2024-10-16 - Facebook Live - Kidney Q&A

Living Well with Kidney Disease

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 vaccines and to make those appointments, if not. She also discusses the importance of mental health and many other kidney-related topics.

Since it is breast cancer awareness month, Dr. Scantlebury starts off our live with a reminder of the importance of staying up to date on mammogram and other cancer screenings, especially if you are on the transplant list. Just because you don’t feel any lumps or massing when doing a self-exam, that doesn’t mean you should skip recommended mammograms. It’s also particularly important to let your doctor know if you have a family history of breast cancer, as you may qualify for an early screening. You can also talk to your doctor about genetic testing for the BRCA, or breast cancer, gene if you have a family history.

We are now well into fall, so if you haven’t gotten your vaccine yet, talk to your doctor and make that appointment! If you have been recently transplanted, make sure you discuss recommendations with your healthcare team and make a plan that works for you. As we move into the colder months, we are gathered more inside, which puts us at higher risk for catching viruses. Especially if you have kids or grandkids that are back at school, it is very common for them to bring home upper respiratory infections, so make sure you are protected.

The colder, darker months are also a time when people might struggle more with their mental health, and it’s important to know you can reach out to friends and family for support. Everyone is different and we aren’t all able to handle situations the same way, so Dr. Scantlebury really encourages everyone to use the resources available to them and talk to a professional if you think you might need help.

We invite you to join us for our live events and ask your kidney-related questions! Find us on both Instagram and Facebook:

- IG Live @patientcitizens the first Wednesday of the month, 12:30pm EST
- Facebook Live www.facebook.com/patientcitizens the third Wednesday of the month, 12:30pm EST