Thank you IHD

[ptowncook]

My dialysis center had an inspection Tuesday June 12, 2018 and received the highest grade.  I'm not surprised the care given and the staff are incredibly good. By the way it is hospital run and owned, no other affiliation.

I'm almost ready for PD at home, hopefully starting next week. simply because of great support and information from the medical staff at the dialysis center, and the invaluable information I got on IHD.  I'm feeling good but 12 hours a week is a lot of time and my chair can be used by someone who doesn't have the options I do, and there are a lot of them here.

I read your posts about the centers around the world on this site and wonder what on earth is going on, why when a persons health is at stake does money become such an issue? Health insurance is just the tip of this iceberg, particularly in the US, there's Medicare, Medicaid, some countries have universal health care, nothing is perfect.  But follow the money trail, pharmaceutical, manufactures, of course research eats a lot of money. I pray for you who are having dialysis issues, dialysis in it's self is not easy emotionally or physicality, and  having "center" issues should not be one of those. I'm sick of the life being sucked out of those with health problems and because I don't have deep pockets or influence I can not do anything but run my mouth.



God bless all of you and the people who run and monitor this site. I promise to check in now and then.

[GA_DAWG]

Part of the reason healthcare is run the way it is in the US is because it was allowed to become just another commodity. Whether the insurance companies, the drug makers, the hospitals, it became about turning a profit first and actual healthcare second. Corporate profits drive decisions in things like dialysis every bit as much as care. When I say insurance companies, I do not mean just those providing health insurance, but also those providing things like malpractice insurance. The costs of operating a medical practice have become quite outrageous as the good doctors are penalized because of the bad ones and have to subsidize the worst of their lot. After that, the politicization of medicine as just another lobbyinig and campaign financing scheme by the politicians has done its damage as well. It has come to the point that acual doctoring, especially the GPs, are third from the bottom of the list, with their staffs, and the actual patients bringing up the last two spots.

[Marilee]

Good luck next week, Ptowncook! I hope PD gives you even more days of feeling better.

[Charlie B53]

When I was on PD for 3 1/2 years I had absolutely NO diet restrictions, I could eat what ever I pleased without worry.  Well, still no star fruit, that stuff is poison to all renal patients.

Fluids?  I could literally almost drown myself drinking ice water all I wanted.

PD worked so well taking off fluids every day.

There is really no comparison with Hemo.  The two treatments methods while equally well at keeping us alive otherwise simply cannot be compared.

Stay absolutely Religious with hand cleanliness and while making ALL connections.  Not only with your port but with every bag, it is that critical.
Take Care,

Charlie B53