Dialysis Postings

Nature’s Wrath When Least Expected

The previous onslaught of Tropical Storm Ondoy last Saturday, September 26 left people here in Metro Manila stunned and grieving. Floods devastated the city and left traffic almost non-existent, if not leaving them at a stand still, on streets. Here in our immediate area, where the deepest flooded area reached waist high, we weathered out the storm inside the house. It was a devastating experience, this flash floods. I was due for a dialysis treatment on that fateful day and all ...

Hypertension – Living with It, Dealing with It

Hypertension or High Blood Pressure, as it is more commonly known, is one of the silent killers that plagues the general population. It owes its lethal efficiency to the fact that it goes on undetected for months, and even for years, up until a point where significant damage has already been done. Such as it was in my case, where I neglected and took it for granted, in spite of being aware of its past devastation on our family's medical ...

Hepatitis and Dialysis Patients

The Pinoy's common conception of getting infected with Hepatitis is eating street foods that are unsanitary. On occasions, you would sometimes overhear somebody jokingly pointing out that you'd get the Hepatitis Virus with the food you just bought from the street, free of charge. "Libreng Hepa", (free hepatitis), some smart ass would say. As to the validity of this knowledge, I am not completely sure. Maybe if someone who's been infected with the virus dips in the sauce, let's say, of ...

Dialysis Update – Taking Steps on A(H1N1) Prevention

This was the news 5 days ago describing the current status of the A(H1N1) Influenza Virus rampage, a.k.a. Swine Flu, here in the Philippines: MANILA - Thirty-three new cases of influenza A (H1N1) were confirmed by the Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday bringing the country's total number of victims of the virus to 344, as the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts the virus will be active for three more months. Of the new H1N1 patients, 24 are male and 9 are ...

An Insignificant Voice On A Significant Issue

Did you recently encountered the question "Why do you blog?". I do, and I always find the time to read through posts just to know why bloggers do what they do. You might be amazed at what you'd discover. From the bland, to the usual, to the eccentrically mundane reasons, bloggers have various opinions for setting up their blog. As for me, after more than 2 months of writing in this blog, I finally decided to write a post about ...

How is dialysis done? Dialysis is done by using a special fluid called dialysate. Dialysate, a mixture of pure water and chemicals, is carefully controlled to pull wastes out of your blood without removing substances your body needs. A semipermeable membrane keeps the blood apart from the dialysate. This membrane lets...

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In every dialysis session, a patient’s blood is cleaned through a dialysis machine. The process is quite simple: the machine is hooked through bloodlines in the arm, blood is pumped through the machine, cleaned, and then returned to the patient. This is a continous process in which only 300 millileters of blood...

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I went to the clinic yesterday for another dialysis treatment session. Travel from the house to the facility was a bit of a hassle due to a sudden drizzle. Can you imagine that? Rain in the middle of summer and at noontime. Well, that’s Philippine climate for you, unpredictable as they can be. I forgot to bring...

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Yesterday was my Dialysis schedule. Everything went well for me, in a ‘kidney failure patient’ sense of ‘well’, in any case. For us, patients that is, going to dialysis sessions has become somewhat of a routine. Even the pain, the Hypotensive experiences and bouts of cramps, has been part of...

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What will happen if I refuse pre-ESRD care? Refusing pre-ESRD care may result in accelleration of kidney damage and earlier development of or worsening of complications of CKD, such as anemia, loss of appetite and fatigue. In short, progression to ESRD or early death may become inevitable. Cardiovascular complications...

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What are the signs and symptoms of CKD? Knowing the symptoms of kidney disease can help people detect it early enough to get treatment. Signs and symptoms of CKD include: Changes in urination – making more or less urine than usual, feeling pressure when urinating, changes in the color of urine, foamy or bubbly...

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