Dialysis from the sharp end of the needle

Dialysis & CKD Blog Report 4/14

By Kamal D Shah

CKD related blogs updated since Tracy's update on 4/11. If you have or know of a blog that should be on the list let Bill know. Comments in parentheses are mine.

• Dialysis from the sharp end of the needle been pretty quiet around here!
• Kamal Shah's Blog Ayurveda - what really works?; great labs thanks to nocturnal home hemo; baffling symptoms
• Kaply, Inc. buys a magical bracelet which TOTALLY WORKS (do they ship these to India? No, really, I could do with some magic) and tells us 'some things' (really hilarious!)
  
• Birdman Happy Easter!
• CHRONIC POSITIVITY - Life with Polycystic Kidney Disease 50 weeks into transplant, labs are good, walking more, listening to an audiobook, rabbits!
• Life on dialysis ... and now life after my transplant! photo blog of Photo Call, Donor day and the Drinks reception, thanks everyone for the great support (thank you for the extraordinary work you've put in! And congratulations on the great results!)
• PKD & Dialysis ... Where I Tell It Like It Is has Calcineurin-inhibitor Induced Pain Syndrome (that's quite a mouthful)
• Let us Consider One Another is glad to be back home again (I know the feeling; staying in the hospital is only supposed to make you feel better)
• On the Road to a Cure posts an article about a Lupus UK member's award winning garden
• I Am. Are you? summary of all the organ donation activity around the US; news update from Illinois
• Transplant Alliance enjoying sweets and chocolates on Easter; links to Scott M's (American Idol) story
• Life on Dialysis is having really hectic days; has a great trek at Duke's Nose! (how much I envy you Samiir!)
• Bud's Ramblings Easter Eve
• Disability Prejudice And Civil Rights Watch cumulative impact of disability based prejudice;
• Precious Bodily Fluids watch the sodium potassium ratio; geriatric nephrology links; links to forms in google docs (I find Google docs really convenient and they are introducing features at an astonishing rate)
• Renal Fellow Network artheroembolic renal disease; nodular glomerulosclerosis; video that shows a little girl pointing to her kidneys - teach your kids the important stuff! (really sweet!)
• Uremic Frost a new ambulatory BP device; print versions of NephSAP are better; Scott Macintyre, a kidney transplant recipient is ousted from American Idol; grapes reduce hypertension (I love grapes!)
  
• Renal tsar's blog chosen for NKF's International Distinguished Service Medal (congratulations, that is no mean achievement!); Vascular Risk Assessment and Management Best Practice Guidance
• Free range fish sticks Happy Easter!
• pkdmom2five makes it to the front page of The Facts
• As The Pump Turns photo blog; happy at being able to pick and choose what she wants to believe from different religions; video blog: Medicare Conditions of Coverage: Dialysis Tech Certification
• My Chronic Kidney Disease happiness - the key to health; has best meal in a long time
• Eating Well on Dialysis a recipe from Cooking Light
• Biologically Safe Water Filters an answer to a question on endotoxin control on things like showerheads
• Kidney Community Emergency Response Florida flooding updates

Dialysis & CKD Blog Report 4/8

By Kamal D Shah

CKD related blogs updated since Bill's update on 4/4. If you have or know of a blog that should be on the list let Bill know. Comments in parentheses are mine.

• Dialysis from the sharp end of the needle Rich does not like the term ESRD, roots for "Break the wall"; how to take an accurate blood pressure reading (first time I read that; really informative); thoughts on optimal CKD5 management; dealing with dialyzors who have multimorbidities; dialysis chairs should support accurate BP reading (and maybe have a massage option?!); links to RSN's Donate Life Month page; reminder on the Touch Cannulation webinar
• Kamal Shah's Blog the toll dialysis takes; finds out the reason behind a bewildering software problem
• Kaply, Inc.  lists some awesome stuff and some stuff she's learned; asks for suggestions on how to make a career out of making people laugh
• Drinking my way through Trader Joe's Wine likes any wine with a goat on its label!; reviews two wines
• Birdman attends a great block party organized by his church
• Hasten down the wire gets a new fistula; finds Twitter to be an attention drain (I resisted the twitter temptation till recently; should I not have given in?); outraged that Zambrano wanted to abandon Wrigley Field!
• The Life of a 20-Something With Lupus decides to eat healthy (way to go! I wish I had the good sense to do that too!); hopes the pain in her feet is temporary; important HR test coming up (I'm sure you'll crack it, all the best!)
• Jack's Kidney Adventure lists current medication; improved processes possibly as a result of his complaint letter reduces time taken for labs; some useful volume conversions
• Let us Consider One Another Montezuma's revenge
• On the Road to a Cure upcoming Lupus walks; fill your answers to a question - "What are your favorite family traditions this time of the year?"
• Really, I'm as Old as I Feel? gearing up for an Easter vacation; is ready for spring
• I Am. Are you? links to new Illinois organ donation commercial;
• Transplant Alliance happy about organ donation sign; people will pay a huge amount for things like iPhones but will not donate for a cause (hmmm... the iPhone is well, different!)
• Chronic Chick Talk tries a copper bracelet for pain relief (keep us posted please, I could do with some pain relievers too)
• Bud's Ramblings reschedules an appointment with the heart doctor; time to get the hummingbird feeders out!
• Disability Prejudice And Civil Rights Watch more on Psychiatric Solutions from Pro Publica; Florida Considering Turning a State Hospital Over to a For-Profit Prison and Psychiatric Inpatient Company
• Renal Fellow Network interesting statistics on dialysis providers
• Uremic Frost lack of sleep increases HTN risk; reports on a study on nephropathy in pigs; confused about the explosion of positive studies involving Vitamin D; a new HTN drug, darusentan; links to DFSEON post about using the term ESRD; study that suggests avoiding gentamycin; a study on contrast induced nephropathy; energy drinks and hypertension don't mix
• Renal tsar's blog posts a Q&A on MRSA screening and decolonisation; posts the April '09 update of Renal NSF
• Free range fish sticks family enjoys an uneventful weekend; discusses dialyzors with comorbidities
• pkdmom2five posts pics of Monday dinner; shopping for son's graduation supplies; things needed for a successful party according to son, Christian; guess who's in the pics!; getting ready for oldest son's graduation party
• PKD World new legislation being introduced in the US, talk to your elected officials
• The Ballad of Billy The Kidney links to Australian TV bloopers
• As The Pump Turns video blogs about celebrities and kidney failure; video blog on the dialysis machine
• My Chronic Kidney Disease going to try watermelon seed tea; links to the benefits of sea salt; wonders if he should restart losartan; links to an informative medical website; finds another herbal remedy advocate; do mushrooms help purify blood?; explanation of the how and why of CKD progression; needs to reduce protein intake; some useful recipes; conversion formula from one to another unit of creatinine; a little disheartened as lab tests do not show improvement
• Eating Well on Dialysis two more recipes from Cooking Light
• Berns on Nephrology Nephrology practice in an economic downturn
• Kidney Community Emergency Response information on road closing due to flooding in Florida
• Renal BizBlog asks clinics to be prepared for CROWNWeb
• Kidney Diet Tips tips on eating a low protein diet
• Nathan's PKD post transplant clinic shows he's doing well

Dialysis & CKD Blog Report 3/31

By Kamal D Shah

CKD related blogs updated since Bill's update on 3/29. If you have or know of a blog that should be on the list let Bill know. Comments in parentheses are mine.

• Dialysis from the sharp end of the needle analyzes a ruling in the National Renal Alliance vs. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia case; increase in number of people with CKD5 is better than expected; an interesting hemodialysis co-op experiment in China
• Kamal Shah's Blog the difference between his old job and new job
• The Life of a 20-Something With Lupus a not-so-pleasant clinic appointment (I hate the preachy ones too - "you should really drink less fluid" - "oh really? I thought folks on dialysis should drink at least 5 liters a day!")
• Really, I'm as Old as I Feel? celebrating seventh wedding anniversary (hope you had a great day!)
• I Am. Are you? amazing story of how a stolen car led to a kidney donation
• Renal Fellow Network reviews an article on the 'polypill'
• Uremic Frost a new procedure for refractory hypertension; a new ASN Mastercard; the 'polypill'
• Free range fish sticks frustrated that hospitals don't realize that there is a loss in quality that results in outsourcing dialysis
• The Ballad of Billy The Kidney  link to how video game sharpens vision
• My Chronic Kidney Disease donor possibilities; diet helps bring BP to normal; theorizing about illness
• Kidney Community Emergency Response flood alerts and helpful links
• Work In Progress continues the bladder cancer story (thanks so much for sharing this)

Dialysis & CKD Blog Report 3/26

By Kamal D Shah

CKD related blogs updated since Miriam's update on 3/23. If you have or know of a blog that should be on the list let Bill know. Comments in parentheses are mine.

• Dialysis from the sharp end of the needle laments the inactive Kidney Caucus
• Kamal Shah's Blog is silent because he's doing a blog report on another site!
• Kaply, Inc "You are filling me with hate!"- well, a conversation!
• Toastiest doesn't recognize saxifrage (I wouldn't either!)
• Hasten down the wire mulls over the global economic crisis; notes that 'mega drop-down panels actually work'; discusses insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions and how things are going to change
  
• Living Out Loud gets on another transplant list, mother-in-law will visit soon, going to train on a PD cycler (you will love the time freed up during the day. Which cycler is it?) among other things.
• PKD & Dialysis . . . Where I Tell It Like It Is 11 days after transplant, drainage tube is bothersome (I hated mine too. Couldn't wait to get it out back in 1998.)
  
• On the Road to a Cure links to a lupus channel on You Tube and posts a video from there that explains Lupus and the associated symptoms and health effects and support resources
• I Am. Are you? April is Donate Life Month, calls for videos to support organ donation
• Chronic Chick Talk links to a recipe contest; wants a van; loves the rice heat pack
• Bud's Ramblings thoughts on a pretty spring day, pansies are blooming!
• Disability Prejudice And Civil Rights Watch poverty and race may be to blame for diabetes; wonders why Public Citizen won't investigate lithium induced kidney failure
• Precious Bodily Fluids Contact if you're going to be around for the Nashville NKF meeting, pointers on truly randomizing a study; iPhone and medicine links; William Schwartz obituary; link to article on PSA studies
• Renal Fellow Network Triphasic Diabetes Insipidus (didn't understand this post at all!), interesting post on hypertension induced ESRD; discusses symptoms of hypocalcemia
• Uremic Frost new URL, a documented case of Star Fruit being fatal with CKD, posts a video that says age is no barrier for an AV Fistula; lawsuits against the company that makes Fleet
• Renal tsar's blog rumors of twice weekly dialysis - "Thrice weekly dialysis, the standard in hospital unit settings, must be considered as a minimum" (Folks are now rooting for every other day dialysis to be made the minimum; see previous posts in this blog), posts about a transplant recipient planning to climb Mount Everest (this is truly amazing!)
• Bondservant Diary Wife having problems (Hang in there both of you, hope the catheter works out this time); problems getting dialysis in Atlantic Canada
  
• My Wife Has Lupus - Support for individuals whose family or friends have lupus Flexible Spending Accounts - a good way to save on taxes
• Few Email Posts from IGA-Nephropathy Group Posts a You Tube video lecture from Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• My Chronic Kidney Disease "magic" solution for kidney stones; sets goal for creatinine; categorizes alternative remedies; breaks "juice-only" fast - "fresh pineapple juice really is delicious" (Yeah, tell me about it! Fresh any juice really is delicious!) ; is going to try Reiki
• Kidney Community Emergency Response launches a new newsletter Disasterville; presidential disaster declaration for flooding in North Dakota and Minnesota
• Bridge of Life work progresses on the Phillipines unit