Let’s say you’ve read the past two  or three blogs and understand that more kidney donations are needed. Let’s say deceased donation is just not hitting you right. Let’s say you want to make a living donation since you have two kidneys and only need one to stay alive. First of all, congratulations on making that big decision. Next, do you know there are organizations that will help you… and it won’t cost you a penny. I’ll let the organizations speak for themselves. You do need to apply for this first one. Not all applications are guaranteed entry to the program. The National Living Donor ..read more

It’s the second week of National Donor Month already. I did want to say congratulations again to all those who post on social medica that they’ve received their kidney… and not just this month. I’d like to show you some of the activities for this month. You may want to join some of these observances. Thank you to Donate Life America for the following list: “National Donate Life Blue & Green Day– April 12, 2024 On National Donate Life Blue & Green Day, the public is encouraged to wear blue and green and to engage in sharing the Donate Life message and promoting the importance of ..read more

Our old friend, Leesa Thompson …. Wait a minute! I don’t mean you’re old, Leesa. I mean we’ve had a couple of guest blogs from you before. Please forgive me. Anyway, Leesa has brought another guest blog to me. This one is perfect for National Kidney Month and a lovely way to end this celebratory month. Take it away, Leesa… National Kidney Month is observed annually in March to raise awareness about kidney health, kidney disease prevention, and the importance of early detection and treatment. During this month-long observance, various organizations, including the National Kidney Foundation (NK ..read more

Last Thursday was World Kidney Day… and I’m late celebrating it. There are loads of medical issues in the family right now, but I’m trying to make up for this lapse. This past Saturday, I offered the digital versions of these books for free on Amazon: What Is That and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney SlowItDownCKD 2011 SlowItDownCKD 2012 SlowItDownCKD 2013 SlowItDownCKD 2014 SlowItDownCKD 2015 SlowItDownCKD 2016 SlowItDownCKD 2018 SlowItDownCKD 2019 SlowItDownCKD 2020 Why? Because 90% of people with chronic kidney disease don’t know they have it. I wanted them to know enough to re ..read more

You know, in addition to being National Kidney Month, March is also National Woman’s Month. Once again, I decided to combine the two and write about women in nephrology. Nefrologia [English edition] started us off with names you may or may not recognize: “ Internationally, in an attempt to highlight the work of women in the scientific field, the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) wanted to pay tribute to women who had collaborated closely in the development of the specialty… Dr Josephine Briggs, responsible for research at the US National Institutes of Health in the 1990s on the renin ..read more

Hello, hello, and a belated welcome to National Kidney Month. This year, for a change, I decided to go to a non-medical site for a clear explanation of what this month is. The entire blog [except my introduction, of course.] is from National Today, a site committed to which celebrations are on which day[s]: “March is dedicated to National Kidney Month. The kidneys, two bean-shaped organs located in the back of the abdomen, perform crucial functions to filter out toxins, produce red blood cells, and regulate pH. They filter about half a cup of blood every hour, creating urine from harmful and ..read more

Since I wrote about the ears and kidney disease last week, I got curious about the nose and kidney disease. Makes sense to me. If CKD can affect your hearing, why not your sense of smell? I was delighted to find out I wasn’t the only one interested in this. Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva on Pexels.com I started my inquiry with the Sage Journal which calls itself “Your gateway to world-class research.”  There I found a study originally published in Ear, Nose and Throat Journal that came to the following conclusion: “The study has demonstrated that patients with CKD have prevalence of olfactor ..read more

I am lucky enough to personally know several nurses. At one point or another, each has mentioned the connection between the kidneys and the ears. I disregarded that until I realized how often I’d heard it. But I didn’t understand it. One is on your head and the other above your bladder. Hmmm. Time to find out how they’re connected. The National Library of Medicine helped in starting my research: “Chronic kidney disease is a major public health challenge, globally. Inadequate excretion of metabolic waste products by the kidneys results in circulation of these toxic materials in the body. This ..read more

Just when I wonder if I’m going to run out of topics to write about, I receive a reader’s request. This week, I was saved by a request to write about low anion gap. I know, I know, it sounds like we’re pioneers trekking our way across the mountains when you see that phrase out of context. So, let’s put it into context. If you looked, you’d find the phrase included in the following blood tests according to the Cleveland Clinic:   “The anion gap measurement is based on the results of individual electrolyte blood tests, which are commonly included in the following routine bloodwork panels ..read more

It’s Black History Month. Ah, but what is that? “As Andrea Wurtzburger wrote in People Magazine (I knew there was a reason I grabbed this first each time I waited in one medical office or another [prior to the pandemic].) in the February 13, 2020…  ‘Black History Month is an entire month devoted to putting a spotlight on African Americans who have made contributions to our country. Originally, it was seen as a way of teaching students and young people about the contributions of Black and African Americans in school, as they had (and still have) been often forgotten or ..read more