Enjoy Your Life!

2024-02-08T09:57:40-05:00February 8th, 2024|Categories: Dialysis, eNews, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Physical Health, Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, Stress Management|

Dialysis does not mean the end of your life! You are still able to perform many of the tasks that you did prior to dialysis but patience and planning are necessary. Please read the following tips provided by Fresenius Medical Care (www.freseniusmedicalcare.com). Talking to the staff at the dialysis centers. Writing down questions ahead of time and inform family members about changes in treatment. Finding out as much as possible about the illness through a National Kidney Association or Society, local or national support groups, written materials, and educational classes. Staying involved in the pleasures, activities, and responsibilities of daily living. [...]

Fighting Back Against Implicit Bias in Health Care

2023-06-14T14:23:42-04:00June 14th, 2023|Categories: Additional Resources, Mental Health, Physical Health, Quality of Life, The Kidney Citizen|

Tips for how to speak up and speak out against discrimination in a medical setting Kirsten Weir The receptionist requests two forms of identification from you, yet the White person in front of you required no identification to be verified. A nurse who uses a condescending tone of voice: “you people are all alike.” A doctor who doesn’t listen to you: Having just told the doctor you have knee problems, he recommended that you walk 30 minutes every day. Are they just having a bad day — or is it implicit bias? Implicit bias is an attitude or [...]

Andrew Carr Knows There’s More for Him

2023-06-14T14:22:23-04:00June 14th, 2023|Categories: Dialysis, Kidney Transplant, Mental Health, Stress Management, The Kidney Citizen|

Andrew Carr Kidney disease has been part of Andrew’s life since he was 7 years old, when he was diagnosed with Hydronephrosis. Now 29, Andrew has had kidney disease for the majority of his life, but he’s guided by the principle that his kidney disease doesn’t control his life, he does. Andrew began dialysis treatments when he was 19. While Andrew’s exposure to kidney disease happened so early in his life, he does not remember how he felt about it at its outset, but vividly remembers the beginning of his dialysis treatments. For three-and-a-half years Andrew persevered through [...]

The Making of An Advocate

2023-06-14T14:17:06-04:00June 14th, 2023|Categories: Dialysis, Kidney Transplant, Medication, Mental Health, Support, The Kidney Citizen, Treatment|

Gene Blankenship, DPC Board of Directors Thinking about Life Sitting in my recliner watching the leaves fall like big fat orange snowflakes, I see the trees begin to change colors. My immediate first thought is “How many more seasons of change will I see? Is this my last fall”? Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is a constant passenger in my life. Anytime you have a passenger with you for long periods of time, you will go through events together that stamp your life. For example, as a child, I watched Eugene Taylor Jr., my dad, hook himself up every [...]

For Mike Guffey, Working Was Key to Staying Positive

2023-06-15T18:55:03-04:00June 14th, 2023|Categories: Diagnosis of Kidney Disease, Dialysis, Employment, Hemodialysis, In-Center Hemodialysis, Kidney Transplant, Mental Health, Quality of Life, The Kidney Citizen|

Mike Guffey When Mike Guffey began dialysis treatments in 2008, one of his top priorities was to ensure he had a reason to keep moving forward, something to look forward to when he got out of bed which would allow him to push through his treatment regimen. For him, that meant returning to work as quickly as he could after starting his treatments, especially given how quickly he crashed into life on dialysis. Normally based in Kansas City, Mike was working temporarily as a project manager in Colorado when he noticed something was off. He went to the [...]

Telehealth with a Behavioral Health Professional: What to Know Before You Start

2022-11-02T21:08:16-04:00October 27th, 2022|Categories: Mental Health, The Kidney Citizen|

By Kirsten Weir If you or a family member is managing chronic kidney disease, you’re probably thinking a lot about physical health—the health of the kidney and the rest of the body. Caring for your behavioral health is just as important. And with telehealth options that let you see a behavioral health professional from your home, it’s more convenient than ever. “The increased availability and acceptance of telehealth might be one of the few positive changes to come out of the [COVID-19] pandemic,” says Amy Walters, PhD, a clinical health psychologist and the director of Behavioral Health Services for St. [...]

Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Ever End?

2022-11-02T21:40:19-04:00August 1st, 2022|Categories: Dialysis, eNews, Immunizations, Mental Health, The Kidney Citizen|Tags: |

By Alan S. Kliger, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, and Chair, Excellence in Patient Care Advisory Committee, American Society of Nephrology Updated October 2022 Some recent quotes I’ve heard - - - I’ll bet you have too: “Who can even pay attention when the subject of COVID-19 is raised?” “Enough already – I’m through with it” “What’s the difference? Even with vaccines and boosters, I still got COVID twice!” After nearly three years of this pandemic, COVID-19 infection has gone from a frightening and deadly disease to a major disruptor of our lives, to [...]

The New 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Has Launched

2022-08-08T15:42:25-04:00July 21st, 2022|Categories: eNews, Mental Health, Support|

As of July 16th, people experiencing a mental health crisis (or their family and friends) can call or text 9-8-8 to reach help. The new 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is modeled after 911 in order be easier to remember and provide a quick way for those in crisis to connect to a trained mental health professional, 24/7. The Lifeline is a national network of over 200 local crisis centers, providing free and confidential emotional support, along with connection to local resources, if necessary. When calling into the Lifeline, you will: First hear an automated message – this will outline additional [...]

Telehealth with a Mental Health Professional: What to Know Before You Start

2022-05-10T13:00:27-04:00May 5th, 2022|Categories: Dialysis, eNews, Kidney Transplant, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Stress Management|

By Kirsten Weir If you or a family member are managing chronic kidney disease, you’re probably thinking a lot about physical health—the health of the kidney and the rest of the body. Caring for your mental health is just as important. And with telehealth options that let you see a mental health professional from your home, it’s more convenient than ever. “The increased availability and acceptance of telehealth might be one of the few positive changes to come out of the [COVID-19] pandemic,” says Amy Walters, PhD, a clinical health psychologist and the director of Behavioral Health Services for St. Luke's [...]

Exercise for Both Physical and Mental Health

2022-05-10T12:56:22-04:00May 2nd, 2022|Categories: eNews, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Physical Health|

It is well known that exercise is important to maintain physical health, but new studies have shown that the benefits of exercise extend to mental health as well. Researchers looked at 15 existing studies that contain data on exercise and depression and have found a correlation between depression risk and physical activity. Even when someone wasn’t exercising as intensely or as often as advised by the US Department of Health and Human Services, there were still significant mental health benefits. The 15 studies used, which included over 191,000 participants total, found that people who did half the recommended amount of physical [...]

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