Living Well with Kidney Disease

IG Live 02.05.2025 – DPC Education Center’s Healthcare Consultant, Velma Scantlebury, MD, went Live on Instagram to answer your kidney related questions. February is American Heart Month, and it's crucial to remember that kidney disease is closely linked to heart health. Dr. Scantlebury talks about the particular importance of heart health for dialysis and transplant patients, as well as when you can be referred back to your n...

Happy New Year and welcome back to Kidney Questions for the Doctor! DPC Education Center’s Healthcare Consultant, Velma Scantlebury, MD, went Live on Facebook this month to answer your kidney related questions. Post-holidays can be a bit gloomy, so Dr. Scantlebury talks a bit about seasonal depression, staying up-to-date on your screenings and testing for transplant, emergency preparedness, and many other kidney-related topics.

Seas...

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 kidn...

FB Live – November 20th: DPC Education Center’s Healthcare Consultant, Velma Scantlebury, MD, Live on Facebook to answer your kidney related questions. We have officially entered into the holiday season, which means lots of gatherings with friends and family and lots of holiday foods. Dr. Scantlebury talks about the importance of being up to date on your vaccines, washing your hands, and even wearing a mask to keep yourself protect...

October 16th: DPC Education Center’s Healthcare Consultant, Velma Scantlebury, MD, was Live on Facebook to answer your kidney related questions. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Dr. Scantlebury talks about the importance of monthly self-exams, as well as mammograms as recommended by your healthcare team. We are also well into fall, so Dr. Scantlebury reminds everyone to make sure they have gotten their recommended vacc...

IG Live 10.02.2024 – DPC Education Center’s Healthcare Consultant, Velma Scantlebury, MD, went Live on Instagram to answer your kidney related questions. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Dr. Scantlebury talks about the importance of not only breast cancer screenings for women but staying up-to-date on all cancer screenings for both dialysis and transplant patients. This month, she also discusses some ways to help comfo...

FB Live – September 18th: On our September Facebook Live, Dr. Scantlebury talks vaccines and recommendations for the new COVID-19 boosters, flu shots, and more, as well as logistics for traveling while on dialysis, mental health, and many more kidney related topics. 

Now that we are solidly into autumn, Dr. Scantlebury reminds us that it is recommended for everyone get their updated COVID and flu vaccines for the year. This is espec...

DPC Education Center’s Healthcare Consultant, Velma Scantlebury, MD, Live on Instagram to answer your kidney related questions. September 4th was Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Awareness Day, and Dr. Scantlebury discusses what PKD is, how it affects the kidneys, and treatment options. This month also sees a change in weather as we move closer to fall, which means new vaccines for both Covid and the flu. Dr. Scantlebury talks about...

DPC Education Center’s Healthcare Consultant, Velma Scantlebury, MD, went Live on Instagram this month to answer your kidney related questions. We are in peak summer heat and, while we all know the importance of staying hydrated, dialysis patients have to balance that with fluid restrictions. Dr. Scantlebury has some tips to beat the heat (and humidity!), how to use the slower summer months to stay on top of your healthcare, and ma...

Join us for an enlightening episode of the DPC Education Center’s podcast, featuring a special event with healthcare consultant Dr. Scantlebury, DPC Board President Andrew Conkling, and Board Member Quiana Bishop. In this episode, our guests delve into the critical topic of phosphorus and its impact on renal patients. 

With their first-hand experience managing phosphorus issues while on dialysis, Andrew and Quiana share invaluable i...

This month, the DPC Education Center got to speak with Fanny Sung Whelan, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian who has worked with people with all stages of kidney disease since 2011, from pre-dialysis to dialysis to transplant. Fanny discusses tips to limit phosphorus, fluid intake on dialysis versus as a transplant patient, how dietary needs change from dialysis to transplant patients, and she gives some easy recipe ideas.  

Tune ...

IG Live – June 5th: DPC Education Center’s Healthcare Consultant, Velma Scantlebury, MD, went Live on Instagram this month to answer your kidney related questions. As the weather starts heating up, Dr. Scantlebury shares some tips for staying cool while not going over your fluid limit, phosphorus and why it has to be closely monitored by renal patients, some considerations that go into being eligible for transplant, and many more k...

IG Live – May 22nd: The DPC Education Center’s Health Care Consultant, Dr. Scantlebury, went Live on Instagram this month to talk about all things kidneys. She talks about mental health and some of the challenges both dialysis and transplant patients face while on their kidney journey, some of the resources available on the DPC Education Center's website, as well as the importance of still having a primary care doctor as a kid...

FB Live – May 15th: In our May Facebook Live, Dr. Scantlebury discusses the different dialysis options and what to consider when looking at modalities, what patients can do if they aren't feeling heard by their healthcare provider, the importance of staying up-to-date on required tests/exams when on the transplant list, and many more important kidney related topics.

When considering your options for dialysis, it’s important to ...

FB Live – April 17th: April is Donate Life Month, and Dr. Scantlebury dives right in on all things transplant. She discusses the different transplant options, living vs. deceased donation, how long a kidney transplant lasts, and recent advances in the transplant space. She also answers questions about sinusitis' impact on kidney failure, resources for eating better, and many more important kidney related topics.

Having been a k...

FB Live – March 20th: For this latest episode of Kidney Questions for the Doctor, DPC Education Center’s Dr. Velma Scantlebury answers questions from both dialysis and kidney transplant patients. This episode covers many different aspects of living with kidney disease, including different access types and when one might be used over another, updated COVID vaccine guidelines for kidney patients, a common virus doctors watch out for ...

IG Live – February 28th: This month, the DPC Education Center got to speak with Elizabeth Jones, MSW, LCSW, a Clinical Social Worker for Nephrology and Transplant at Walter Reed National Medical Center. Elizabeth discusses how social workers provide support for dialysis and kidney transplant patients, with additional emphasis on supporting veterans. 

Tune in to learn some of the resources a social worker can provide to their patient...

IG Live – March 6th: March is National Kidney Month and Dr. Scantlebury highlights the importance of sharing your kidney story and encouraging everyone to know their numbers. This month we also discussed how hemoglobin is maintained if you have kidney disease, how anti-rejection medication works in the body, the importance of keep up with labs and bloodwork, even after you've had a transplant, and many other important kidney-r...

IG Live – April 3rd: The DPC Education Center’s Health Care Consultant, Dr. Scantlebury, is back to answer your most pressing questions about all things kidneys. This month, you wanted to know about why it's important to keep your phosphorous levels down as a dialysis patient, how to feel more comfortable about the transplant process, and the parathyroid gland. 

One of the many things dialysis patients have to watch is their ph...