I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: Rerun on August 29, 2017, 03:42:42 PM
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Praying for all of you in Texas who are facing the flooding and contentious rain. I know you probably can't check in, but please write as soon as you can. Be on your emergency diet. I pray you get some treatment soon.
:bow;
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I was born and raised in Houston, and both homes I grew up in were along Buffalo Bayou, so they are probably underwater. I still have long-time friends in Houston, and one of them was telling me that she has a friend who has a friend who was having trouble getting to dialysis. I was dismayed by the fact that none of these people seemed to understand just how dangerous missing treatments over a sustained period of time can be and didn't know enough to be able to answer my questions.
A few years ago, another hurricane was threatening Houston, and my mother, who was on dialysis at the time, was set to be evacuated to Dallas which is a four hour drive away. Fortunately, the storm didn't do the damage that Harvey has done, so she was able to stay in Houston and keep getting her treatments.
The psychological toll of this must be high. :'(
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I'm pulling for you guys. Can't imagine what you're going through.
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I'll bet dialysis staff from hundreds of miles around are doing whatever is necessary to avoid having their customer base die off.
It is encouraging to see that the dogs (and cats) are being rescued. I remember a horrible story from Katrina where a kid boarding an evac bus had his dog ripped from him by a cop and turned loose.
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AUG 29, 6:00 PM CDT. 72 dialysis clinics in the Houston Metro area (52%) are reported as either closed or diverting patients. Another 17 clinics in south Texas are also closed or diverting.
There are 138 dialysis centers and approximately 10,000 dialysis patients in the Houston metropolitan area. As of 2016, there were an estimated 6.7 million people in the Houston Metro area. Twitter #Houston, #HurricaneHarvey
And the rain keeps coming.
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I called the American Kidney Foundation in Louisiana and they did not know the phone number to donate to Houston dialysis victims.
Anyone know a number for donation. They must need money to fly these people to dialysis centers. Our dialysis center has a few empty chairs. But then most people don't know their prescription..... blood pump speed, potassium bath, etc... ???
This is heartbreaking.
My staff would NOT come in to help us dialyze. They both have families with little kids. You can't blame them. It must come down to their own lives.
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It is just horrible to see the news and see what people go through in the Houston area and the aerial photos are just devastating and depressing.
I can't imagine the desperation for anyone in need of dialysis there right now and my heart goes out to everyone in Houston. :grouphug;
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Info in this article may be helpful, not to mention interesting.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/08/30/547004371/this-is-surreal-houston-dialysis-center-struggles-to-treat-patients
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Oops, sorry...Bill Peckham already posted this link, but I guess it bears repeating, especially as it gives an emergency phone number.
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3 1/2 years on PD at home. * months on Hemo in clinic. I'm still too new to this that I never had a thought about flooded Houston Clinics. This is a MAJOR problem.
This points out the need for additional planning for future occurrences, everywhere.
I've no doubt that just like me, the general public doesn't have a clue how important regular dialysis treatments are. Most government employees, at all levels, City, County, State, and Federal, are just as clueless. Each of us needs to contact some of these advisory boards, make them aware of this problem so they can begin to plan for it.
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3 1/2 years on PD at home. * months on Hemo in clinic. I'm still too new to this that I never had a thought about flooded Houston Clinics. This is a MAJOR problem.
This points out the need for additional planning for future occurrences, everywhere.
I've no doubt that just like me, the general public doesn't have a clue how important regular dialysis treatments are. Most government employees, at all levels, City, County, State, and Federal, are just as clueless. Each of us needs to contact some of these advisory boards, make them aware of this problem so they can begin to plan for it.
Many thanks Charlie, that is a very good point you are making. I have been reading that many dialysis-patients in and around Houston have had no dialysis-treatment for days and the problem they obviously find themselves in sounds unimaginably horrific. I do hope urgent help is provided for them as soon as possible and I also hope that some additional planning for future occurrences everywhere is being provided. :grouphug;
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I know Fresenius and DaVita are trying to keep what clinics they can open. Here is what the Fresenius clinics in Louisiana did during Katrina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPRhZFGjCrM I hear that this is the model they are following for Harvey. When we had Hurricane Matthew come through my area last year, we closed all the clinics but one for one day. The one clinic that remained open just took their own patients. One of the patients drowned trying to get there. The next day, water trucks came and the clinics all ran on generators. We ran short treatments that day for all our patients and then started business as usual the rest of the week. It was hard getting patients here because of flooding and down trees, power lines, etc. Many roads were impassible. Thankfully, none of my patients lost their homes, but many had damage. Everyone but one patient lost power and about half lost water. I did emergency water runs for patients and gave out a lot of water. And Matthew was not as bad as Harvey was. Prayers for the staff and patients. Prayers the higher ups trying to organize everything. Prayers for all of Houston. :pray;
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I moved the topic from "off Topic" to Dialysis General Discussion because we started to use the "D" word.. Rules is Rules
I found a link that you can donate to if you want to help Dialysis People in Huston.
:thumbup; NOTE: I donated yesterday to a Bank that had an account set up for the Red Cross. I have not tried this link so PM me if it does not work for you. Rerun
It was a pleasure speaking with you over the phone both yesterday and today. Thank you for wanting to donate to the dialysis patients who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Here is the direct link for donating to the American Kidney Fund:
https://secure2.convio.net/akf/site/Donation2?df_id=4663&mfc_pref=T&4663.donation=form1&&utm_campaign=harvey&utm_medium=paid&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=Paid2
100% of the donations will go to American Kidney Fund’s Disaster Relief Program which will be used to assist dialysis patients affected by Hurricane Harvey. Feel free to share this link on your website so others can donate if they would like.
Please feel free to contact me if there is anything more I can do for you. My contact information can be found in the signature line below.
Sincerely,
Cecilia Estep
Event/Program Coordinator and Communications Specialist
National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana
8200 Hampson Street Suite 425
New Orleans, LA 70118
Phone: 504-861-4500 Fax: 504-861-1976
Cecilia@kidneyla.org
www.kidneyla.org
A member of Community Health Charities of Louisiana and Mississippi
A United Way Partner Agency
NKFL Boiler
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I feel for Houston and the victims of Hurricane Harvey. I mourn their loss. I feel for those who are having their treatments shortened to accommodate evacuees but I also feel for those who are not getting any dialysis at all because they haven't reached safety yet. It is sad. I also feel a "little something" (but you don't want to know what that is) about those who are hoarding gasoline now in Texas. The animal mentality begins.
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We have a 3 acre yard. It is normal for me to fill anywhere from 3 to 6 of the 5 gallon jugs of gas and keep it in the barn. It adds up when I am also filling my truck.
NOT uncommon in our neighborhood, we are ALL on large lots.
Most all of us always have a few jugs of fuel stashed. Some also keep diesel and/or kerosene.
We are Blessed to be on 'High Ground'. It would have to rain nearly 40 days and 40 nights before we would be in much trouble. I never planned this. I'm not that smart.
Good moves in mysterious ways, indeed.
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I also feel a "little something" (but you don't want to know what that is) about those who are hoarding gasoline now in Texas.
It is only "hoarding" when someone else stockpiles a commodity you wish you had.
When you do it, the term is "prudent inventory management".
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I also feel a "little something" (but you don't want to know what that is) about those who are hoarding gasoline now in Texas.
It is only "hoarding" when someone else stockpiles a commodity you wish you had.
When you do it, the term is "prudent inventory management".
I sure hope dialysis and hospital staff have been prudent or have success at their local gas station.
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"Hoarding" is generally a term used out of jealosy ("wish I had a big tank so I could protect myself from shortages like those hoarders are")
- Is it "hoarding" for a D patient to fill a bunch of gas cans to keep his generator running in an outage?
- Is it "hoarding" for a D worker to do the same to get to the clinic to run treatments?
- Is it "hoarding" if you have a invalid spouse or child at home?
- Is it "hoarding" if you are have a small child or are elderly yourself?
- Is it "hoarding" if you are an important government official :o
- And finally, if you had access to a big storage tank and the opportunity to fill up in a crisis, would you do so or say "I'll take what I need for today, and fight the gas lines tomorrow?"
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"Hoarding" is generally a term used out of jealosy ("wish I had a big tank so I could protect myself from shortages like those hoarders are
I think of hoarding as more accumulation to a point well beyond need, a compulsive need to keep things beyond a health level. For example someone who hoards cats is not someone you look at with jealousy, nor is hoarding to a point where entire rooms of homes are unusable. Stockpiles of supplies in case of emergency is generally being prepared not hoarding.
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There should be more media coverage showing trucks refueling the gas stations so people will stop hoarding and panicking and drying up the gas pumps.
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I love stories about people giving of themselves in time of need. Hugs, everyone needs one every once in awhile. :grouphug;
Mom Showers Houston With Hugs
http://www.kens5.com/news/local/mom-showers-houston-with-healing-hugs/470641826
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Thanks for the Link. . . . .I just gave.
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In New Jersey I have a propane fueled generator Connected to the gas Lino in my house. Fuel is not a issue there. In my house in the Adirondacks I have a propane generator that I fuel with propane. The propane advantage is a propane tank if ito kept dry will last for years. So up at the lake I have a 100 pound tank and a 20 pound tank for use when I get the big tank filled.
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Stockpiles of supplies in case of emergency is generally being prepared not hoarding.
It is if you are out of the supply and your neighbor has the stockpile :o
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Perhaps I should have used the word "panicking" instead of hoarding. Both are unpleasant tho. Sorry to have bunched up anyone's knickers.
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In times of shortage, governments have been known to put in regulations against stockpiling of critical assets like food. I haven't seen this done in the US, but is more common in socialist countries.
But, when governments do that, you can be assured that the officials have their own horde of these critical supplies and are not going to take their chances with the food and gas lines.
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Perhaps I should have used the word "panicking" instead of hoarding. Both are unpleasant tho. Sorry to have bunched up anyone's knickers.
I'm more interested in knowing why you are worked up about hoarding or panic buying? I don't watch TV but do scan hundreds of news stories each day in many publications and have not see reference to panic buying in the Houston area, but it wouldn't surprise me if fuel was in short supply in such a car based city. Not to mention all the small motor devices that need fuel for the clean up.
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My favorite panic buying was in late 2000 when the Y2K frenzy was at its highest. One of my coworkers took out a second mortgage for about 25,000 to buy supplies. He filled his cellar with food fuel and a 5000 dollar generator. None of which was returnable. What was really funny was he was a programmer and should have known better. The Y2K was an application problem and could not cause major problems. The real problem was the rolling of the UNIX year scheduled for early in 2030 which if not fixed will cause chaos. This is because that date is central to th UNIX operating system.
sp mod Cas
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The real problem was the rolling of the UNIX year scheduled for early in 2030 which if not fixed will cause chaos. This is because that date is central to th UNIX operating system.
We have 8 more years leeway than that 8)
Unix stores the time a seconds since the Epoch (defined as January 1,1970). This timestamp is defined as a 32 bit unsigned integer, which is scheduled to "roll over" back to 0 on January 19, 2038 at 3:14:08 UTC.
I had to investigate a problem on a system that was caused at the midpoint of the timespan when the high order bit went to 1, as someone had used a signed integer to store a timestamp and it was causing problems when it when the value went negative.
The solution is conceptually simple - redefine the timestamp as a 64 bit unsigned integer. The problem is that a lot of software will have to be changed, including some industry standard packages in wide use within other products (for example, Kerberos security). Plus, when you change it you have to maintain backward compatibility with all existing applications or fork and maintain two versions.
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As to hoarding -
There are two kinds.
1. Buying something in times of abundance and maintaining an inventory in case of future shortage. Those into competitive shooting will remember the great primer shortages, and stock up accordingly when supply is readily available. When the next shortage hits, those people are not "hoarders" but "forward thinkers".
2. Stockpiling a scarce resource in times of crisis. For example, filling up your pickup truck with more plywood than you need when a hurrican is bearing down on your city or filling up a dozen gas cans.
The social implication of #2 is different that #1. #1 does not cause a shortage to increase in times of crisis, whereas #2 does. Anti price-gouging laws actually encourage #2, and also reduce the incentive for outsiders to bring in supplies. For example, absent price gouging laws, people will buy generators at retail, load up their truck, and head to a recovery area to sell them at a profit. So, are people better off not being able to buy a generator at $1000 or being able to buy one at $2000?
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If you stockpile you won't be part of the problem when there is a shortage.
Speaking of moral hazard and trying not to motivate bad social behavior, what about the whole we don't have any zoning regulations 'cause freedom and then turning around to ask for 150 billion dollars from the federal and state government.
Is it not a moral hazard to make the area financially whole while allowing the Texas costal and low lying areas (looking at you Houston) to continue their non zoning ways?
Build anything anywhere anyhow and when things go to high water someone else will pay. Freedom!
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I was talking about the panic of a gas shortage started on social media in Texas. Gas stations are out of gas because of this. It's a man-made shortage. There are long lines at the pumps and the stations cannot refuel their pumps fast enough. Many (hundreds) of stations are OUT of gas. They cannot keep up with the sudden increase in demand because it has more than tripled since last Thursday. Google some news for Dallas, San Antonio, San Angelo, Laredo, Del Rio....it's widespread. People are fighting with each other, it's gotten ugly. Fuel trucks have arrived to restock the stations but they run out again within hours. It's crazy.
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Is it not a moral hazard to make the area financially whole while allowing the Texas costal and low lying areas (looking at you Houston) to continue their non zoning ways?
Its also a moral hazard to give financial aid to persons who enjoyed the financial benefit of choosing not to buy flood insurance.
Fuel trucks have arrived to restock the stations but they run out again within hours. It's crazy.
Even a rumor of a shortage can create one. One example is the shelves in CA being stripped bare after Johonny Carson mentioned a shortage.
In the shooting world, a rumor started that Clinton would require small arms primers to have a short shelf life. Despite the fact that this chemically made no sense, the shortage was widespread and instant. It was about a year before any suppliers could fill orders of a product normally in plentiful supply. The only reason for the demand was an inaccurate rumor about a possible shortage.
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The Carson induced shortage was Toilet Paper and it was a national event not just limited to Ca.
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I'm going to start hoarding "eclipse glasses" NOW so I will have many pair to choose from and share.
8)
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I moved the topic from "off Topic" to Dialysis General Discussion because we started to use the "D" word.. Rules is Rules
I found a link that you can donate to if you want to help Dialysis People in Huston.
:thumbup; NOTE: I donated yesterday to a Bank that had an account set up for the Red Cross. I have not tried this link so PM me if it does not work for you. Rerun
It was a pleasure speaking with you over the phone both yesterday and today. Thank you for wanting to donate to the dialysis patients who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Here is the direct link for donating to the American Kidney Fund:
https://secure2.convio.net/akf/site/Donation2?df_id=4663&mfc_pref=T&4663.donation=form1&&utm_campaign=harvey&utm_medium=paid&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=Paid2
100% of the donations will go to American Kidney Fund’s Disaster Relief Program which will be used to assist dialysis patients affected by Hurricane Harvey. Feel free to share this link on your website so others can donate if they would like.
Please feel free to contact me if there is anything more I can do for you. My contact information can be found in the signature line below.
Sincerely,
Cecilia Estep
Event/Program Coordinator and Communications Specialist
National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana
8200 Hampson Street Suite 425
New Orleans, LA 70118
Phone: 504-861-4500 Fax: 504-861-1976
Cecilia@kidneyla.org
www.kidneyla.org
A member of Community Health Charities of Louisiana and Mississippi
A United Way Partner Agency
NKFL Boiler
I recently contacted our state chapter of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the representative shared the following information with me:
NKF has developed a special emergency relief fund for dialysis patients in the Houston area. While NKF is not set up as an emergency relief organization to provide on the ground assistance, we have developed a special fund to provide financial assistance to dialysis patients in the Houston area. Recovery from Hurricane Harvey will be long and challenging and this fund seeks to alleviate some of the financial strain that our dialysis patients will face in its aftermath. 100% of the proceeds from NKF’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund will go to dialysis patients in the Houston area. The relief fund will be coordinated with a patient’s social worker and doctor, and an application must be submitted.
If you receive calls from volunteers wishing to donate, please let them know checks can be mailed to: National Kidney Foundation Headquarters, 30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016, memo marked “Hurricane Harvey Relief”. Telephone: 212-889-2210 or 800-622-9010.
Feel free to share with others.
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Tio Rinon: Thank you for posting that info and numbers. My husband is sharing it with some of the evacuees his center took in. Hopefully there will be something setup for the people affected by Hurricane Irma as well.
Husband's center is still accommodating evacuees. At first everyone had to have their treatments shortened so that everyone could at least have a treatment. Nobody complained tho, it was not only the right thing to do but the only way to make it work. Now everyone is getting their full treatments, just running a little behind.New friendships are being formed. Hubby has the 5:30 morning shift so not bad, they are only a few minutes behind now. As for the gas panic, that has seemed to ease. There was a morning when hubby had to go out hunting for gas before dawn. He saw a station where a tanker truck was refueling so pulled in there. It was 5am and he was 5th in line, including an ambulance waiting to refuel! Now it looks like Florida is going thru the same thing. I pray for those who are about to be hit by Irma, I pray people will act civil towards one another and that they get the help they need and lives will be spared from this monstrous storm.