Author Archives: DevonTexas

About DevonTexas

I am a person with ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease) which means my kidneys don't work. Forty or so years ago that would have been a death sentence but today there is Dialysis which means I could be hooked up to a machine that would clean my blood as the kidneys should. Three days a week, I went to a dialysis center and had too very large needles stuck in my arm to remove and replace my blood as it passed through a process where it was cleaned and the fluid was removed, a process taking a little over four hours each time. In November 2017, I received a kidney transplant from a deceased donor. My life went into overdrive. With a "new" functioning kidney, I no longer had to go to a dialysis center and my days were not open to be lived rather than recovering from dialysis which meant dialyzing for three days and resting for 4 days a week. I work full-time and often 50 hours per week. It is something I never imagined. I highly recommend it! HeeHee I want to advance knowledge about dialysis and transplant so that others can learn from my experience and mistakes. We shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel, eh? There is so much to be learned and experienced about our predicament. There are vast resources available to support us and enrich our lives but many patients don't know about them. There are also many issues that we have to deal with whether we want to or not. So I blog about them in www.DevonTexas.com All comments are confidential until I approve them. If you don't want your comment public, let me know and I will respect that. So, feel free to leave a comment. I also blog in LegacyTales in WordPress if you are interested in the ramblings of a Old Man. Give a peek and let me know what you think. https://legacytales.wordpress.com/ Enjoy.

Kidney Patient Advocacy Has a New Face — 60 of Them


The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has launched a new patient advocacy and engagement program to expand its grassroots network at the state level. The Kidney Action Committee is comprised of 60 p… Source: Kidney Patient Advocacy Has a New Face … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

#Dialysis and DevonTexas


Someone asked recently about the stats from my blog http://www.DevonTexas.com.  I looked them up and they are quite impressive, I must say.  All-time posts, views and visitors since I started it in June 2012…  Posts = 256,  Views = 72,196,  … Continue reading

Posted in dialysis, ESRD, friendship, kidney, lobbying, patient care, personal, thankful, thoughts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dialysis and sausage


Since it’s a holiday weekend (Memorial Day 2016), some of us may have a moment to cook something containing elements that are good for us as we try to avoid things we shouldn’t eat.  Breakfast seems to be a time we especially … Continue reading

Posted in CKD, cooking. cookbook, dialysis, diet, phosphorus, potassium, sodium | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dialysis and Friday


      Hey all!   I really don’t have much to post about today other than Happy Friday! For those on a MWF dialysis schedule, you get two days off! For those on TTS schedule, you only have one … Continue reading

Posted in dialysis, ESRD, friendship, kidney, personal, Uncategorized, World Kidney Day | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dialysis and Change


Change is good. Do something different!  Today!  Act on impulse.  If it is your “off day” from dialysis, go to a nearby park. go fishing, fly a kite, take a walk, drive a road off the main road that’s not your … Continue reading

Posted in activism, depression, dialysis, ESRD, kidney, patient care, personal, social networking, thoughts | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dialysis and Fluid Control (updated 5/4/16)


  Update: 5/4/16:  Well, well, well.  It’s certainly been a long time since I posted about this.  It’s a few years later (time flies when you’re having kidney failure, doesn’t it?) and fluid control isn’t the problem for me as … Continue reading

Posted in cramping, cramps, dialysis, ESRD, fluid control, New Patient | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Dialysis and Suriving Washington, DC


April 26, 2016: I survived! I’m at Reagan National Airport awaiting my flight home. There’s some question about the landing part as there are severe thunderstorms expected over Dallas tonight. We’ll see. I just want to get home. We got … Continue reading

Posted in activism, Davita, dialysis, Dialysis Center, Dialysis Patient Citizens, DPC, ESRD, kidney, lobbying, Medicare, patient care, Patient-Centered Care, World Kidney Day | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In Washington DC


For the fourth or fifth year, I’m in DC to lobby Congress on behalf of Dialysis patients as a member and Patient Ambassador with DPC (Dialysis Patient Citizens). You can help by calling or emailing your Representative and Senators and tell … Continue reading

Posted in CKD, dialysis, Dialysis Patient Citizens, DPC, kidney, lobbying, Medicare, politics, Uncategorized, World Kidney Day | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Because I Said I Would


Recently I heard Alex Sheen, the founder of “Because I Said I Would” speak about his program to make the world a better place.   Well, I took that to heart and one suggestion is that we should write our promise … Continue reading

Posted in CKD, dialysis, ESRD, kidney, personal, thankful, thoughts | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Dialysis and Weight Loss – Part Three


Update 5/4/16: I reached the 100 pound achievement!  Now, for 50 more.  Wish me luck and it looks like I might make it there.  I’m optimistic t this point.  When I get a chance, I’ll post before and after photos. … Continue reading

Posted in dialysis, diet, dietary restictions, dry weight, exercise, kidney, Kidney Diet, weight reduction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment