Diabetes and hypertension are the two leading causes of chronic kidney disease. Diabetes was the primary diagnosis for 80 of those patients more than 40 …
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September 9, 2008 Jennifer Lawson, 703
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Smiling through pain
By JOE MENDEN - Independent Record - 09/09/08
Three days a week, Diane Maxwell sits at St Peters Hospitals dialysis
center hooked to a machine that does everything her kidneys once did
All of Maxwells blood is circulated through a dialysis machine, which
removes all the toxins and about 10 pounds of excess water before returning
clean blood to her body
Maxwell, 53, a retired Head Start teacher and national Head Start program
trainer, figures the routine takes up about 15 hours of her time every
week, including driving and setup time
She does it all with a smile on her face and a quick wit
My kidneys and my bladder have a nice vacation, she jokes
The time she puts in, she says, is like her job Her paycheck is her life
Although Maxwell doesnt know exactly what caused her kidneys to fail, she
has had both diabetes and pulmonary hypertension Diabetes and hypertension
are the two leading causes of chronic kidney disease
Shes learned some
lessons the hard way
You take your body for granted You take your health for granted, she
said Its like Mark Twain said, If Id known I was going to live so
long, I would have taken better care of myself
The dialysis community hopes a recent Medicare bill passed by Congress
helps prevent many people like Maxwell from ever needing to go on dialysis
The bill, which passed July 15, contains a provision for education programs
targeting people at risk for developing kidney failure
The bill also contains increases in reimbursement for dialysis providers of
15 percent in 2009 and 2010 and an overhaul of the payment structure plan
the following year, which providers hope is more fair, especially for rural
providers
Nancy Pierce, director of dialysis for St Peters and the western region
vice president for the American Nephrology Nurses Association ANNA, said
representatives of Sen Max Baucus, D-Mont, were in contact with her for
input throughout the bill-writing process She couldnt be happier with the
results
Pretty much everything I asked for is in this bill, Pierce said They
listened to what we said
In a statement released Monday, Baucus said it was important to
him in his
role as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee to ensure that people in
rural areas have access to affordable, quality health care
I made sure to include provisions to help with kidney disease in the
Medicare bill I helped write and pass earlier this year, Baucus said in
the statement I want to do all I can to help Montanans lead longer,
healthier lives, and these provisions will help meet that goal
In 2006, 188 Montanans were newly diagnosed with end-stage renal disease
Diabetes was the primary diagnosis for 80 of those patients - more than 40
percent - while hypertension was the primary diagnosis for another 28
Pierce added that focusing education efforts on areas with high American
Indian populations would also be effective American Indians as a group are
at higher risk of kidney disease, making up 64 percent of Montanas
population while accounting for 23 percent of the dialysis cases in the
state, according to ANNA
According to Dr Ed Jones, chairman of the national nonprofit organization
Kidney Care Partners, the details on both the education component and the
reimbursement overhaul are still unclear
Jones said Kidney Care Partners hopes to be involved in the
process to make
sure it is done right
Though Maxwell knows others on dialysis resent the ordeal they have to go
through, she doesnt see it as a burden
When she was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, she was given three
years to live
The experimental medication she was given to battle the disease may have
been the cause of her kidney failure - but it also probably added years to
her life
Needing medical treatment three times a week has limited her ability to be
spontaneous - any travel requires some serious planning
But it also has allowed her to see her two sons, Corey, 25, and Tyler, 28,
grow into adults It has allowed her to know her 19-month-old grandson and
look forward to her second grandchild on the way
To her, every day - and the treatment that allows her to keep seeing
another day - is a gift
They call me the miracle Ive defied death three different times, she
said I feel blessed to be able to be alive and enjoy it Im not leaving
without kicking and screaming
About Kidney Care Partners
Kidney Care Partners is an alliance of patient advocates, dialysis
professionals, providers and manufacturers working
together to improve the
quality of care for individuals with End Stage Renal Disease ESRD For
more information, visit wwwkidneycarepartnersorg
Source:newyorkfertility.com
