Kidney, Urinary, Gastro Intestinal, Liver

Vasundhara Raghavan is the author of two books on chronic kidney diseases, one of which narrates the life of her son, Aditya, who has lived through dialysis and two transplants. In a detailed interview she talks about the harrowing twists and turns the family battled. You have had a very close brush with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its devastating complications. Could you tell us how and when it started? My life changing experience began in November 1996. A headache kept my son, Aditya, at…

Sejal Jobanputra, 39 from Mumbai has been on dialysis for the last 13 years after her transplant failed. Strong antibiotics also made her deaf. But she has been fighting CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease), pain and depression all these years like a true fighter. Please tell us a bit about your condition I am suffering from kidney failure and I have been on dialysis for the past 13 years. I have also been deaf for last 12 years. When were you diagnosed? I was diagnosed in 2003 What were the early…

A book on Indian Diet for Interstitial Cystitis (IC), the first of its kind, hopes to serve as an easy-to-understand guide for patients and caregivers to help manage IC or Painful Bladder Syndrome. Here is an interview with the co-author Neelanjana Singh who is a Nutrition Therapist & Wellness Consultant. Your book ‘Indian Diet for Interstitial Cystitis (Eat Healthy and Protect Your Bladder)’ was released last month. Could you tell us a little about it? Interstitial Cystitis (IC), now known…

A routine health check led to a diagnosis of fatty liver followed by NASH and eventually a liver transplant. Mahindrasingh Bhardwaj, 56 from Nagpur, India shares his journey , the complications and the strategies that worked for him.  The Diagnoses: During my annual health check-up in 2016, I was told that I have a fatty liver. I was 98 kilos at the time and so was advised to lose weight and start exercising. The recommendation was medications and weight loss of 15 kilos. I immediately…

Bharathi Shiva, 44 suffers from a rare condition called Interstitial Cystitis (IC) or a Painful Bladder Syndrome (PBS) and has lived without knowing about it for two decades. But joining an IC support group has brought her immense relief in terms of both medical and emotional help. I have a condition called Interstitial Cystitis (IC) or Painful Bladder Syndrome(PBS). As the name suggests it is pain inside the bladder. There are other symptoms of IC/PBS. But mine is simply one of pain. Pain that…

Dr. Vipulkumar Goyani, 35, a doctor from Surat shares his personal experience of a how a diagnosis of Hepatitis B rapidly changed to needing a liver transplant. And how he changed his lifestyle after the transplant to keep his liver healthy.  Please tell us a bit about your condition I was diagnosed with Hepatitis B on 13th July 2015 and Hepatitis led to Acute liver failure in September 2015 and my living donor liver transplant was done on 30th September 2015.  What were the early…

Liver Cirrhosis is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Dr. Ameet Mandot (DNB GastroEnterology) addresses commonly asked questions on Liver Cirrhosis.  1.   What is Cirrhosis of Liver? It is a chronic disease characterized by a structurally and functionally impaired liver. This includes loss of liver cells and scarring of the tissue. 2.   What are the causes of Liver Cirrhosis? Though routine understanding shows that alcohol consumption causes the Liver…

Worldwide 850 million people suffer from some form of kidney disease. Kidney diseases are also one of the leading causes of death worldwide, estimated to be 2.4 million deaths per year. Dr. Rajesh Kumar, a Kidney Specialist and Transplant Surgeon from Mumbai helps explain the misconceptions around kidney health. PatientsEngage asked Dr. Rajesh Kumar about common beliefs on Kidney health: I must drink 8 glasses of water daily to keep my kidneys healthy and get rid of toxins. One to 1.5…

Living with three autoimmune conditions, followed by a liver transplant at 18, has not deterred this 18 year old teenager from Singapore who has written a book under the pen name Y.K Riley. She highlights the challenge of living with an invisible illness, the side effects of her treatment and the need to understand her conditions. Please tell us a bit about your condition(s) I have Autoimmune Hepatitis, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Ulcerative Colitis. They are autoimmune diseases where my…

Nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju discusses common causes which lead to bloating of the stomach and also simple ways to avoid the discomfort. It is what and how you eat matters, always. Overloading causes bloating and abdominal pain. When the body struggles to break down the food after meals, discomfort creeps in. The bacteria in the intestine will tend to feed on the sugar in the food you take in, to multiply themselves. If the sugar in the food is much higher or the food remains undigested for…