Walking event educates people on kidney disease

Walking event educates people on kidney disease

By PAMELA A. BROOKS
Special to The Post-Star
Monday, May 7, 2007 1:23 AM EDT

GLENS FALLS -- After the first day of dialysis, a patient with kidney disease is exhausted, said Pam Casey, a registered nurse with the Renal Center at Glens Falls Hospital.

"The next day, they feel a little better, and the day after that, they feel the best of all -- but that's the day they have to come in for dialysis again, and start all over," said Casey, as she prepared to administer kidney testing Sunday at the third annual walk to benefit the National Kidney Foundation of Northeastern New York.

More than 150 people turned out to walk at last year's event, said Carol LaFleur, executive director of the nonprofit foundation, which covers 18 counties in the region. The event raised $10,000, a figure LaFleur said she hoped to top with this year's walk.

"One person in nine has chronic kidney disease, and another one in nine is at risk," said LaFleur. "Currently, 400,000 people are on dialysis nationally, and that figure is projected to rise to more than 600,000 by the year 2010."

The increase seems to be growing in tandem with diabetes, which contributes to the risk of kidney disease, she added. High blood pressure, smoking, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle are also factors in developing the disease.

"Like diabetes, most people are unaware they have it, because the signs don't set in until it's in later stages," LaFleur explained. "By then, all you can do is slow its progression, but you can't stop it."

Before Sunday's walk at Crandall Park commenced, participants had an opportunity to be screened for the disease. Five separate stations, manned by nurses from Glens Falls Hospital, were set up at the YMCA, ready to weigh volunteers, take blood pressure, perform blood and urine screening and evaluate the results.

"Of the 1,500 tests we've done in the last few years," said LaFleur, "68 percent of the participants learned they may have, or be at risk for having, kidney disease. That's a pretty big number."

As participants waited inside to be tested, Marge Corcoran, of Queensbury, waited outside in the sunshine for the walk to begin. She said her husband, Ed, had been diagnosed with the disease four years ago.

"It changed our lives drastically," Corcoran said. "Ed had to retire. Now everybody knows on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we're busy from 7 a.m. until noon for dialysis."

The retired couple's travel plans have become so complicated that mostly they stay home, Corcoran continued.

"We went to my sister's 50th anniversary in North Carolina, but first we had to get set up for a week of dialysis in a local hospital down there. It's not simple to do anything anymore."

A kidney transplant may eventually be an option for her 67-year-old husband, but medications that go along with the surgery are extremely expensive and not covered by Medicare, Corcoran said.

"And now we've hit the 'doughnut hole' in prescription coverage, and the medications he needs are killing us in expenses," the local woman said. "Our health care plan changed, and they won't cover anything until we can change it to something else in November. One pill alone is $500 a month."

Cheri Williams, a social worker at the Renal Center, said she sees patients with the same problem as the Corcorans all the time.

"Tons of people are in the same boat," said Williams. "I'm so disillusioned with our federal government because of it. People like our patients are going to hit the doughnut hole in three months, and then they have to pay $2,500 in out-of-pocket expenses before coverage kicks in again. That will happen every single year, unless they change the policy."

For more information on kidney disease, its symptoms and treatments, go online to www.nkfneny.org or call (800) 999-9697.