So, it continued.
Yes, I am back to the hospital.
My health care team was very worried that my right leg was red and swollen. And ordered me to the hospital emergency room that afternoon. Except, when I stood up to leave, I immediately fell down, sitting on the floor. No, I couldn’t get up. It seems that my blood pressure was 60/30. I was feeling fine, despite that.
So, I took another hiatus.
Let’s get real. It wasn’t that I “took” a hiatus. It’s that my body took the hiatus and I was dragged long for the ride.
Continue reading Brain Fog. Muscles are Jelly.
We are excited. There are two vaccines being distributed- albeit in very spotty fashion. At least one more (the Johnson & Johnson version) is about to be submitted for FDA approval- to be followed shortly thereafter by the Oxford/Astra-Zeneca choice. Hopefully, by the end of this year, the pandemic will be over.
Continue reading You’re kidding me, right?
Every once in a while, I realize that the path I chose for my life has been pretty fortuitous. Sure, I had two failed marriages (one clearly my fault; the other clearly not)- but I was awarded three fantabulous children as a result, so- on balance- I still consider them fortuitous.
Continue reading Bug invasions
Do you know what it feels like to have a tremendous solution, one that can save lives, one that can make a difference to so many- and have to wait for the world to recognize the value of what you have?
Continue reading Predicitions- way better than what Carnac offered!
Some days I just can’t believe it. More than ½ a million Americans have kidney failure; about 350,000 are on dialysis. These are so much higher than the numbers we expected way back in the early 70’s. While most of the patients are covered by Medicaid and Medicare (the latter now covers everyone after 14 months or so), most of the “gravy” comes from private pays- the first 14 months of treatment and those covered by private insurance. The dialysis companies also had erythropoietin (EPO) dosages to provide additional cash, but the Federal government has cut back the approved dosages (no EPO if the hemoglobin levels are 12-14 g/dL) and begun using bundled payments to keep the reimbursements lower. (By the way, a Veterans Administration/Harvard School of Public Health study recently showed that a change in dose of EPO from 15000 to 45000 units/week harmed diabetic kidney patients [from 20 to 33 % greater death risk, respectively, plus additional cardiovascular problems], in particular.)
Continue reading Dialysis is BIG business. It’s going to get BIGGER still!
We have a tremendous problem here in America (and the world). We are becoming fat and lazy. Invariably, that means diabetes is on the rise. Inevitably, that means kidney failure is imminent. (And, some of us are already on that fast track, just because of our genes!). I know we all need to lose weight (is this the pot calling the kettles black, or what?). But, isn’t there something else that can be done, too? (I don’t mean to develop another dialyzer; a stem-cell kidney replacement would be nice. But, I am hoping for a preventive measure, and…)
Continue reading Hope for Kidney Patients?