Mom of 24 yr old son now on dialysis - Kidney Disorders Message Board

brdela · 10-30-2007, 01:15 PM

Hi there,
I am hoping to find support from people in the same postion as I am. But, I will take any advice or support I can find. My son just started dialysis about a month ago and since then, it seems like everything else is going downhill.
He has been in the hospital since Friday, a week ago. This latest adventure started out with a call from the dialysis clinic that he should go to the psych ward as they felt he was a danger to himself. I was to meet him after dialysis. By the time I got there, he had a fever that kept climbing and now had to be admitted for medical reasons. Then we find out he has MRSA and also a growth in his heart. He also has a problem with his blood vessels. He has temporary caths and a permanant one that does not work. He had a test yesterday to check his liver and gall badder. No results yet. Today he had a full body bone scan. No results on that either.
Anyone with any ideas?

duzford · 10-30-2007, 04:07 PM

He propably got an iinfection for the repeated injection sites from the dialysis. I have no suggestions for you but I will be praying for you both. Please keep us posted.

What was his kidney function before this?

What is MRSA - I think I know but dont want to assume?

Was this fully clinical dialysis or home dialysis?

Does he have any deformities of the kidney that you are aware?

Do you know what caused the kidney failure to begin with?

brdela · 10-31-2007, 08:54 AM

Thanks for responding. I had to print this out to answer all the questions! His kidney failure is a result of diabetes. He was diagnosed at age 8. No deformities that I know of. The first we heard of kidney problems was a few months ago. He went to the eye doctor and was scheduled for surgery because he was legally blind. The surgery was a success, Thank God! Just hours after the surgery was over, we got a call that the blood work showed kidney failure. His kidneys were operating at 35%. He was scheduled to meet with a nephrologist. Too little, too late. By the time he could get in there and have more testing done, his kidneys were now operating at 10%. He has been going to a dialysis clinic three times a week since that first hospitalization. MRSA has been big in the news the last few weeks. It is the new superbug. Don't ask me what it stands for. I couldn't even begin to write it, OR say it! It is a bacterial infection that is resistant to medications. That is MY understanding anyway.
Thanks for listening

Smiffy51 · 10-31-2007, 09:13 AM

Hugs brdela.

I'm sorry your young son is so very, very poorly & hope that he can be helped by caring and effective medical treatment. Why on earth would someone so physically ill need admitting to a psychiatric ward? What is the growth in his heart, do you know?

(We have MRSA, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, in all our hospitals in this country, caused by a lack of hygiene in them. I hope that strong antibiotics will cure your son of this.)

duzford · 10-31-2007, 09:23 AM

I was afraid that was what the MRSA was. The infection can cause all sorts of neurons in the brain to pop causing the psychotic snap for lack of a better term. Once the infection is gone, the psychiatric problems should clear up.

If they can fix the MRSA they may also be able to reverse the kidney damage - or so I hope so.