Easing Treatment for People with Kidney Troubles
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by: Jberm455
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Worldwide, the number of patients with kidney failure is growing. Untreated it is fatal, yet treatment is so costly that many countries struggle to meet increasing demand. The majority of patients with kidney failure must travel to a dialysis unit three times weekly for hemodialysis (HD) treatment. However, peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a home dialysis alternative known to provide health and lifestyle benefits for many patients and is less costly according to nearly all formal evaluations.
When Ralph Granese, a professional musician and guitar teacher from Lynn Massachusetts, discovered he was suffering from the same genetic kidney disease his father eventually succumbed to decades earlier, he thought his future was bleak. Remembering the long hours his father spent at dialysis clinic and how sick and weak he always felt, Ralph envisioned that the very same diagnosis meant that any chance for a quality and active life was ruined. He feared it was nothing more than the beginning to an end.
“At the time I was diagnosed, I was really nervous because my father had a really hard time with dialysis and it frightened me,” states Ralph.
Fortunately, Granese never had to deal with the conventional method of dialysis. He is happy and healthy using an at-home dialysis system called the Liberty Cycler from Fresenius Medical Care.
Ralph does peritoneal dialysis, which allows him to do his dialysis at home with his Liberty Cycler. It frees him from the routine of having to go to a dialysis clinic on a fixed schedule multiple times per week. It can be done while traveling with a minimum of specialized equipment.
Fast-forward to today and you’ll find Ralph as an active 62 year-old guitar teach who teaches over 60 guitar lessons every single week, and he manages to find time to travel several times a year on vacation with the help of his machine.
“It’s the easiest machine to use and it is definitely the closest thing to having a fully operating kidney of any dialysis I can imagine,” says Ralph.
With a catheter in their abdomen, peritoneal dialysis patients using the Liberty Cycler hook themselves up to their machine every night, which pumps a prescription fluid into their stomach while they sleep. Through osmosis, the toxins in their blood are pumped out, leaving patients with the freedom to maintain a normal lifestyle during the day. This treatment is dramatically different than in-center care which requires travel to the clinic 3 times per week, 4-4.5 hour treatment each time, very little privacy, and very difficult to work, enjoy family activities, etc.
It’s really easy to set up and use. I do it at night while I sleep, and when I wake up, I can work and carry on with my life,” he states. “Now, I can now go out for dinner again with my wife, travel, and so all of things that I use to do before.”
Leading kidney doctors are becoming strong advocates for home dialysis - patient reports and supporting data show that home treatment drastically improves patients' quality of life by helping them feel better both physically and emotionally. Fresenius Medical Care is the world's largest integrated provider of products and services for individuals undergoing dialysis because of chronic kidney failure, a condition that affects about 1,600,000 individuals worldwide. The company’s heritage of technological innovation is based on its access to leading nephrologists engaged in patient care throughout a network of 1800 clinics serving over 110,000 patients.
“My Liberty Cycler has brought me back to life,” Ralph added. “People who are diagnosed with kidney disease should educate themselves about this disease and Liberty Cycler so that they have an educated choice about what they can do about their disease.”
About the Author
For more information on kidney health from Fresenius Medical Care, go to www.ultracare-dialysis.com. For more information regarding Peritoneal Dialysis and the Liberty Cycler, visit www.dreammachine.com.
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