I Hate Dialysis Message Board

Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: plugger on December 16, 2010, 08:59:55 AM

Title: Good time to write Congress - and sample letter
Post by: plugger on December 16, 2010, 08:59:55 AM
I just thought there might be more people like me who thought this was a good time to vent:

http://www.dialysisethics2.org/forum/index.php?topic=612.0
Title: Re: Good time to write Congress - and sample letter
Post by: MooseMom on December 16, 2010, 09:07:41 AM
This is going to be my New Year's Resolution, to write to my Congressmen in Washington about this very issue.  With whom do you think I should start...state congresspeople or US congresspeople?
Title: Re: Good time to write Congress - and sample letter
Post by: plugger on December 16, 2010, 09:15:17 AM
I would start with the feds: U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate - that's what I'm doing anyway.  But its all good!  I think we need to stop being  :banghead;   :flower;   wallflowers!  (Sorry, couldn't resist)
Title: Re: Good time to write Congress - and sample letter
Post by: MooseMom on December 16, 2010, 09:18:16 AM
I regularly write to my senators (ie Dick Durban); one is D and the other is R, so I can do some bipartisan ranting.

I think I know the answer to this, but I am assuming that the reason we're stuck on the thrice-weekly in-clinic modality is purely financial, right?  I mean, no one seriously thinks this has a better patient outcome than daily/nocturnal, correct?
Title: Re: Good time to write Congress - and sample letter
Post by: plugger on December 16, 2010, 08:19:31 PM

I think I know the answer to this, but I am assuming that the reason we're stuck on the thrice-weekly in-clinic modality is purely financial, right?


That's my take on it!  I know I've seen a whole lot saying how more frequent and longer dialysis is better - and common sense tells me so.  You won't see any of us urinators trying to hold our water over the weekend.
Title: Re: Good time to write Congress - and sample letter
Post by: MooseMom on December 16, 2010, 10:51:09 PM
Urinators

Is this the title of Arnold's new movie?  The governator IS looking for a new job...
Title: Re: Good time to write Congress - and sample letter
Post by: plugger on December 18, 2010, 04:55:26 AM
 :rofl;  I understand there are a lot of Californians who hope the governator's new movies are about as popular as his governorship.  Too bad we haven't found our Lula (http://www.newsweek.com/2009/09/21/the-most-popular-politician-on-earth.html) here like Brazil did, I'm still amazed he only has a fourth grade education!  I guess you don't learn everything in school.  But hey, maybe somebody like that is out there!

Anyway, I try not to let cynicism and despair get to me so I'll keep on writing, hope others might join me: Write Congress (http://www.dialysisethics2.org/forum/index.php?topic=612.0)  (and it feels good to fight back).
Title: Re: Good time to write Congress - and sample letter
Post by: plugger on December 22, 2010, 01:50:00 PM
You can also help journalists around the country by sharing your stories and experiences at Propublica:

http://www.propublica.org/article/dialysis-inform-our-investigations

Tis the season for sharing!
Title: Re: Good time to write Congress - and sample letter
Post by: plugger on December 29, 2010, 06:59:15 PM
Might also write your representatives and tell them to give Senator Grassley (http://www.dialysisethics2.org/forum/index.php?topic=617.0) a nudge, a hard nudge, maybe a kick-in-the-(ok, I'll stop now).
Title: Re: Good time to write Congress - and sample letter
Post by: plugger on January 01, 2011, 09:47:48 AM
Wanted to wish everybody a Happy New Year!
(http://www.dialysisethics2.org/open_images/happy-new-year.jpg)

(even supplied a couple of new year resolutions from the above posts)
Title: Re: Good time to write Congress - and sample letter
Post by: MooseMom on January 04, 2011, 11:34:15 AM
OK, I'm going to start drafting my letter to my US Representative, so now is the time for all of you to let me know what your overriding concerns are.  I don't want to inundate him with too many figures and with lots of references to various studies (yet).  He is a new congressman, so I want to start off with a broad overview of the poor state of D in the US today as seen by an ordinary patient.  I don't want to appear like a professional advocate because that is not what I am.

Let me know what you'd like me to include in my letter.