By Miriam Lippel Blum
There are 41 days left to make your comments to CMS regarding the proposed payment rules. Make your voice heard! It matters.
Here are the CKD related blogs updated since my last report on 11/3. If you have or know of a blog that should be on the list let Bill know. Comments in parentheses are my reactions or opinions.
- Dialysis from the sharp end of the needle Bill writes about how important it is that dialyzors comment to CMS about the proposed rule and gives links for further information and how to submit.
- Kamal Shah's Blog Kamal needs a calm and quiet workspace to do his programming work; five things that Kamal loves and make life meaningful and enjoyable are darjeeling tea, idlis, swimming, his Macbook Pro, and travel.
- Kaply, Inc. Tracy spends a day passed out post-surgery and finds her tolerance low for other people's problems; is not bouncing back as she used to, feels fragile, and is not comfortable with emotional melodrama.
- Toastiest has a photo of dog, Herman, on the couch.
- The Life of a 20-Something With Lupus Flo did well on a test and helped her brother out with a cell phone problem; had a long, busy day with a clinic appointment where she had to deal with a different doctor and then school, but found out she got the highest midterm grade in a class. (Congratulations, Flo!)
- Becky Perry gives advice regarding the return of Redbox Rentals - don't send your husband to do it.
- Life on dialysis ... and now life after my transplant! Holly has a busy week, she graduates and has her abseiling fundraiser, among other activities.
- On the Road to a Cure The Lupus Foundation of America's webchat is November 11, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, the speaker is Ms. Cindy Coney, who will discuss "Social Wellness, Making Connections and Helping Others Understand 'What You Go Through With Lupus;" an article about research on micro-RNA's role in interferon's contribution to inflammation.
- Really, I'm as Old as I Feel? Adorable photos of little Abby in her Halloween costumes.
- The Daily Dialysis Mark's gallbladder surgery is this week, Bonni finds his laissez faire attitude about things medical frustrating.
- I Am. Are you? has the Week 4 update from the Donate Life Illinois Campus Challenge; unveils the Charles Tillman commercial
- Transplant Alliance writes how each person is a story to be told, and how often reunions happen because of stories shared and found through social media.
- Chronic Chick Talk put a strobe light inside her Halloween pumpkin; is going to buy two kitchen scoops for Thanksgiving - one for her, one for a hostess gift; has a bad week with computers, needs a new splint for her TMJ , and a tooth pulled; would love to have a portable hot tub to deal with aches and pains, but can't afford one.
- Lupus and Humor Carla has problems with insomnia and finds relief with a meditation CD called "Health Journeys: A Guided Meditation to Help You with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus" by
Belleruth Naparstek. - Bud's Ramblings Bud wishes it were warmer so he could go out in his power chair.
- Linda Gromko MD kidneycare A night out with Steve at a lovely restaurant refreshes Linda's spirits and reminds them both of their loving connection. She stresses how important it is for dialyzors and caregivers to take time out for non-medical, pleasurable treats. (Doing life-affirming and enhancing things helps keep balance with the difficulties of dealing with CKD5.)
- Renal Fellow Network The action and importance of a family of proteins called the uroplakins; the findings of the TREAT study create uncertainty and unease as how best to manage anemic CKD patients in the clinic; results from last week's Poll of the Week: a majority of individuals (64%) felt that their training programs did a good job of teaching them the art of the renal biopsy, while a significant minority (36%) felt that they were ill-equipped to perform biopsies at the end of their fellowship experience.(I find that pretty terrifying!)
- Uremic Frost a study shows the possible link between low levels of Vitamin D in African Americans to their higher incidence of CKD5; a study shows consuming 74 grams or more of fructose per day (equivalent to about 2.5 cans of 12-ounce sugary soda) correlated significantly with hypertension; the FDA warns about diabetes drug, Byetta, causing altered kidney function, including acute renal failure and insufficiency; has a link to the latest NephSAP educational installment, he recommends the printed material as the audio versions put him to sleep.
- Neophron's Senescence agrees with a quote from Harvard health economist William Tsaio: "Before you can
set up a health care system for any country, you have to know that
country's basic ethical values. The first question is: Do people in your country have a right to health care?
If the people believe that medical care is a basic right, you design a
system that means that anybody who is sick can see a doctor. If a
society considers medical care to be an economic commodity, then you
set up a system that distributes health care based on the ability to
pay. And then the poor are pretty much left out."
- pkdmom2five quotes Psalm 26.
- Kidney Notes - Exploring the Intersection of Medicine and Technology posts a photo of autumn leaves; a link to Amazon's Best of Books; a link to the uroplakins story as seen in Renal Fellow Network; receiving the H1N1 nasal vaccine is anticlimactic.
- Lemonade and Kidneys Ruth starts to cry during yoga. (Sometimes life overwhelms at awkward times. Hang in there. Virtual hug being sent your way.)
- The Ballad of Billy The Kidney John notes the death of Ratu Viliame Ritova, a noted journalist in Australia and in his home nation of Fiji. He was a staunch advocate for the welfare and rights of kidney patients in Fiji.
- The inner game of PKD Richie explores further the meaning of being supported.
- I need a kidney Jason describes the difficulty and suffering of fluid restriction and shares a graph he created to keep track of his intake.
- Michael W. Newman Michael has a terrible day at dialysis when he is seated near a woman who just got out of the hospital, suffers from dementia, diabetes, is an amputee, incontinent, and screamed that she was in pain for four hours. (A terrible day for both of you. There really should be a specialized facility prepared to deal with such difficult situations.)
- Bridge of Life Excerpts a DaVita Magazine article on the work of DaVita medical missions.
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