How to get a kidney Part 1
So you just found out your kidneys are failing One day you go in for a physical, perhaps because you’ve been feeling just generally crappy—nauseous, poor appetite, muscle cramps, fatigue, sleeplessness. After reviewing your lab results, your doctor explains that your...
Man on a mission: Dr. Michael Fisher is devoting his retirement to preventing an epidemic of Chronic Kidney Disease
By Leslee Goodman, MPH Dr. Micheal Fisher has been co-medical director of acute dialysis at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital since 1984. The co-founder of Santa Barbara Artificial Kidney Center—a dialysis center—until his diagnosis with lung cancer five...
Dr. Fisher talks kidney disease on 97.1 FM
In December I had the pleasure of talking with host Tony Gonzalez of Mega Cares, 97.1 FM radio. What the kidneys do; WHY 35 MILLION Americans now have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD); who’s at risk; kidney disease warning signs; what you can do to monitor your kidney...
Everything you ever wanted to know about kidney disease
My interview with Mary Jane Popp Popp: According to the 2015 Global Burden of Disease Study, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is now the 12th-leading cause of death worldwide increasing by almost 32% over the last 10 years. That’s why Dr. Michael Fisher authored Surviving...
How to survive your partner’s kidney disease diagnosis
My friend Bonnie was aware that her husband had kidney disease when she married him, but he’d had the condition since childhood and was healthy and athletic so she didn’t really understand the implications of his condition. Her husband retained 50% kidney function,...
What it is like to donate a kidney
Most people are inspired to donate a kidney in order to save the life of a loved one. And some generous individuals aren’t a good match for their loved one, but donate anyway. Then, through a nationwide “kidney match” program, their kidney goes to a matching...
July 11 Book Signing in Santa Barbara
Please join me at Chaucer’s Bookstore on Wed., July 11, at 7 p.m. for an informal reading and book-signing of my book, Surviving Kidney Disease: True Stores of Love, Courage, Hope, and Heroism. Earlier this month, a couple dozen patients, friends, and family members...
Introduction
If you are reading this, there is a good chance you, or a loved one, have been diagnosed with a kidney disease. Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from kidney ailments, yet a diagnosis can make you feel terribly alone, cut-off from the world and the life you knew...
Kidney Disease: A Primer
With rare exceptions, we’re all born with two kidneys. They act as trash collectors, ridding the body of waste products and toxic substances left over from normal body processes like digestion and muscle activity. Most people know that already. But, kidneys do far...
Kidney Disease Overview
Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from some sort of progressive kidney disease today, and that number is expected to increase dramatically in the future. Our aging population, along with the burgeoning rate of diabetes among all ages in America, are the primary...