of it gets worse (and I hope not) then I hope you have a while yet before you need to consider dialysis. If your renal function reduces rapidly, there's lots of support out there to let you know what's ahead. Anything else I can do to help ask away

All the best.

Hi,

You have been through  the mill and hopefully you are on the mend.  It may be the shock of the sugery that has caused the drop or it may be that, that was the function of that kidney all along.  They never test indervidual kidney function you see its always as a pair. Just because your kidney function is 40% I would try not to get t oo hung up on this or the staging.  Mrs O will be the best to advise on this as she has had a kidney removed and (I need to be careful here as she will shout at me ) lets just say she has led a very good life and continues to do so as still does absoloutly loads on a day to day basis.  Your function in that kidney could very well stay at the level and never change, but not even the drs can tell you that.  My advice once you recover fully from your op is to go for your check ups and inbetween don't think about it, just enjoy your life.

i had a radical nephrectomy due to tumour also in 2015, my kidney funtion was fine before op, then blood test shown gfr at 59 which has stayed stable at that.  am stage 3a ckd, It does seems scary to be told this at first i know, but your gfr could stay at this level for years to come it doesnt mean it will just keep dropping, as i first thought,

 i was advised by my nephrologist to try and stay healthy, excercise, even just walking, and dont smoke,  dont add salt to meals,,keep hydrated,

as my gfr has been stable i have now been discharged by  nephrologist,which is good news. 

i would expect you have also been referred to a nephrologist ? make sure you write all your questions down to ask, live your life and try not to worry,

very best of luck Mary keep us posted

Mary, I'm so sorry to hear that you have lost one of your kidneys due to a tumour.  However, I hope my reply will help to reassure you when I tell you that I had a kidney removed over 60 years ago.

I was informed by a laboratory a few years ago, that it is quite usual/normal to expect a lower function when you have only one kidne.  If your kidney function remains stable at eGFR 40, then you can lead a perfectly normal life.  Just ensure that you have repeated kidney function blood tests from time to time  Don't get fixated on the words "stage 3 kidney Disease".  A kidney consultant explained to me that the name Chronic Kidney Disease had been introduced in America and we had to live with it!  It is not a 'Disease' as such. 

it is early days for you following the op, and there is every possibility that your function could increase back up again.  Meanwhile, take special care of yourself whilst you continue to recover from the op, drink plenty of water, avoid adding salt to anything and products with added salt (no ready-made meals); and walk or swim for exercise as your recovery allows.  All the very best to you.   

Thank you to all who responded to me.  My GFR has increased at this point to 45. Although slow, it has increased. My nephrologist says to give it 6 more months to bounce back and then it will be what it will be. He said it could stay there for many many years if I watch my salt and protein intake and avoid high BP and diabetes.  He said it would need to be in the teens to require dialysis. Now on to the oncologist as the tumor I had was very rare and only 100 cases ever reported but most with no recurrence so here's praying! Thank you all for the kind words