Welcome to KidneyTalk!

On this week’s show, Lori Hartwell and Stephen Furst speak with Howard Feinberg--a dialysis social worker, psychotherapist, and kidney patient who, having been a patient for more than 25 years, can speak from a position of authority when it comes to dealing with the myriad of emotions that go hand in hand with chronic kidney disease.

Do you ever get the blues? Do you ever feel down and out? Do fear and denial keep you from learning about your illness?

Take comfort... you’re not alone. These emotions are common, normal, and even expected when dealing with a chronic illness.

Even longtime patients such as Lori (who’s survived kidney disease for 38 years!) still go through the emotional ups and downs. “When I get my lab results and my creatinine is normal, I have a sense of relief,” says Lori. “But leading up to that, I’m still nervous and anxious.”

As a relatively newly diagnosed kidney patient, Stephen is even more vulnerable to the emotional side of what he’s going through. “I get depressed when my blood pressure gets too low,” he says. “I feel drained, like a massive hangover, after dialysis.”

Let’s face it.... Coping with kidney disease and its complications is difficult.

“Upon getting diagnosed with kidney failure, I went through every manifestation you can imagine,” says Howard. “Like most patients, I was not interested in learning anything! I was scared. I ran away from any kind of education, any kind of knowledge, and said ‘Ignorance is bliss.’ But then,” he adds, “I started learning about kidney disease. And without a doubt, this was the best way I could have dealt with any issues I had. I was totally empowered by learning.”

Lori agrees: “A good way I’ve found to conquer fear is to learn as much as you can. Once you start learning about [what you’re up against] and conquer the fear, then you start meeting other people who have dealt with it. It helps you transition through all the stages of chronic illness--denial, fear, anger, depression, and grief. Only then can you move to understanding and acceptance, because that really is where we need to be in order to be happy.”

So, what can we do as patients to combat the avalanche of issues that go hand in hand with kidney disease? “We need to become educated, to know as much as we can, so that we can watch over our own health,” advises Howard.

Adjusting to life with a chronic illness takes a lot of patience, a lot of support, a lot of knowledge, and a whole lot of hope! We at RSN absolutely believe in hope! We hope that you do, too.