2024-12-04 Instagram Live - Kidney Q&A

IG Live 12.04.2024 – DPC Education Center’s Healthcare Consultant, Velma Scantlebury, MD, Live on Instagram to answer your kidney related questions. December is a huge time for gathering with friends and family, so Dr. Scantlebury talks about staying healthy and the best ways to protect both yourself and others from getting sick. This month, she also discusses treating COVID infections in transplant patients, heart failure and kidney disease, and many other kidney-related topics.

We are well into the holiday season and hopefully spending lots of time with family, friends, and loved ones. As we continue to gather, it’s important to remember that the best way you can protect both yourself and others from getting sick is to get vaccinated, even if you yourself are not in a high-risk group. Additional steps that you can take are to wash your hands frequently, wear a mask if you are going to be inside or in poorly ventilated/highly populated areas, use hand sanitizer, and to stay home if you are feeling sick. On the topic of illnesses, Dr. Scantlebury also discusses treating COVID infections for transplant patients. It’s important to test yourself at the first signs of illness and, if you test positive, call your doctor so they can call in medication that will help you get over COVID faster. Because there is a risk of rejection, it is important to get your labs done as soon as safely possible after you’ve recovered so your healthcare team can monitor you closely and look out for any signs of rejection.

Dr. Scantlebury also talks about heart disease and kidney disease, and the importance of managing your fluids when on dialysis to minimize the strain put on your heart. Underlying diabetes or high blood pressure are also contributing factors to developing heart disease, so it is important to talk to your doctor and be monitored closely, including getting an echocardiogram, to make sure your heart function isn’t being negatively impacted.

If you have your own questions you’d like to have the doctor answer, tune in for our Live events on both Instagram and Facebook:

- IG Live @patientcitizens the first Wednesday of each month, 12:30pm EST
- Facebook Live www.facebook.com/patientcitizens the third Wednesday of each month, 12:30pm EST