The following is where to find further information relating to articles that appeared in issue 22 of Kidney Matters.
Pages 4-5: Freedom to travel: holidays on dialysis
You might think going away is impossible if you have dialysis – but it’s not, and while it requires planning, many people with kidney disease have successful holidays. Here are our top tips for taking a trip on dialysis.
- Our new holiday hub has plenty more information about holiday dialysis.
- Apply for a new, free GHIC card
- Holiday and respite break grants
- Our Dialysis Freedom service helps patients access Dialysis Away from Base (DAFB) throughout the UK.
- Freedom: The Dialysis Holiday Specialists offer advice and support for booking holiday dialysis in the UK and abroad.
Pages 8-9: Improving kidney patients’ mental health
Kidney Care UK has supported grants totalling almost £2 million over the past five years to provide psychosocial support for people affected by chronic kidney disease. Here, Professor Helen Noble and Anna Wilson from Queen’s University Belfast talk about their Kidney Care UK-funded mindfulness study, which looked at the impact that practising mindfulness can have on patients and staff.
Here are some useful charities, websites and mobile apps if you are interested in getting started with mindfulness:
- MindfulnessUK. Mindfulness and compassion training organisation
- Mind. Mental health charity.
- Headspace. Mobile app.
- The Free Mindfulness Project. Collection of free mindfulness exercises.
- Mental health - Kidney Care UK
Pages 10-13: Living with kidney disease and diabetes
Surgical treatment of diabetes
In additional to improved medical treatments and the advances in digital technology allowing more accurate monitoring of diabetes, there are also surgical treatment options available to treat people with complicated or difficult to control diabetes. These include:
Pages 16-19: Kidney Clinic: For feet’s sake Peripheral neuropathy, diabetes and kidney disease
Neuropathy, or nerve damage, is common among people with kidney disease. While there is no cure, treatment is available to improve the quality of life.
- Information about foot and lower limb health from Legs Matter
- Information on footcare in people with diabetes from Foot in Diabetes (FDUK)
- NHS information on peripheral neuropathy
- NICE recommendations on treating neuropathic pain
- Diabetes UK information on peripheral neuropathy
Pages 24-25: Power of Positivity
Can using the power of positive thinking help us through the physical and behaviours and actions” mental challenges brought about by chronic kidney disease (CKD)? Mentor and coach Gail Gibson – who also recently completed a gruelling 42km Jurassic Coast challenge – reveals how her ‘Can Do’ attitude has worked for her