Dialysis Access: What Every Patient Should Know
In this presentation you will learn about: 1) the different types of access for dialysis, 2) how to examine and monitor your access and 3) why it is important to avoid catheters.
12 Tips to Cope with Chronic Disease
By Rachel Fintzy Woods, MA, MFT So many aspects of life are beyond our control. When the challenges of managing an illness such as chronic kidney disease are added to our plate, we can feel overwhelmed. Emotions such as anger, confusion, fear and sadness are common and natural, especially at the outset of our journey with illness. It can seem as if our world has been turned upside down. Yet we do have some say in how we deal with the cards we’ve been dealt, including our medical condition and life itself. We alone are responsible for our actions and our [...]
Public Health Service Guidelines on Organ Donation for HIV, HBV, HCV and Transplant Recipient Monitoring
The U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) recently released the PHS Guideline for Solid Organ Donor Assessment for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection and Transplant Recipient Monitoring. This document updates existing PHS guidance pertaining to solid organ donors and recipients and testing for HIV, HBV, and HCV in addition to informed consent and appropriately communicating the risk of disease transmission to transplant candidates. The revised guideline reflects substantial advances in testing technology and treatment that improve patient safety. Key things for you to know: Risk of infection due to transplant is very low. [...]
Understanding Chronic Pain and Depression
How Chronic Pain Can Impact Your Mental Health When You Have Kidney Disease By Hannah Calkins Chronic pain and depression are closely linked and because as many as 60 percent of hemodialysis patients report moderate to severe chronic pain, it’s likely that many of them have experienced depression—or are at risk for it. But it may not look or feel the way you expect, according to psychologist Robert Kerns, PhD. “Depression among people with chronic pain may not be experienced as profound sadness,” says Kerns, a professor of psychiatry, neurology and psychology at Yale University. “Other symptoms may be more likely [...]
Care Coordination Fixes One of the Biggest Flaws in the American Health Care System
By Gloria Rohrer, DPC Patient Ambassador As a dialysis patient, it has become clear to me that one of the biggest flaws in the American health care system is the disjointed way care is often provided to patients. If patients have chronic conditions alongside other health complications, it can be exceedingly difficult to navigate the different doctors and hospitals we need in order to receive proper care. When seeing so many different doctors at various clinics and hospitals, patients like me can suffer adverse effects if all our treatments are not designed to address our full medical history, rather than a [...]
Identifying Sepsis Risk and Symptoms
By Marijke Vroomen Durning, RN People who live with kidney disease are more susceptible to contracting infections than the general public. A weakened immune system, frequent hospital or clinical visits/stays, and possible points of entry for infection (catheters, ports, etc.) all contribute to this increased risk. Unfortunately, some of these infections can lead to sepsis, which can be life altering, even fatal for thousands of people. Sepsis is your body’s inflammatory response to an infection. It can be any type of infection—viral, as with influenza; bacterial, as with a urinary tract infection (UTI); even fungal or parasitic. No one knows why [...]
Is a Transplant Right for Me?
During this webinar You will learn about 1) The risks vs benefits of a transplant, 2) The choice of a deceased vs living donor, 3) How to find a living donor, and 4) Tips from patients’ own transplant experiences.
4 Cereales integrales para incorporar en tu alimentación
Por María Eugenia Rodríguez León, MS, RD, CSR, LND, Nutricionista Dietista Licenciada https://menutritionpr.com Una de las recomendaciones para llevar una alimentación saludable es que la mitad de los cereales y farináceos que comemos sean integrales. Se ha demostrado que los cereales y farináceos integrales ayudan en la prevención de algunas enfermedades (ej. diabetes, cáncer, alta presión y enfermedades cardiovasculares).1 Un grano integral tiene las tres partes originales de la semilla: salvado, germen y endospermo.2 Salvado: es la parte comestible del exterior de la semilla. Contiene antioxidantes, vitaminas del complejo B y fibra. Germen: es el embrión de la semilla. Es [...]
4 Whole Grains to Add to Your Diet
By María Eugenia Rodríguez León, MS, RD, CSR, LND, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist https://menutritionpr.com One of the recommendations given for following a healthy diet is choosing half of your daily grains as whole grains. Whole grains can help in preventing some diseases (e.g., diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and heart disease).1 A whole grain has the three original parts of the seed: bran, germ and endosperm.2 Bran is the edible part surrounding the seed. It contains antioxidants, B vitamins and fiber. Germ is the seed embryo. It is the part that has the potential to become a new plant. It contains [...]
Spoon-Saving Strategies
By Sara Naveed Raise your hand if getting out of bed feels like an accomplishment to you, if you have ever felt the need to nap after taking a shower or if being tired feels like it's a part of your personality now! How about constantly finding yourself in a push/crash cycle—pushing way past your limit one day and then paying the price for it in the form of heightened symptoms and having to rest several days in order to recover? Don't worry—you're not the only one! We currently live in an era where we are constantly fed the narrative that [...]