Dialysis & CKD Blog Report 1/17

By Miriam Lippel Blum

Here are the CKD related blogs updated since my last report on 1/14. 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 excerpts 23 comments regarding Medicare's PPS submitted by dialyzors using home hemodialysis to show how successful more frequent dialysis is at controlling symptoms and normalizing life for those with CKD5.
• Kamal Shah's Blog Kamal describes the isotope bone scan he underwent, results showed "Metabolic bone disease", now back to his doctor for continuing consultation.
• Kaply, Inc. Tracy lays out the plan for her birthday celebration and requests pictures from all her  loyal readers of whatever you are doing on "Tracymas."
• Toastiest posts a video of Johnny Carson's last TV appearance; watched an iTunes movie at dialysis to help him fall asleep, was awoken by machine alarms at 4:30,AM.
• The inner game of PKD Richie describes his post-transplant experiences.
• The Life of a 20-Something With Lupus Flo worries that a potential professors strike at her university will upset her education schedule,  her previously fractured foot is giving her pain; she struggles with fragile black hair; she is sleepy, worries about getting bloodwork done for fear that it will show there is something wrong.
• Becky Perry lists four things that make her happy.
• Transplant, Tantrums, & Tiaras Holly posts pictures and thoughts about her friend, Jess, who died last week; Holly continues to grieve.
• On the Road to a Lupus Cure Tips for starting and sticking to an exercise routine.
• Chronic Chick Talk posts a music video "Beauty from Pain" by Superchick; she is amazed at how fast baseballs are thrown during games.
• Bud's Ramblings shares a column written by a friend about lessons learned from burnt biscuits.
• Linda Gromko MD kidneycare Linda posts an update on Steve's transplant status - they hope for a living donor with blood type A or O.
• Precious Bodily Fluids Joel shares a humorous e-mail he received from a patient.
• Renal Fellow Network Last week's poll shows that Up To Date is the most commonly used current reference system for rapidly obtaining nephrology knowledge by renal fellows; a post discussing pre-op cardiovascular testing for kidney transplant recipients.
• Uremic Frost has the Renal Physicians Public Policy in a Minute video.
• UKidney has a post about staghorn calculi which are are upper urinary tract kidney stones which involve the renal pelvis and involve at least two of the calyxes; Baxter Corp. faces numerous lawsuits over harm caused by tainted heparin; an article about the status of the wearable artificial kidney; in a retrospective CKD-inception cohort study, there was no association between hyperphosphatemia and death, though there was less risk of renal replacement therapy in patients with better phosphorus control. A suggestion is made that there should be a randomized study to confirm the relationship between hyperphosphatemia and death, if it is so.
• Pediatric Nephrology has a link for physicians to contact if they can help treat a few Haiti earthquake victims at their centers; a link to ASN's list of relief organizations for Haiti; responsibilities of a nephrologist during earthquakes;  Acute Renal Failure - History; Rituximab is now considered an alternative therapy for refractory lupus, lupus nephritis, and vasculitis but there is no evidence supporting its use in routine care for remission induction or maintenance, nor in primary glomerulonephritis; a study investigates the genetics of reflux; a study on masked hypertension and LVH in children with CKD2 -4; a link to a review article in AJKD on post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder; a powerpoint on the basics and techniques of various forms of CRRT.
  
• pkdmom2five Life is going well for Amy and her family, she reconciles with estranged friends, and loves the freedom of expression she has with her blog, gets positive feedback from others.
• Lemonade and Kidneys shares some of the stories she didn't get around to blogging about last year: her dog's new girlfriend, new solar panels on her house, and a new ring; a photo of George Clooney; two local scandals have Ruth wondering why people waited so long to take action.
• Rob and Danielle's Kidney Blog Rob struggles with low blood pressure while on nocturnal dialysis, his doctor prescribes a new medicine that doesn't seem to help.
• Mid-life ramblings Dianne celebrates losing weight,  having had no hospital stays in a year, and having her daughter visit over Christmas; she is amazed by a young newlywed couple who are assisting and blogging in Haiti.
• ....And Bells on Her Toes Kelly and Alex get colds from their kids. Kelly worries that Alex's transplant (five days away) might be delayed if he can't recover quickly.
• Encompass Network Partners Pathway Medical Technologies, Inc announced that the FDA has granted the company clearance to market JETSTREAM G3™ which is a peripheral revascularization catheter designed to remove all kinds of artery-clogging plaque in the lower limbs of patients. This minimally invasive solution clears blockages in the peripheral vasculature, restores blood flow and effectively treats Peripheral Vascular Disease; a rise in endovascular treatment for Peripheral Arterial Disease seems to be related to rates of amputation and mortality falling, even though patients seem to be sicker upon presentation.
• Kidney Community Emergency Response American Society of Nephrology (ASN) encourages individuals and organizations interested in contributing financial support to donate directly to entities specifically dedicated to providing disaster relief to Haiti, gives links; more links for information about disaster relief in Haiti.
• NephrOnline Blogs DaVita raises the question as to who is responsible for deaths caused by tainted heparin, they or Baxter who made the stuff?
• Nathan's PKD Nathan celebrates his three-year kidney-versary, no signs of rejection, his labs are great, his bone scan was unchanged, his cardiologist is retiring.(We wish you many more great kidney-versaries!)
• Michael W. Newman Michael sees a new pulmonologist who orders an overnight 0₂ saturation test, and may also want to do a sleep study that Michael thinks is unnecessary. He doesn't want to protest for fear he will be dropped as a patient and there are few other physician choices in his community.
• Life on Dialysis Samiir takes the bus to dialysis and nearly blacks out, notices later that there are seats reserved for physically disabled people and wonders why there are no seats for people who might have a non-visible disability like CKD5 who might need them just as much on a long bus ride.
• Mushroom's Blog Mushrooom received a US flag from Sen. Dianne Feinstein that was flown over the Capitol in memory of his deceased son, Jeremy, whose donated kidney lasted 17 years.