News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

By Suzanne Whittingham

March 11 is World Kidney Day. Since 2006, World Kidney Day has been held annually on the second Thursday of March. Launched jointly by the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations the purpose is to increase awareness and draw attention to the urgent global need for early detection and prevention of the growing epidemic of kidney disease. Every year on World Kidney Day and throughout the month of March, The Kidney Foundation of Canada, BC Branch, partners with The BC Renal Agency and health authority renal programs in BC on a range of activities and events. 

(Photo:  One of the six dialysis machines purchased in November, 2008, for the Williams Lake Dialysis Unit.)

Carrie Mae Pennington is the Renal Program Leader for the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap regions. Here in Williams Lake, and operating as a satellite service to Kamloops, is the local Dialysis Clinic. 

(Photo:  Marg Daum, (right), Clinic Coordinator for the Williams Lake Dialysis Unit and Aki Minato, one of the nurses at the clinic.)

Marg Daum is the Community Coordinator for the Williams Lake Dialysis Unit at Cariboo Memorial Hospital. Williams Lake has been fortunate to have a Dialysis Clinic for close to sixteen years. Marg said that the clinic was formerly housed up in the North Broadway area before coming here. She spoke of the many changes that have occurred over the years with providing treatment and care for people with kidney disease. For those who are in the first stages of kidney disease, she said that “patients are able to come to the Telehealth clinic at the hospital where they video conference appointments with a Nephrologist in Kamloops. This means that they do not have to go to Kamloops for these appointments. This is all part of our push for early prevention to kidney disease, and has been available here at the hospital for close to 3 years now. Things like high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease can all be precursors to kidney disease, and dealing with those problems can be crucial to preventing kidney disease down the road.” 

Marg Daum spoke how they had older technology, 8 machines before, that were constantly breaking down. She said that “a year ago last November we purchased 6 new machines, 5 of which are used regularly. The remaining one is used as a back-up in case there is a problem with the others. We have a Biomed Technician on site who can be called if anything goes wrong with this equipment.” 

Marg Daum emphasized the importance of kidney function to health. She said that the “kidneys help to maintain the body's balance by maintaining the body's internal equilibrium of water and minerals (sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfate). They are also important to maintaining the acid balance in the body. The kidney's also eliminate toxins in the body. The reason it is so important to control high blood pressure and diabetes is to prevent them from killing the kidneys. That is why early detection of decreased renal function is so crucial. There are programs in place that monitor renal function, and when the results reach a certain point, the program will send the patient for a visit to a Nephrologist for a consult. There, they will receive instructions on how to support the kidneys through proper diet and guidance as to how to control their diabetes and high blood pressure. This particular program is province wide.” 

(Photo: One of five Dialysis Stations at the Williams Lake Dialysis Unit.)

The first dialysis machine was built in 1943 during World War II by Dutch physician Willem Kolff. There have been many evolutions of devices for kidney dialysis since then. The current dialysis machines are controlled by computers. Marg Daum said that “You have to remember that the Dialysis is only used as a last measure once the kidney function is critical. Dialysis is an imperfect treatment to replace kidney function because it does not correct the endocrine functions of the kidney. Dialysis treatments replace some of these functions through diffusion (waste removal) and ultrafiltration (fluid removal).” 

There are currently 15 patients at the Dialysis Unit at our local hospital. They need to go to the clinic 3 times a week for their Hemodialysis, which takes between 3 and 4 hours a treatment. There is also the Peritoneal form of dialysis which patients can do at home on their own. Marg explains again, how with peritoneal dialysis, a “sterile solution containing glucose is run through a tube into the peritoneal cavity, the abdominal body cavity around the intestine, where the peritoneal membrane acts as a semipermeable membrane. Wastes and water are removed from the blood inside the body using the peritoneal membrane as a natural semipermeable membrane. This form of dialysis gives the patient a little bit more freedom of function. They still have to do it at particular times, but they are more mobile while doing the treatments and are in the comfort of their own homes.” 

(Photo: TV's help patients to pass the time while getting their dialysis treatments.)

There is a great deal of technology involved in supporting patients with lost kidney function. Marg Daum emphasized that “dialysis is a relatively new technology in the medical field. It has grown in leaps and bounds over the last twenty years, but it is still in its relative infancy.” She also mentioned how in the community of Williams Lake, the rate of kidney disease is statistically very high compared to other BC communities. Almost all of the patients who use the Dialysis Unit at our Cariboo Regional Hospital are from the Williams Lake area. There is no clear understanding as to why. It is important to remember in the broader context of dealing with kidney disease that organ transplant still remains the best option for bringing kidney function back to a patient who otherwise faces a lifetime of painful and time-consuming treatments to sustain life. 

So on March 11th, turn your thoughts to your kidneys and reflect on just how important they are to your health and your life and everyone around you. It is a celebration of life and  a movement to maintaining balance in every respect. 

Information on kidney disease and programs available can be found at:  www.kidney.bc.ca  and www.interiorhealth.ca.

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