Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Mornirng Inspiration
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive the week.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
There are two types of diets for kidney disease. One type of diet is specifically for people who have progressive chronic renal failure, or kidney failure, but are not on dialysis yet. Along with medicine, a low-protein diet may slow the worsening of kidney failure. The other more restrictive type of diet is for people on dialysis whose kidneys have totally failed and are no longer working at all. This is called end stage renal disease, or ESRD.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Did you know......
Recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that one in three people in the United States will have diabetes by the year 2050. The number stands now at one in ten. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, responsible for nearly half of the new cases last year. Yet proper management and treatment of diabetes can help prevent the onset of kidney disease.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Feeling Better After Dialysis Is As Easy As Can Be!
Know The Numbers!
There are two numbers that you should know: Your KT/V and URR (Urea Reduction Ratio). KT/V and URR measure how much of the waste product, called urea, is removed from your blood. Not getting enough dialysis time and having too much urea left in your blood after dialysis will leave you feeling sick.
Knowing your KT/V and URR numbers can assure you that waste in the blood is being removed sufficiently.
Know Your Numbers!
Know How To Reach Your Goal!
Although you may feel okay without adequate dialysis, overtime you will become weak and tired.
Attending and staying for all your dialysis treatments is very important. People with less waste products in their blood feel better, are healthier and, live longer.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
There are two numbers that you should know: Your KT/V and URR (Urea Reduction Ratio). KT/V and URR measure how much of the waste product, called urea, is removed from your blood. Not getting enough dialysis time and having too much urea left in your blood after dialysis will leave you feeling sick.
Knowing your KT/V and URR numbers can assure you that waste in the blood is being removed sufficiently.
Know Your Numbers!
- Goal: KT/V greater than 1.2
- URR greater than 65%
Know How To Reach Your Goal!
- Always go to all your scheduled dialysis treatment.
- Stay for the full treatment.
- Follow your diet.
- Avoid excessive fluid weight gains between treatments.
- Check your KT/V and URR number every month.
- Eat better and feel less nausea.
- Have fewer hospital stays.
- Feel less tired and live longer.
- Itchy skin.
- Poor appetite.
- Fatigue.
- Shortness of breath.
- High blood chemistries.
Although you may feel okay without adequate dialysis, overtime you will become weak and tired.
Attending and staying for all your dialysis treatments is very important. People with less waste products in their blood feel better, are healthier and, live longer.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Phosphorous Tips
Nutrition Facts may not list phosphorous. Check the ingredients.
Milk, nuts and dark colas are high in phosphorus.
Kidney disease can cause an unhealthy buildup of phosphorus.
Dialysis alone can’t remover all the extra phosphorus from your body.
More than 7 out of 10 dialysis patients have high phosphorus.
Dialysis helps remove extra phosphorus from your body.
If not treated, high phosphorus can be a serious condition.
Phosphorus buildup can cause bone disease and heart disease.
With high phosphorus levels, you may not feel any symptoms.
Phosphorus is a mineral found in many foods.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
Milk, nuts and dark colas are high in phosphorus.
Kidney disease can cause an unhealthy buildup of phosphorus.
Dialysis alone can’t remover all the extra phosphorus from your body.
More than 7 out of 10 dialysis patients have high phosphorus.
Dialysis helps remove extra phosphorus from your body.
If not treated, high phosphorus can be a serious condition.
Phosphorus buildup can cause bone disease and heart disease.
With high phosphorus levels, you may not feel any symptoms.
Phosphorus is a mineral found in many foods.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Medication Tips
Ask friends how they remember to take their medication.
Refill your prescriptions before you run out of your medication.
Ask friends or family to help you remember yor medication.
Put a note on the refrigerator to remember your binder medication.
Talk to your health care provider about the mediations you take.
If you travel, remember to take your medications with you.
Which binder medication is right for you? Ask your health care provider.
Take all of your medications as directed.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
Refill your prescriptions before you run out of your medication.
Ask friends or family to help you remember yor medication.
Put a note on the refrigerator to remember your binder medication.
Talk to your health care provider about the mediations you take.
If you travel, remember to take your medications with you.
Which binder medication is right for you? Ask your health care provider.
Take all of your medications as directed.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Diet/Food Tips
In your diet, replace wheat bread with white bread.
When shopping choose foods low in phosphorus.
Use information on Nutrition Facts labels to choose healthy foods.
Instead of ice cream for dessert try sherbet.
Work with your dietitian to choose kidney-friendly foods.
Ask your dietitian about proper portions size.
Talk with your dietitian before changing your diet.
Make a list of questions to ask your dietitian.
When you need answers, ask your dietitian questions.
Ask your dietitian questions while at dialysis.
Ask other dialysis patients if they have any food ideas.
Do you know which foods to limit? Ask your dietitian.
Prepare your meal and your binder medication together.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
When shopping choose foods low in phosphorus.
Use information on Nutrition Facts labels to choose healthy foods.
Instead of ice cream for dessert try sherbet.
Work with your dietitian to choose kidney-friendly foods.
Ask your dietitian about proper portions size.
Talk with your dietitian before changing your diet.
Make a list of questions to ask your dietitian.
When you need answers, ask your dietitian questions.
Ask your dietitian questions while at dialysis.
Ask other dialysis patients if they have any food ideas.
Do you know which foods to limit? Ask your dietitian.
Prepare your meal and your binder medication together.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
Thursday, July 1, 2010
General Tips For Dialysis Patients
It’s important to come to all of your dialysis appointments.
Stay the entire time at your dialysis appointments.
A strong support system helps you stay on track.
You have chronic kidney disease, but it’s not who you are.
Talking about kidney disease may help you cope.
Use your dialysis time wisely. Plan your meals or read.
Talk to others dialysis patients about joining a support group (I say social group).
Stay on track with your dialysis when you travel.
You are the most important player when it comes to your health.
Stay on track with diet, dialysis, and medication.
Dialysis is important. So are proper diet and medication.
Dialysis does the job of healthy kidneys.
Set realistic goals to help keep you on track.
Track your progress with your scheduled lab results.
Be active. Ask questions to help you understand your treatment.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
Stay the entire time at your dialysis appointments.
A strong support system helps you stay on track.
You have chronic kidney disease, but it’s not who you are.
Talking about kidney disease may help you cope.
Use your dialysis time wisely. Plan your meals or read.
Talk to others dialysis patients about joining a support group (I say social group).
Stay on track with your dialysis when you travel.
You are the most important player when it comes to your health.
Stay on track with diet, dialysis, and medication.
Dialysis is important. So are proper diet and medication.
Dialysis does the job of healthy kidneys.
Set realistic goals to help keep you on track.
Track your progress with your scheduled lab results.
Be active. Ask questions to help you understand your treatment.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Advice From The Kidney Doctor
In this article of Be Healthy, Be Happy, I’d like to discuss an issue that comes up every day in the dialysis center: fluid restriction. There is no doubt that fluid intake is the most important determinant of weight gain between one session of hemodialysis and the next, particularly in patients with minimal urine output. However, we must be careful not to neglect the importance of dietary sodium intake as well. Patients drink for one of two reasons: thirst, and because they ‘feel like a drink’ – for example, social drinking. It is very difficult for a conscious patient to ignore thirst, and severe thirst will drive a patient to find fluid wherever they can. When patients do this, it is not because they are ‘mad’, ‘totally non-compliant’ or ‘too stupid to understand the importance of fluid restriction’ – it is because it is nearly impossible to ignore such a strong physiological stimulus. The over-riding stimulus to thirst is sodium concentration. Thus, we should concentrate on advising and helping dialysis patients to limit their salt intake, which will help limit thirst. Advising dialysis patients to restrict fluid intake when they have not had advice on how to limit their salt intake is inhumane, and is a waste of time. What other factors may impact thirst and fluid gains? A certain amount of sodium is delivered to each patient during each dialysis session. This may be prescribed by your nephrologist to help keep your blood pressure from dropping. If you’re caught in a vicious cycle of increasing fluid gains and increasing symptoms during rapid fluid removal on dialysis, talk to your nephrologist about your ‘sodium profile’ and how this can be changed to promote less thirst. There’s also some evidence that ACE inhibitors, a certain class of blood pressure medication, can reduce thirst and weight gain in dialysis patients with habitually high inter-dialytic weight gain and fluid overload.
In summary, a low sodium diet with advice to drink only when thirsty has been shown in clinical trials to significantly limit weight gains. The hard part then becomes the practical difficulty of persuading patients to limit dietary sodium intake. The high sodium content of many processed foods means that simply avoiding salt at the table and in cooking will not be enough to achieve these effects. However, any reduction in salt intake is likely to have a beneficial effect in the right direction. Talk to your dietician about the possible sources of sodium in your diet, and ways to lower it. And then maybe you won’t raise as many eyebrows when you get on the scale!
Queens Nassau Nephrology Services
Friday, May 28, 2010
Finally... Photos From The 2010 Long Island Kidney Walk
Hi everyone... yes, finally I have posted some photos of this year's Kidney Walk... I arranged the photos into a slideshow video but there was some technical difficulties with Google and Blogger with getting videos uploaded to the Blog... things have been fixed, at least for now... if there seems to be any future problems with the slideshow, I will repost the photos individually... I hope you enjoy the images... as you will see, it was a really fun day for everyone...
I am also providing a link to where I have the same photos from the slideshow stored online at my picasa web album... this is because the quality of the photos in the slideshow seem a bit diminished... I guess this comes from the video processing done by Google... the quality of the pre-processed photos are better and you can see them at a larger size... Here is the link below:
by KMJ & Jody Gardener-Jones
Monday, May 24, 2010
And We Walked...
Yes we did walk... many of us, walking as one...
Stay tuned for upcoming posts with many photos and videos of the day's events...
by KMJ and Jody Gardener-Jones
Yesterday's NKF Long Island Kidney Walk at Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island was fantastic. All the weather forecasts spoke of rain for the day and there was none... we even got peeks of sunshine on a cloudy but great day. The 'Be Healthy Happy' team was in the place- 65 walkers strong and representing to the fullest... For sure, all the teams present were looking good... No doubt, it was a wonderful experience for everyone...
I would like to thank the team members very much for their paricipation and support, as well as all those who sponsored and supported the team... the 'Be Healthy, Be Happy' team would be nothing without you guys... and may we do it even better next year...
Stay tuned for upcoming posts with many photos and videos of the day's events...
by KMJ and Jody Gardener-Jones
Sunday, May 23, 2010
People Feel Best...
It was once related to me that- "People feel best when they are united and moving together for a good cause". Surely, today's Kidney Walk which will take place later this morning is a good cause- more so, a great cause. I trust that everyone will be there united and moving together... and yes- FEELING THEIR BEST. May we be blessed with a fun-filled, successful event.
by KMJ
Friday, May 21, 2010
Understanding The Dialysis Patient
So you have to have dialysis. How did this happen? Why did it happen to me? Iʼm sure that these are
some of the questions you have asked yourself. As a society we tend to overindulge. Because of this overindulgence, it has affected our health. We are overweight with hypertension and diabetes.
Hypertension is a disease that is called the silent killer. Unless you get regular medical checkups
you may not know you are hypertensive until it is too late. Hypertension affects every bodily system
and the kidneys are no exception. You find yourself in the hospital having to get a catheter because
your kidneys have stopped working. Dialysis??? What is dialysis you are asking yourself? Dialysis
is something you will need for the rest of your life. It is the only thing that is going to keep you alive
other than having a kidney transplant. And who knows when that will happen. The kidneys work as
our bodyʼs cleaner. They help to get rid of the toxins and wastes in our system. They help get rid of
fluid. They also help regulate:
• erythropoietin, or EPO, which stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells
• renin, which regulates blood pressure
• calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, which helps maintain calcium for bones
and for normal chemical balance in the body
Compliance??? What does that mean??? It means to follow the rules. When it comes to dialysis,
compliance is very important. You have to monitor what you eat and drink. Some people think that
it doesnʼt matter what they eat or drink, I will go to dialysis and it will clean me out. Yes dialysis will take care of it, but it canʼt take off all the excess fluid because you will cramp, your blood pressure
will drop. Your body is a wonderful machine but it canʼt be abused. As the saying goes, your body is
your temple. And you should treat it as such. You eat and drink too much and it will eventually affect
your heart. What do the kidneys have to do with my heart??? All the extra fluid and toxins have no
where to go so it affects all your other organs and something has to give. I have seen too many
patients that are not compliant and they wind up in the hospital with Congestive Heart Failure and
other ailments. Every time they come back to dialysis you can see that they are not the same, like
the life has been taken out of them. And if they go to the hospital too many times because of
non-compliance their life will be cut very short.
People think that when they are on dialysis that their life if over. It is not!!! It is just another chapter
in your life. You can still do things you have always done but maybe in a different way. Or maybe
you have to try different things to keep your life a fulfilled one. Life is not over, just ask your
family. Iʼm sure they want you around for a long time and you can be if you just take care of
yourself. You can teach your family, especially children, that they should do things now to take
care of themselves so they donʼt wind up having to have dialysis. And children learn by example.
So if you start eating healthy and acting healthy this will help them in the long run. We have to
stop the cycle of abuse to our body and teaching your children will help. Hopefully, they wonʼt
have to go through what you have gone through.
by Catherine Heed, LPN
some of the questions you have asked yourself. As a society we tend to overindulge. Because of this overindulgence, it has affected our health. We are overweight with hypertension and diabetes.
Hypertension is a disease that is called the silent killer. Unless you get regular medical checkups
you may not know you are hypertensive until it is too late. Hypertension affects every bodily system
and the kidneys are no exception. You find yourself in the hospital having to get a catheter because
your kidneys have stopped working. Dialysis??? What is dialysis you are asking yourself? Dialysis
is something you will need for the rest of your life. It is the only thing that is going to keep you alive
other than having a kidney transplant. And who knows when that will happen. The kidneys work as
our bodyʼs cleaner. They help to get rid of the toxins and wastes in our system. They help get rid of
fluid. They also help regulate:
• erythropoietin, or EPO, which stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells
• renin, which regulates blood pressure
• calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, which helps maintain calcium for bones
and for normal chemical balance in the body
Compliance??? What does that mean??? It means to follow the rules. When it comes to dialysis,
compliance is very important. You have to monitor what you eat and drink. Some people think that
it doesnʼt matter what they eat or drink, I will go to dialysis and it will clean me out. Yes dialysis will take care of it, but it canʼt take off all the excess fluid because you will cramp, your blood pressure
will drop. Your body is a wonderful machine but it canʼt be abused. As the saying goes, your body is
your temple. And you should treat it as such. You eat and drink too much and it will eventually affect
your heart. What do the kidneys have to do with my heart??? All the extra fluid and toxins have no
where to go so it affects all your other organs and something has to give. I have seen too many
patients that are not compliant and they wind up in the hospital with Congestive Heart Failure and
other ailments. Every time they come back to dialysis you can see that they are not the same, like
the life has been taken out of them. And if they go to the hospital too many times because of
non-compliance their life will be cut very short.
People think that when they are on dialysis that their life if over. It is not!!! It is just another chapter
in your life. You can still do things you have always done but maybe in a different way. Or maybe
you have to try different things to keep your life a fulfilled one. Life is not over, just ask your
family. Iʼm sure they want you around for a long time and you can be if you just take care of
yourself. You can teach your family, especially children, that they should do things now to take
care of themselves so they donʼt wind up having to have dialysis. And children learn by example.
So if you start eating healthy and acting healthy this will help them in the long run. We have to
stop the cycle of abuse to our body and teaching your children will help. Hopefully, they wonʼt
have to go through what you have gone through.
by Catherine Heed, LPN
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Busy, Busy, Busy...
Hi everyone...
I would like to apologize to my visitors for the infrequent posts during the past couple of weeks. I have been very busy preparing myself and the 'Be Healthy, Be Happy' team for the upcoming NKF Long Island Kidney Walk taking place Sunaday, May 23, 2010 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. I will do my best to do better with new posts during this last week of preparations and will surely be back on track with the blog after the Kidney Walk is over.
I want to thank everyone who visit my blog and I hope that the experience is educational and entertaining. I welcome your comments and critiques as they help me provide a better blog for my readers. I also encourage those who visit the blog and like what they see, to sign up as a follwer of the blog. This helps me to attract more attention and sponsors in the future, which in turn enables me to be able to pursue other avenues of enlightening others about and helping others with kidney disease.
I thank you all for your support and I hope to see many of you at the upcoming Kidney Walk.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Fluid Control For Those On Hemodialysis
The goal of fluid restriction is to help you feel comfortable before, during and after your dialysis sessions. Even though dialysis gets rid of excess fluid and waste in the body, it is not as effective as healthy kidneys. Why? Healthy kidneys work all the time—24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Most people on hemodialysis get treatments three times a week for about three or more hours at a time. This means, in the days between your dialysis treatments, your body holds on to excess fluid and waste your kidneys cannot remove.
Going over your recommended fluid allowance can lead to too much fluid building up in your body between treatments. This build up causes swelling and increases your blood pressure, which makes your heart work harder. Too much fluid can build up in the lungs, making it difficult for you to breathe.
Hemodialysis removes fluid as the blood is filtered through the dialysis machine. However, there is a limit on how much fluid can be safely removed during a dialysis session. If you exceed your fluid allowance, more fluid must be removed. Your body may not be used to having so much fluid removed at once. Some people experience muscle cramping during dialysis when they gain too much fluid weight. Taking out a lot of fluid can also cause a drop in blood pressure, which can leave you feeling nauseated, dizzy and weak after the treatment. Sometimes, an extra dialysis session may be required to remove all the extra fluid.
by Jody Gardener-Jones (from davita.com)
Going over your recommended fluid allowance can lead to too much fluid building up in your body between treatments. This build up causes swelling and increases your blood pressure, which makes your heart work harder. Too much fluid can build up in the lungs, making it difficult for you to breathe.
Hemodialysis removes fluid as the blood is filtered through the dialysis machine. However, there is a limit on how much fluid can be safely removed during a dialysis session. If you exceed your fluid allowance, more fluid must be removed. Your body may not be used to having so much fluid removed at once. Some people experience muscle cramping during dialysis when they gain too much fluid weight. Taking out a lot of fluid can also cause a drop in blood pressure, which can leave you feeling nauseated, dizzy and weak after the treatment. Sometimes, an extra dialysis session may be required to remove all the extra fluid.
by Jody Gardener-Jones (from davita.com)
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Dialysis Diet
Wastes in the blood come from food and liquids that are consumed. People on dialysis must adhere to a dialysis diet to cut down on the amount of waste in their blood. Following a dialysis diet may also bolster kidney function and delay total kidney failure.
A dialysis diet is one that is low in sodium, phosphorous and protein. A dialysis diet stresses the importance of consuming high-quality protein and limiting fluids. Some dialysis diets may also call for limited potassium and calcium. Every person is different, and therefore, a dietician will work with each patient to come up with a dialysis diet that is tailored to his or her needs.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
A dialysis diet is one that is low in sodium, phosphorous and protein. A dialysis diet stresses the importance of consuming high-quality protein and limiting fluids. Some dialysis diets may also call for limited potassium and calcium. Every person is different, and therefore, a dietician will work with each patient to come up with a dialysis diet that is tailored to his or her needs.
by Jody Gardener-Jones
Monday, May 3, 2010
The 3rd Annual Long Island Kidney Walk
The 3rd Annual Long Island Kidney Walk will be held on May 23, 2010 at Hofstra University, in Hempstead, NY.
Join us, the 'Be Healthy, Be Happy' team. Together, we are going to make a difference in the kidney care community.
Can't wait to see you out there!
by Jody Gardener-Jones
Join us, the 'Be Healthy, Be Happy' team. Together, we are going to make a difference in the kidney care community.
Can't wait to see you out there!
by Jody Gardener-Jones
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