IMSS: Lack of dialysis machines, a crisis?

[valbogyo]

The wife of my gardner had total kidney failure a few months ago. I do not know the name of the disease, but it is inherited and her brother and father also had complete kidney failure.

She has spent many, many weeks in Guadalajara at IMSS. She had had two catheters put in at different sites and had infections at both sites. She has been waiting for a turn at dialysis for weeks. My gardner told me that she was crying and worrying about dying because three people on her ward have died in the last 10 days….. waiting for dialysis. He told me how many machines IMSS has, and that there are just too many people waiting for appointments on the machines and they are dying.

He had paid for private dialysis for his brother in-law, and knows it is close to 2000 pesos Per week (or per session, I am not sure). He says that is not a solution. No one can afford to maintain that.

I was pretty shocked. He is not asking for any help as there is not much anyone can do. We are all helping with transportation costs. (His clients) What I wondered about was obtaining a home dialysis machine. Has anyone had any experience in this area? He explained that she will do manual dialysis at home, at some point and she is on a waiting list for some device to help with this.

Is this a known crisis?

[Wookie]

ValGal, I don't know if this is what is deemed a "crisis" exactly or not but it is very sad to be sure. It is most certainly a crisis to the people that need treatment and can not get it for lack of machines and money. This, however, is not just a problem here ... it was also a problem in the States ... at least in Houston, Texas. My father was on dialysis in Houston for 5 years. During that time there were young people also on dialysis that had the terrible experience of having their insurance cap out. At that time there was no recourse for them except to wait until they were in distress and then go to the hospital emergency room where they would be given dialysis until they were no longer stressed and then have to wait again. We had a client that was a nurse at the hospital ... she explained that they could not give dialysis to all the patients that needed it either and the ones that got it only in stress situations usually passed away in a relatively short time.

[mexnow]

I can tell you that what you are describing is very common. I have lived with kidney failure all my life from a child to almost sixty years old. There are two kinds of dialysis - peritoneal and hemo dialysis. The machine is required for hemo but the peritoneal is done simply by filling the body cavity with saline and then draining it out, this washes away some of the stuff the kidney normally removes from the blood. Peritoneal is often a temporary way of doing this because many people can only tolerate it for a few sessions.

.

No matter what dialysis you use it is only a temporary solution, the only real "cure" is a transplant. It gave me back my life to live as I wanted, being hooked up to a machine for six hours twice a week is no life at all only existing. Don't forget these people are on a very restrictive diet, the only time they can eat normally is when hooked to the machine..

I wish we could help get more machines in circulation but the real solution is to have more people donating kidneys for transplantation. Remember we all have two and only need one to live a normal life. This is everyone's chance to give life to another person and free them of the life of living on a machine. Don't be under any misconceptions, this does save a life and provides a normal existence to these people. I feel I was given a second chance at life after receiving my kidney.

The problem of tissue matching for donation has been a problem because your kidney may not match the person who needs it so as a result- There is a movement north of the border, people are donating a kidney to a stranger who match and family or friends of that person receiving the kidney donate one to another stranger who matches, and so on and so on, So the end result is many people receive a good matched kidney from a stranger and the goal is to create as long a chain as possible giving kidneys to as many as possible. I see in today's news that the medical society is now recommending people get paid for donating a kidney, something that will increase the number of people willing to donate and save lives.

[valbogyo]

Luke: I had no idea. In Canada I was able to visit the renal ward, at our local hospital, often. It was clean and bright and I never heard of a back up. At least, no one was denied because of money.

Mexnow: I am so glad that you received your transplant. thankyou on the education regarding dialysis. I mentioned, on other posts, that my brother and I just had our 30 year anniversary of my kidney living in his body..... and functioning just as well today as it did 30 years ago. He never had to go on dialysis. My sister is also a donor for a friend. I will encourage people I know to try and sign up as donors.

I guess all I can do for my gardener and his family is offer moral support and transportation money. Maybe find out how we can carry donor cards.

[Joco]

I guess all I can do for my gardener and his family is offer moral support and transportation money. Maybe find out how we can carry donor cards.

I don't think most of us would be an organ match down here. It looks like more Mexicans need to be donors.

[Bourbonman]

What is the age limit for donation?

[Yo1]

Many Mexicans won't give blood; unlikely they would sign a organ donor card. This country needs more education about blood and organ donations.

[artsnob]

My next door neighbor is getting dialysis at IMSS

[mexnow]

The impression I am getting is that people believe you need to die to give a kidney - that is the only purpose of carrying a donor card, so you can inform the medical staff at the time of your death to use your organs. You do not have to die to be a donor we all have two kidneys and our bodies only need one.

Another mis-belief is that race matters, the only thing that matters is the tissue and blood match ups. We can donate to any race and that is not a problem. So you can save a Mexican life if you want to - all you need to do is tell your doctor you want to donate a kidney and they will guide you through the rest.

[valbogyo]

My brother has a pancreas from an Asian, apparently. Yes, awareness of how easy it is, is important.

Artsnob: How often does your neighbor go in? I wonder if they had to wait long to get their appointment.

[The world's best climate]

Yes it is a common situation. it is well known by locals that IMSS anc SP don't have enough medications or equipment....they usually are lacking of almost everything, this happens in all the country

[Joco]

Another mis-belief is that race matters, the only thing that matters is the tissue and blood match ups. We can donate to any race and that is not a problem. So you can save a Mexican life if you want to - all you need to do is tell your doctor you want to donate a kidney and they will guide you through the rest.

Ideally transplants between the same race are preferred and have a better outcome. Most of us are over 60 and cannot donate blood so I doubt we would be allowed to donate a kidney.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030125042.htm

We found that transplant between races had better outcomes than transplant across races," says Anita Patel, M.D., transplant nephrologist at Henry Ford Hospital Transplant Institute and lead author of the study.

https://www.donatelifeflorida.org/content/about/facts/faq/

Can organs be given to people of a different racial group or gender?

Genetic makeup can be a factor when matching a kidney or pancreas donor and recipient because of the importance of tissue matching with these organs. Optimal tissue matching can happen within the same racial and genetic background. For example, an individual of Asian descent may be a better match to a donor that shares the same ethnicity than to someone of a different race. However, cross-racial donations can and do happen with great success when matches are available.

[valbogyo]

My neighbor was in one of the upscale, private hospitals last Spring.... in Guadalajara. She needed blood and they did not have a fixed age limit. They accepted one person in their late 60s. However, the person had to meet other requirements and they carefully reviewed medications that the potential donor was on. I was there, but I can't remember the name of the hospital! Something Del Carmen.