Exercise Program Tips for Dialysis Patients
by Jamie Shish, RD, LDN, ATC/L
Studies show that traditional risk factors for heart disease--such as high blood pressure (BP), high blood glucose, and decreased physical activity--are more strongly associated with a mortality risk from cardiovascular disease in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), particularly older people. These results are from the Cardiovascular Health Study, which is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Although you see your physician regularly to control your blood sugar and your BP, what are you doing to increase your physical activity? It is equally as important--and maybe even easier to control--than BP and blood sugar. You can be more physically active, and it may just save your life... read full article
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Finding Romance while on Dialysis (Podcast)
When you have an illness it can be tough to find a loving partner to share your life with who understands the unique challenges kidney disease presents. Marissa and Tom Carr reveal their journey from friendship to courtship to marriage. As Elizabeth Browning said, "Love doesn't make the world go around, love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
Back on Dialysis Again? (Podcast)
Susie Gonzalez is in the process of her kidney transplant puttering out and will need dialysis again. Lori and Susie share their journey of how they are coping with losing a beloved kidney and some of the warning signs they encountered. They also share coping strategies and what you can do to delay the progression of kidney failure.
Why Can't I Get Medigap Insurance? (Podcast)
Supplemental Medigap insurance is a must when you have kidney disease. Unfortunately, dialysis patients are denied access to Medigap insurance in over 20 States. Wendy Funk-Schrag and Lori Hartwell discuss how this impacts patients and what you can do to educate your elected officials to help change this unfair public policy.
Redsense is Ready to Make a Difference
In a world full of alarms and monitors, finally there is a FDA approved device to help detect the worrisome, potentially life threatening complication of dialysis, Venous Needle Dislodgement (VND) at home.
For those patients who choose the flexibility and freedom of home dialysis, the Redsense alarm is a welcome piece of mind. Few, if any, other serious complications of dialysis cause more concern than the unpredictable nature of a VND. It's known that it can occur without warning even under the best situations. Patients are educated on precautions that can be used to reduce the likelihood of having one, but the fact remains, it can't be accurately predicted.
Now that Redsense is available for home use, dialysis patients now have an additional layer of security to help ease their minds.
How Do They Know You Are Okay? Measuring Quality of Care in Dialysis (Podcast)
This is a tough topic, but a necessary one to understand how the dialysis providers measure the quality of your care. Vincent Dennis, MD explains the proposed quality measures (anemia, bone and mineral metabolism, dialysis adequacy and infection) that are monitored carefully and overseen by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It is important that people with kidney disease understand that when a measure is set, it becomes the target for the healthcare provider and patients can suffer if they get it wrong.
Stop Thief! Protect Yourself Against Medical Identity Theft
One week after having a spot on my forehead removed by a new dermatologist, I received a notice from his office stating that their medical records had been compromised, and recommended that I put a fraud alert on my credit reports at the three major credit bureaus. So far, it appears that no one has tried to use my information to establish a new medical identity.
Anemia and CKD: What Every Patient Should Know
Patients with chronic kidney disease often suffer from anemia. Anemia is a condition characterized by low numbers of circulating red blood cells. This condition is easily detected by measuring hemoglobin in the blood. How low should the hemoglobin be before the patient with chronic kidney disease experiences symptoms depends on the severity of anemia and the activity level and tolerance of the patient.
The Good Dialysis Index
The "Good Dialysis Index" (GDI) potentially offers a more humane model of the dialysis patient as a whole. The GDI design attempts to mirror more closely the things that matter - not only to the nephrologist but to the patient - in the delivery of 'good dialysis'. Certainly, it serves this aim better than does the urea-centric, mathematically limited concept of Kt/V, restricted as it is to the narrow confines of small solute clearance. The GDI remains to be rigorously tested and validated as a predictive tool in the dialysis population, but it has certainly been simple and quick and easily applied when run against a small pilot patient group.
Understanding How Inflammation Works (Podcast)
Dialysis is known to cause increased inflammation due to the stress it causes to the entire body as a whole. Dr. Amit Sharma serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Nephrian and is President/Director of Clinical Research of Boise Kidney and Hypertension Institute. He explains what inflammation is and what tests help to detect it. He reviews various vitamins that patients need and describes why it is important to have the proper amount due to dietary and vitamin deficiencies caused by kidney failure.
How Do You Ask For A Kidney? (Podcast)
Over 80,000 people in the United States are awaiting a kidney transplant. Living donation is becoming more common to help meet the critical need. Harvey Mysel is the President/Founder of the Living Kidney Donor Network and discusses with Stephen and Lori his mission on how to help people find a living donor. He describes how to approach this difficult topic that at times can seem taboo, and let people know that they are in need. Don’t miss this informative interview.
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"Once the negative thoughts and actions are removed the mind can achieve a state of liberation."
-Rita Knight-Gray,Ohio
Excerpt from RSN's 2010 Essay Contest
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