I believe that a person with kidney failure can live pretty long with dialysis, which just takes over the work that a healthy kidney should be doing. I hesitate to say "indefinitely," though, when I can't prove it. There are likely other side effects of kidney disease, especially effects on other organs, that come into play and cause death regardless of dialysis. I don't know; I have no medical training. But even a transplant, which is the goal of all patients on dialysis, involves taking medication with side effects that are potentially fatal in the long term. If dialysis were a perfect long-term solution, wouldn't there be people who rejected transplants in favor of sticking with the dialysis? My father spent about a year on dialysis before he found a compatible donor and received a transplant. He could have spent longer on dialysis if necessary. But I'm quite sure that he appreciated getting rid of the inconvenience of going to the hospital two nights a week to be hooked up to machines. You can definitely live on dialysis for several years. From what little we know about his current situation, this seems to be the case for Osama bin Laden. General consensus is that he has had some sort of advanced kidney disease for a few years now, and he still pops up on the occasional videotape. How he manages to get dialysis while hiding out in caves in the middle of nowhere is another question, but I suppose that if anyone can afford it he can...

I have been on dialysis for almost three years, and I have heard people being on dialysis for 30 years so far. Not everyone chooses transplant, and lots of people are not eligible due to certain factors like HIV status or other health issues. The transplant team tells me I will be waiting from three to five years for a kidney. I go to dialysis three times a week, four hours each time. Some go more, some go less. I am pretty average. At first I liked going because it made me feel so much better. Then it was annoying and boring. Then I hated it with a passion and resented having to go. Now I just accept it and go, trying to make the best of it with books, cd's and my portable dvd player. Those three days a week make the rest of my life possible. On the regular days, I am reasonably energetic, I exercise and eat well, so I look as healthy as anyone else, maybe more so. So how long can a person live on dialysis...as long as they need to, or as long as they want to, or as long as they can. It's just like how long can you live at all... tomorrow isn't promised to anyone, regardless of their health!

My great aunt has been on dialysis for about 15 years! Shes living a long and healthy life so far. As of now, she is 89 years old!

Being on dialysis you live HALF as long as a normal person would.. This is because your blood doesn't get cleaned as well as if a kidney would have done it... and eventually that worsens and it pretty much goes down from there.. I'm not try to bring everyone down about the subject but normal people on dialysis don't live as long as a healthy person...

Statistically I found the average person doesn't live longer than 10 years. I feel sorry for them.

many folks live a full productive life on the many different dialysis systems available today

I have been on dialysis for 6 1/2 years. I am going on 25 years old. It makes you really weak as time goes on, but i try not to live my life like i am on it. I have two jobs. If you follow your diet that you are given and never miss a treatment you will defiantly live longer. My kidney doctor told me he had a patient that made it 25 years on dialysis, but she was way older than me. I am waiting a transplant and i have been for almost 6 years.

My mom's been on since 1982, (26 years)

My Uncle was on about 20 years. I hear that's not uncommon anymore. As long as you go with a reputable service, your chances are pretty good. Uncle even went on an ocean cruise with his wife for their 30th wedding anniversary, with a lot of advance planning.

Arnold Schwarzenegger must be going on 30 years yo...

i know my grandfater live like 4 days then he got puled off

My wife is on dialysis. She had a friend that was on it for eight years before she got a kidney. I have heard of people being on it for over twenty years, so, if you take care of yourself, it should be able to go indefinite, if needed.

I NEED TO KNOW BECAUSE OF MY BROTHER

a woman in london has lived 39 years, I AM not sure if this is the longest

My husband is 77 years old and just started on dialysis and he still working. How long can he live on dialysis at that age? please reply to AutumnRse59@yahoo.com if any knows on this. It driving me crazy not knowing and it just caused high blood pressure on me

my dad is 83 years old he has just started on dialysis 3 week ago he has asthma and heart failture he has to watch his salt so his leg want swell how long can he live on dialysis my sister said she read 2 years i hope longer than that cause he want to live

THE ONLY THING I CAN TELL YOU IS....NEVER TELL GOD HOW BIG YOUR PROBLEM IS...TELL YOUR PROBLEM HOW BIG YOUR GOD IS..JESUS IS YOUR ONLY WAY..HE IS YOUR HEALER...GOD GAVE YOU THE AUTHORITY TO HEAL,SO LAY HANDS ON YOUR DIALYSIS PATIENT AND SPEAK TO THAT SICKNESS AND TELL IT TO GO BACK TO THE PITT OF FIRE ALONG WITH ITS DEMONS!THANK GOD FOR YOUR HEALTHY SYSTEM THAT IS FLOWING IN YOU..YOU WILL LIVE! BELIEVE WHAT YOU PRAY AND DON'T WORRY HE DOES ANSWER PRAYERS.HE IS NEVER LATE BUT ALWAYS ON TIME.GOD BLESS!

Having kidney failure does decrease life expectancy, but there have been some remarkable success stories. A few people have been on dialysis for 20 years or more. In general, though, your risk of heart disease is much higher with kidney failure, so you need to be extra careful with cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.

I have been living with dialysis for the past 24yrs (I am 43yrs old) and I still doing quite well. I follow my diet (for the most part) and get plenty of exercise. Another important thing is not defining yourself as a patient, but a living human being striving for light. We are limited only by our own lack of seeing our potential, not by the world view. Time is an illusion. I have seen healthier people get sick and even sicker because of their state of mind. You are how you see your self. Try to see light because light is eternal.

A person will live as long on dialysis as a normal person,when God intervene and your time is up to go home to be with the master,your time is up on this earth,people died everyday,both of my parent's are on dialysis,(3) times a week,(4)hours,both are doing real good as if they were not on dialysis,over ten years,so to the one that stated you live only (10 years while on dialysis,so untrue and false,God has our number,the young is dying as well as the old.According to a person faith as well will also determine how long will they live on dialysis.

The answer to that varies by individual. I have been on dialysis for 3 1/2 years now. I have resonably followed my diet and taken my meds, but it has been a horrific experience. 1. The big dialysis machines(hemo) WILL KILL YOU. They beat you sensless so you have the shakes the rest of the day and get NO sleep at night. So you just sort of try and recover the next day, so you can get pasted all over again. 2.Have a career? Forget IT. Once you have been tagged as a sicky you are going no where fast, no matter your degrees or training. 3.Hemo dialysis just weakens you in the short run, medium run, and long run so other disesaes can take hold. Guillian Barre anyone? Thought not. The person who answered that you can have a long productive life on dialysis is a quack. probably one of these quack doctors in the field. They probably never did one hour on dialysis. YOU WANT REALITY? Take it from a REAL patient.

question is not answerable with a definite number-it would depend on why your on dialysis in the first place-how sick you were when you started-which type of dialysis your on-how well it is working for you (as it does vary from patient to patient)-how long you have been on dialysis-how well you take care of yourself ect ect ect................. i believe the answer would vary widely from patient to patient i am an RN and have been living with kidney disease since birth. Received kidney transplant in 1998 from my brother-kidney wich is now failing-

Arnold Schwarzenegger is not on dialysis. That's a stupid rumor that someone started. Here's an article about it on Time Magazine. http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101030818/narnold2.html My kidneys are failing...early stage...after many years of PCOS, which recently crossed over to diabetes. So I'm worried and came here to find out how long people can live on dialysis. I'm glad I found some honest and helpful answers. The religious stuff doesn't help, folks. Answer #22 was particularly ignorant and offensive to someone who's facing such a serious condition. Laying your hands on someone is not going to do squat!

WELL MY QUESTIONS IS..MY DAD HAS BEEN ON DIALYSIS FOR ONE YEAR. BUT HE HAS DIABETES, AND ALSO HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND ANXIETY. HE HAD 2 STOKES DUE TO HIS ANXIETY AND CAUSES TO GET HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. THIS MONTH WE BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. WHEN HE GETS DIALYSIS HE COMES HOME WEAKER AND WEAKER. MY DAD IS 56 YRS OLD. I'M AFRAID DUE TO ALL HIS SICKNESS HE WON'T LAST THAT MUCH. DO YOU GUYS THINK HE COULD LAST 2, 3, OR 10 YRS MORE? i WOULD LIKE TO KNOW UR OPINION. THANKS

There are a lot of good answers in here. Unfortunately, it's tough to give an accurate number since every case is different. One patient might make it for 20+ years, another might not make it 4. A lot depends on how well the person takes care of themselves during dialysis and how much kidney function they have left. It seems to me, the less kidney activity you have the worse off you're going to be. My dad was only on it for one year before he got his transplant, so he was lucky. However, at the end of that year, he looked pretty bad, and that was just one year. His kidneys still had some function, but it was down below 20% at that point I believe, maybe below 10%. He followed medical instructions religiously, so he was good on that. Only one day after the transplant, he looked much, much better ... his skin was less bloated, the yellow had gone out of his eyes and he just looked healthier. I think that's a good indication that dialysis has its limits as to how well it can work. Still, a careful patient will do much better in the long run. My dad's brother also had kidney failure, got a transplant, and still died because he wouldn't do what the doctor said he should do.

My husband has been on dialysis for 25 years.

My Father lived for 10 years on dialysis. The dialysis is not what makes their life so hard...it's the system fails of other things due to dialysis

This is wonderful information!...I have been on dialysis for 5 1/2 years...The first 3 1/2 I did a 4 hour treatment 3 days a week...One month a lot of my lab numbers were in the normal range...I went to 2 days a week 2 1/2 years ago...My clearances are between 88 and 92 percent each month...I was told by my dietician that I'm healthier than most people not doing dialysis...I am an eternal optimist and believe anything is possible...I want to keep what is unique to me and that is the function I have with MY kidneys and the help of the Kidney machine and the wonderful people who take care of me! I am for the most part vegetarian and try to eat foods that digest easily...I serve what I eat to family and friends and they think it's absolutely delicious! To good health, healthy eating(period!), and a long life to all!...God Bless everyone!PK *0;o)