News & Events
Discover new information and educational offerings that we provide. Explore our newsletters, blogs and upcoming webinars/conference calls.
Contents:
CDC Helps Patients and Their Families “Get Ahead of Sepsis”
Each year in the U.S., more than 1.5 million people get sepsis, and at least 250,000 Americans die as a result. CDC’s Get Ahead of Sepsis education effort encourages patients and caregivers to prevent infections that lead to sepsis and seek immediate medical care if they suspect sepsis. Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It is life-threatening, and without timely treatment, sepsis can rapidly cause tissue damage, organ failure, and death. Anyone can get an infection, and almost any infection can lead to sepsis. Certain people are at higher risk including: adults 65 or older; people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, cancer, and kidney disease; people with weakened immune systems; and [...]
Smell Loss and Kidney Disease
Our sense of smell is not only used to appreciate new blooms in Spring and the aroma of a great meal but is essential when we taste our food as well. Recently, researchers have found those with advanced kidney disease may experience a loss of smell. While the cause is unknown, researchers are looking for ways to improve the sense of smell in kidney disease patients in order to decrease rates of malnutrition. When your sense of smell is reduced, your ability to taste food is also reduced. This could lead to food aversion and eating less. As a kidney disease patient, eating less will quickly lead to malnourishment which is one of the leading [...]
The Waiting Game: How to Endure the Transplant Wait List
By Kirsten Weir If you are on the organ transplant waiting list (or hoping to be listed soon), you have probably experienced all kinds of emotions: Excitement, nervousness, anxiety, fear, joy, guilt. Maybe all in one day! The average time spent on the waiting list for a kidney varies from region to region. But for most patients, that wait is measured in years, not months. As the years go by, some people go about their daily lives and forget they are waiting for a life-changing call. Others feel mounting anxiety and hopelessness. All of those feelings are completely normal, says Heather Ambroson, PsyD a psychologist and postdoctoral fellow at University of North Carolina Transplant Clinic. [...]
Next Education Call: Relationships and Kidney Disease
Join us Tuesday, September 19 at 1:00 PM Eastern to discuss relationships and Kidney Disease. A companion call to our previous presentation on "Intimacy and Kidney Disease" two patients will discuss how dialysis has changed relationships in their lives. They will offer their perspective on handling different types of relationships while being a dialysis patient. We hope you can join us for this important topic. Watch the Recording:
Remembering Christina Esposito
Dialysis Patient Citizens and the DPC Education Center are saddened to learn of the passing of board member Christina Esposito, 37. Christina was a tremendous advocate for ESRD patients across the country and especially in her home state of New York. She had four kidney transplants over the course of her young life which lasted a total of approximately nine years. For about another twenty-five years prior to, sometimes during, and post failed kidney transplants she dialyzed. Christina experienced and mastered every modality ranging from in hospital Peritoneal Dialysis (PD), to Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) at home, to Hemodialysis in hospital and then in center, to Home Conventional Dialysis, to Nocturnal Hemodialysis, to Self-Care [...]
The Kidney Citizen Issue 6
Get tips on going gluten free on dialysis, read more about the importance of charitable assistance and how to cope with waiting on the transplant list.
Summertime S’mores
Nothing is more iconic of summertime and family time then s’mores. "But," you say, "s’mores have…shhhh [whisper] chocolate." No worries here though! Chocolate never shows up on the “Do Have” renal diet list, due to its high phos content. A classic s’more with two graham crackers, 1/2 bar chocolate, and one large marshmallow has 97 mg phosphorus, 128 mg potassium, and 151 mg sodium. This does not mean that s’mores are out though. Non-chocolate s’mores are fancy, trendy, and super yummy. We experimented with 3 different non-chocolate s’more variations to keep the dietary phosphorus at bay: Butterscotch Chip S'more, Lemon Curd S'More and Cookie Butter S'more. Butterscotch Chip S'mores Cookie Butter [...]
