As a child I remember watching the show Raggie Dolls on tv. The series is set in Mr. Grimes’ Toy Factory, where imperfect dolls are thrown into a reject bin never to be valued or played with. While unobserved by human eyes, the dolls come to life and climb out of the reject bin […]
Disabilities and Discrimination in Kidney Patients Read More »
Christmas on Dialysis: Like many people around the world, Christmas can be a tough time for those with Chronic Kidney Disease. Many patients face the festive period alone or in a hospital with only the hospital staff as company. Others face time on dialysis, attached to a machine for 4 or 5 hours out
Christmas: Dialysis vs Transplantation Read More »
I’ve always been a whirlwind of energy, my mind and body racing from one thing to the next. Diagnosed with ADHD in my teens, I have learned to cope with my symptoms with a combination of will power and coping strategies. But when I was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) at the age of
Navigating life with ADHD and Kidney Disease Read More »
Catherine’s Story: My journey to my living donor kidney transplant and recovery. My diagnosis of Immunoglobulin A nephritis (IgAN) was made in February 1995. I had normal function back then and whilst there was a steady decline in my renal function over the years, I wasn’t anywhere near to conversations around kidney transplantation. It
Catherine’s Story: My journey to my living donor kidney transplant and recovery. Read More »
GPs now working on average 26 hours a week A recent study (Rosa Parisi, 2024) has shown the contracted hours fulfilled by each fully qualified GP has fallen from 30 a week on average in 2015, to 26 a week in 2022. This may have a significant effect on CKD patients, and all those with
GPs now working on average 26 hours a week Read More »
Factors affecting efficacy (in terms of weight loss) of GLP-1 agonists A recent study from the USA identified key factors that can impact the long-term weight loss of patients with obesity who were prescribed injectable semaglutide or liraglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes or obesity (Gasoyan, 2024). Key points In the study, the
Factors affecting efficacy (in terms of weight loss) of GLP-1 agonists Read More »
Pros and cons of the NHS – for a CKD patient The UK’s NHS is a socialised healthcare system, and was one of the first in the world, when it started in 1948. It certainly has strengths, and these are felt by CKD patients. We will now go through the pros and cons, with a focus
Pros and cons of the NHS – for a CKD patient Read More »
Do hospital computer systems link up? No. This is especially relevant for CKD patients who are usually being looked after by different groups of doctors, in different hospitals, as well as their GP. Key points The NHS is very big, perhaps too big. The biggest employer in Europe, 5th biggest in the world. This is
Do hospital computer systems link up? Read More »
Weight loss drug’s heart benefits extend to people with heart failure In a recent study (Lincoff, 2023) in The Lancet, found similar cardiovascular benefits for a subgroup of study participants who were also judged to have heart failure at the start of the trial. Why is this important? Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist,
Weight loss drug’s heart benefits extend to people with heart failure Read More »
Fatigue and CKD: “Why am I so tired all the time?” Being tired occasionally is normal for everyone. Constant tiredness, lack of energy and feeling weak every day or most days is called fatigue. Fatigue and Chronic Kidney Disease go hand in hand. It’s fair to say that people often report unusual tiredness as one
Fatigue and CKD: “Why am I so tired all the time?” Read More »
