Pd fluid scarcity due to climate change

[Eyak1971]

Has this effected anyone? thehill.com/policy/healthca...

[RhenDutchess123]

Yes...I am on PD and we have been asked to conserve by missing 1 treatment a week... The NC Plant was damaged in the Hurricane and production is interrupted

[Eyak1971 in reply to RhenDutchess123]

Sorry to hear. Maybe the government should see if Baxter has monopolized the market. I know when I was on pd before transplant the billing they sent to Medicare seemed extremely high.

[RhenDutchess123 in reply to Eyak1971]

The billing is outrageous...Medicare allows only a fraction of charge...thats why I also have to have a supplement insurance

[Eyak1971 in reply to RhenDutchess123]

I was on pd for almost 5 years and I was surprised by the billing sent to Medicare. I was lucky to have purchased supplementary insurance when I retired but I had company health insurance before that time. The Healthcare industry works for profits not patients. And for that reason thousands of Americans die needlessly every year.

[SOct91]

Fortunately I am not on PD currently but this is affecting other treatments. I recently had infusions and couldn’t get a banana bag/fluids and preventative steroid drip because of the shortage. That same infusion also landed me in the ER from a bad reaction and I was there for HOURS without fluids/bag/treatment because they didn’t have any.

[Eyak1971 in reply to SOct91]

Thanks for sharing. Hope you are doing well now. You may want to share your story with your congress person if you live in the States. This problem should be looked at before it happens again.

[EmTexas]

I am in the hospital right now (hopefully getting out today - assuming I tolerate food). I had an ileus for which the treatment is 24hr fluids and my nurse had to re-request fluids every day as they are limiting them. Not great in general. Basically if you can eat food: less likelihood of fluid. Which seems contrary to typical post transplant guidance. Additionally a couple of antibiotics were manually pushed via IV rather than the normal IV drip. Post pandemic, I thought every industry was assessing their supply chains and building redundancies. I wonder what happened here? (Haven’t looked it up in any detail either beyond the obvious - the one plant was impacted by the hurricane).

Also being in the hospital in the US really saddens me. There is a guy on my floor who has been here since June. He should be out of hospital in rehab but he’s uninsured and homeless, and they are battling with paperwork and funding for a place. Not the mention viewing the opioid crisis in full swing. Off topic I know, sorry, but heartbreaking.

[Eyak1971 in reply to EmTexas]

Thanks for sharing. Hope others read your post. Times are hard for transplant patients and dialysis patients and medical patients in general. My greatest fear is after the election medical needs of patients will not be met. So many patients rely on Medicare to cover from drugs to medical care and the reliability and of that support is constantly under attack. Seems that so much money flows out of our nation that our own citizens come up short. Add to that capitalistic theory of profit over people and Healthcare for most citizens comes up short. The constant battle of name calling in politics drives me mad. I too am off topic but when you are afraid of losing your life for lack of care or medication in a so called great country you get a little angry. With that said I extend my hope that all will go well with you and others. Sometimes hope is all we have. Again thanks for sharing.

[Darlenia in reply to EmTexas]

Exactly! All medical supply manufacturers should have redundancies built in, but it's easier for monopolies not to do that. Supposedly Baxter was shipping solutions here from Europe, but it seems not be happening? People are suffering. Healthcare in the US needs attention.

[Eyak1971 in reply to Darlenia]

Thanks for sharing. It only may get worse if politicians start supposedly fixing medicare. It scares me how many people will die without medical supplies or medicine they will not be able to afford due to monopolies and price fixing and patent manipulation. Dialysis and transplant patients do not seem to be on the minds of politicians even though are ranks are growing due to inadequate and over priced food choices and access to affordable medical care. The reason we have the Medicare benefits now is because kidney activist went to congress in our behalf in the past. Hopefully today's kidney organizations will show the same strength and fight to preserve those benefits.

[Darlenia in reply to Eyak1971]

I hear you. The issues you mention are my concerns too. We must put the proper people in high office, advocate for great medical availability (including great dietary access), promote increased science research, and stay very vigilant in all areas influencing the quality life. Not doing so will indeed have consequences.

[Eyak1971 in reply to Darlenia]

Thanks again for sharing. When I read of the fluid shortage I emailed my 2 senators and 1 congressman to look into it. Maybe others on this forum will do the same. I am not presently on pd but if my transplant ever fails I will be returning if possible. I also hope the people who sponsor this forum take a active role in bringing this to the attention of others.