From Statesman.com, Austin, TX, by Sarah Acosta
Bastrop County resident Kim Olson was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in 1992, consequently losing both kidneys to the disease.
In order to survive, Olson must have dialysis treatments three times a week, during which toxic blood from the lack of kidneys is filtered and replaced with new blood.
“Blood donations save lives, including my own,” she said. “I would not be here today if the blood necessary for my transfusions and dialysis was not available to me.”
With the help of many local fundraisers and blood drives, Olson is now able to care for herself and is currently in the process of moving into her own place in Smithville.
Olson has had several blood transfusions over the past few years. Each transfusion required a large amount of O positive blood to replace a lack of blood produced due to her illness.
Currently, the Blood Center of Central Texas needs Type O blood donors, as well as other types, due to critical level of blood supply on the shelves. “Type O blood is the most requested blood type from hospitals because it is the universal blood type that can be transfused to anyone,” said Cindy Rowe, spokesperson.
Rowe said January is historically a month when donations are low because people are busy catching up from the holiday season and the change in weather during winter months brings with it more illnesses – largely contributing to the reduction of donations, she added.
Now, local residents have the opportunity to help shore up those critically-needed supplies.
On Feb. 5, a mobile blood drive will be at Kay’s Café off Texas 71, between Smithville and Bastrop, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.“By donating once a quarter, you can save eight lives a year,” said Smithville blood drive coordinator Brenda Hofferek. “I’ve been donating blood for 30 years because, for me, it’s a simple way of giving back.” [Read more]
Gift of Life
For the last 45 years, Austin resident Jeneielle Soucek has gotten together with Kathy Morse to go bowling on most Tuesday nights.
But Soucek nearly had to give up bowling and a lot more when she was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease last year. Soucek, who is 69 years old, was told to begin looking for a living donor as the waiting list for a kidney is about five years.... [Read more]
From Fox 29, San Antonio, TX
SAN ANTONIO -- It is one of the biggest kidney transplant exchanges in a single hospital and it's happening right now in San Antonio.
The Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital is hosting the massive exchange, which involves ten donors and ten recipients.
Christy Flores is one of the patients receiving a kidney.
"Dialysis is hard. It's hard on the body. It's hard on the mind. But I feel very blessed that I have family that is brave enough to do it," she says.
Christy's husband, Chad, will be one of the patients donating a kidney.
"You know, marriage is until death do us part and I could have died twice already. So I guess he really enjoys being married to me," she jokes.
Dr. Adam Bingaman says couples like Chad and Christy were put in a database with other donors to be matched up because they were not a match for each other.
"These folks that have come to us, that have a donor that wants to give them a kidney to get them off dialysis, but are not a match," he says.
The exchange took a few months to organize. While most of the people involved are from South Texas, there is a pair from Kansas and another from Italy.
It will take 20 surgeries over the course of three days to accomplish the massive feat. But everyone involved says they're doing it in hopes everyone can have a normal life.
"The most unselfish thing someone can do is give them the gift of life," says Christy. "And I'm very grateful... Extremely grateful." [Read more]
Kidney Dialysis
From Mayo Clinic.org
Question:
My 82-year-old husband has been on kidney dialysis for a year. He is not a good candidate for a kidney transplant. How will we know when dialysis is no longer working and should be discontinued?
My 82-year-old husband has been on kidney dialysis for a year. He is not a good candidate for a kidney transplant. How will we know when dialysis is no longer working and should be discontinued?
Answers from Erik P. Castle, M.D.
Kidney dialysis does some of the work of your kidneys when your kidneys are unable to do it themselves. This includes removing excess fluids and waste products from your blood, restoring electrolyte levels and helping to control your blood pressure.
To determine how well kidney dialysis is working, your husband's doctor can check his weight and blood pressure before and after each session. Regular blood tests, such as those measuring urea and creatinine levels, also help assess the effectiveness of the treatment.
Kidney dialysis is only part of your husband's treatment. He must also adjust to fluid and dietary restrictions and take medications. In addition, dialysis affects his time and schedule. Activities must be scheduled around the treatments. Dialysis may leave your husband feeling "washed out." Worsening health, depression and complications of dialysis may also affect how your husband feels about continuing treatment.
If the dialysis medical team doesn't periodically review your husband's overall situation, ask them to do so. These periodic reviews — which should include input from you and your husband — are important in determining how well the treatment is working.
If your husband is frustrated with a specific treatment or another medical problem, discuss it with his doctor. His doctor may be able to make some changes in the treatment that could improve his situation.
There may come a time when your husband feels he wants to stop kidney dialysis. Although he has the right to discontinue treatment, it's important to discuss the decision carefully with loved ones as well as your husband's treatment team. [Read more]
From NephrologyNews.com, News Release
The National Renal Administrators Association is gearing up for education programs in the next two weeks that will help independent dialysis providers better understand how they can be a part of the integrated care movement.
The Integrated Care Model, ESCOs and Envisioning the Future
A strategic webinar for the independent provider
Integrated care has a significant role in the future of the dialysis industry and involves taking responsibility for coordination of all care received by patients with kidney disease, beginning well before the commencement of dialysis. It also includes a strong patient education component. In this webinar, the NRAA and the Renal Services Exchange will help educate NRAA members on how to participate in a broader approach to integrated care and provide support to members who are considering forming or participating in ESRD Seamless Care Organizations.
Date: Feb. 4 (requires NRAA membership), 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm ET
Register at www.nraa.org/index.php/news-meetings-top/webinars
Integrated care and ESRD Seamless Care Organizations: What an independent provider needs to know about participating in an ESCO
Dates: Feb. 17-18
Location: Grand Hyatt Dallas Fort Worth, 2337 South International Parkway, Dallas
Open to NRAA and non-NRAA members
[Read more]
Dates: Feb. 17-18
Location: Grand Hyatt Dallas Fort Worth, 2337 South International Parkway, Dallas
Open to NRAA and non-NRAA members
[Read more]
A consultant physician and kidney specialist Anthony Were says about 10 per cent of the 40 million Kenyans have some form of kidney disease. “Out of these, about 800 patients per year develop kidney failure yet the services available can only take care of about 200 patients per year. The sad fact of the matter is that over 7,800 Kenyans die of kidney failure every year due to lack of access to kidney treatment, more than twice the number of the people we lose in road accidents,” says Dr Were.
He says that at Sh9,000 per session, dialysis in private hospitals is beyond the reach of ordinary Kenyans whose only option is to queue for the limited machines at public referral hospitals or painfully wait for death at home. Kenyatta National Hospital has 11 working machines, each of which does three dialysis sessions per day at Sh5,000 per session. The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) pays Sh2, 500 per session for member patients.
Were says patients on dialysis need two to three sessions per week to lead a near normal life. He describes as regrettable the policy by insurance companies not to cover dialysis and the fact that NHIF does not subsidise dialysis at private medical facilities.
Commenting on kidney transplant, Were describes the surgery that requires a donated kidney as the most effective remedy for the ailment despite its limitations.
“These include the hassle of getting a right, willing donor, the high cost charged at private hospitals, the shortage of specialist doctors and the dearth of facilities at public hospitals. Though expensive to pull through, transplant is cheaper in the long run and gives best quality of life.
Interlife programme
“Kidney transplant at high-end private hospitals in Nairobi exclusive of requisite tests and drugs costs Sh1.5 million. In India preferred by patients due to immediate attention costs Sh2 million. The same operation costs Sh300,000 at Kenyatta National Hospital,” explains Dr Were.
The specialist says the cost at KNH would be cheaper by as much as Sh50,000 if tissue typing to avoid rejection of a donated organ was done locally. Currently, the test is done in South Africa.
“It costs Sh70,000 to fly tissue samples to South Africa and back for the vital scrutiny. It would cost Sh20,000 to Sh30,000 if we had a recommended laboratory facility to do it locally,” he says. Were decries Kenyan laws governing kidney transplants, describing them as an impediment to moving forward.
“Our laws allow only living related transplants (transplants with kidneys donated by living relatives) as opposed to non relatives or cadaveric sources. Our law makers need to move with speed to change such archaic provisions to increase the availability of kidneys for deserving patients as happens elsewhere. [Read more]
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