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About Hannah Bracamonte

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So far Hannah Bracamonte has created 590 blog entries.

Welcome Letter

2024-03-28T21:06:36-04:00December 12th, 2013|Categories: eNews|

Welcome to the DPC Education Center (The Center)! You have arrived here because you are a patient, a family member, a provider, a friend of the kidney community or you accidently discovered us on the internet. No matter how or why, we are pleased to have you here and hope that you make this a site that you frequent regularly. The Center Is incorporated as a new 501 C3, non-profit affiliate organization of the Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC). For those of you not aware of DPC, it is a member based non-profit organization, dedicated to improving the lives of dialysis patients. [...]

Setting up Your Home Dialysis Unit without Feeling like You’re Living in an ICU: Setting Up With Safety First

2024-03-28T21:06:37-04:00December 9th, 2013|Categories: Uncategorized|

By Linda Gromko, MD and Jane C. McClure Some people won’t consider home dialysis because they worry they won’t be able to handle an emergency that might arise. We appreciate these concerns, but know that thinking and planning ahead can help you dialyze at home with greater comfort and safety than in a professional center. Remember that at home, your “patient” is the only patient. Infection risk is greatly reduced because of that factor alone. Nobody cares more about the quality and safety of your dialysis than you do! Besides, if the professionals at the center are dealing with another situation, [...]

The DPC Education Center Inaugural Gala Update

2024-03-28T21:06:37-04:00December 1st, 2013|Categories: About DPC Ed Center|

Preparations for the DPC Education Center’s Inaugural Gala scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, 2014 are in full swing. Our venue is 101 Constitution Avenue, NW in Washington, DC. The rooftop terrace offers a spectacular panorama of downtown with the crown jewel, the Capitol building, at the forefront. You won’t find a more beautiful vantage point. The fundraiser will start with a red carpet “step and repeat.” Our professional photographer will be on hand to preserve the memories of the evening. After a meet and greet session with background music by a popular local jazz pianist, we will proceed to enjoy a [...]

Setting up Your Home Dialysis Unit without Feeling like You’re Living in an ICU: Top Ten Considerations to Get You Started

2024-03-28T21:06:38-04:00November 7th, 2013|Categories: Uncategorized|

By Linda Gromko, MD and Jane C. McClure Home dialysis offers unparalleled advantages for many kidney patients. Yet, living with home dialysis can make a family feel like they’re living in an Intensive Care Unit! It’s easy to get discouraged or overwhelmed. We (Linda, the doctor, and Jane, the designer) are here to help you set up your home dialysis unit so that your life is as comfortable and as convenient as it can be. Over the next few months, we’ll bring you a number of practical tips and guidelines that can help you live well with dialysis – without feeling like [...]

“Fistula First” Keeps Life-saving Options Open!

2024-06-07T11:46:42-04:00July 2nd, 2013|Categories: Blog, Hemodialysis|

Linda Gromko By Linda G., M.D. — Guest Blogger Check Out Recent CDC Recommendations on Reducing Infections The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in May 2013 results from a multi-center study on prevention of bloodstream infections in dialysis patients. The problem is enormous: during the study, 37,000 infections occurred in dialysis patients with central lines, at a cost of over $23,000 per admission. Dialysis patients also have a greater risk of contracting infections with resistant bacteria such as MRSA – and developing accompanying complications such as endocarditis (heart valve infection) and osteomyelitis (bone infection). Not [...]

Legislation That Could Increase Access to Kidney Transplants

2024-03-28T21:06:40-04:00April 30th, 2013|Categories: Kidney Transplant|

Recently, two bills relating to kidney and organ transplants have been introduced in Congress. The Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2013 (S. 323) in the Senate and a companion bill (H.R. 1325) in the House. If passed, these bills will extend Medicare immunosuppressive drug coverage for kidney transplant patients under 65 years old for the life of the graft. Under current law, Medicare beneficiaries who are under 65, and therefore only eligible for Medicare due to their ESRD diagnosis, lose Medicare coverage 3 years after their transplant. Without the immunosuppressive drugs, the body will reject the [...]

Maintaining Mental Health After a Kidney Transplant

2024-03-28T21:06:41-04:00April 30th, 2013|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant, Mental Health|

Mental health is just as important as physical health and the two go hand in hand. This shift of considering individual health as a whole mind body experience is refreshing, but the idea still needs to spread and build from a definition into a cultural mindset. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) know that the numbers on the machine or lab printout don’t tell the entire story. Research has shown that the death rate from chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes is two to three times greater for people living with mental illnesses.[1] As [...]

Pairing Networks for Kidney Donation

2024-03-28T21:06:43-04:00April 29th, 2013|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant|

Finding out that you need a new kidney can be devastating news. After the initial shock wears off, friends and family members graciously get screened and sometimes there is a good match, but sometimes there isn’t. It might seem like awful news, but focus back on the positives. You are still eligible to get a transplant and can still get an organ from a deceased donor. Oh wait there are still some new and exciting options available! Recently, pairing networks have been set up that give you even more options. The idea for creating these networks came from looking at the [...]

Getting Listed on Multiple Transplant Waiting Lists

2024-03-28T21:06:46-04:00April 29th, 2013|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant|

There are ways to help decrease your wait time for a kidney transplant even if you don’t have a living donor. One option is being listed on multiple transplant waiting lists at two or more centers. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has a really in depth resource available here. Being listed in multiple places helps by giving you access to more kidneys than are available to just your transplant center. Each transplant center gives first priority to those closest to their center, but being on the list could get you a transplant sooner if local candidates with the same amount [...]

Your Diet After A Kidney Transplant

2024-03-28T21:06:46-04:00April 29th, 2013|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant, News & Events, Nutrition, Staying Healthy, Treatment|

After you receive a transplant, it is possible that many of the diet restrictions you had during dialysis will disappear. This however, doesn’t mean that proper nutrition is any less important.  Also, if you have other conditions like hypertension and diabetes, you will need to continue following those diet restrictions. Diet and proper nutrition become even more important because some of the immunosuppressants can also increase blood sugar levels leading to an increased risk of diabetes and increase your appetite. Also, even though many of your dialysis related restrictions go away, there are still things that you should keep doing. These [...]

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