There should be a convention for us. Since we are all alone at this.
I really enjoy having someone to bounce things off of. Thanks to anyone whose answered my posts and to all who read them with an honest heart and tried to take a stab @ a topic but maybe was stumped :shock:
Meeting would be great even if it was just a one time thing-I’m sure I could rustle us up a doc or two to speak for us and definitely a few nurses
is this just wishful thinking?
I would say not at all wishful thinking, some of the posters from another board in the UK, Kidney Patient Guide, have arranged a “web meet” this Saturday, I assume you are in the US?? are there more localised groups?
I’d love to meet up with a lot of people, but it takes a fairly big amount of organisation.
Has anyone on this board met up before??
Interested to hear?
J
I’m not sure where you live, Manisha, but the AAKP national convention is coming up Labor Day weekend, and RSN is having their meeting October 6-8. It’s not this group, but every time I’ve gone to speak at one of those meetings, they’ve been very helpful for folks to meet each other in person and share tips & support.
The NKC Kidney Expo is October 14th in Seattle. Last year a couple people from the Dialysis_Support list came, one from NC who is now on the NxStage. I’m helping to organize this years Expo and I’m in the process of setting up a hotel package for Expo attendees.
I have also proposed that NKC offer visitors from outside the US the opportunity to dialyze at Medicare’s reimbursement rate … so you self pay Aussies could visit Seattle and receive dialysis for about $150 US per treatment.
I have also proposed that for out of state Medicaid dialyzors NKC waive the 20% copay.
Would that help anyone to come to the Expo?
Oh wow, that’s quite generous of you doing that! Perhaps a free plane ride and free hotel? :oops:
Ooh, I LOVED the Expo last year–it was awesome. There’s really nothing else like it out there. Come if you can, folks!
THere’s no reason individuals or small groups can’t meet up at a mutually convenient venue. Folk in adjacent cities or states. GO to one another’s support group meetings perhaps (as I did with Beachy a few weeks back -we live about 125km apart, her meeting was in between @ 60km). Or some non-ESRF-related event where you can meet up - things like berry festivals/rodeos/cultutal events… 
Bear
Seattle is in between you and J … you two should meet here at the Expo.
Bill
So is Dubai…Rio…Tokyo…we’re opposite sides of the planet!
If I go thru the hassle of organising dx elsewhere (I dunno how ya do it Bill!! ) my 1st priority is to visit my dear old Dad. Maybe I could meet 1 or 2 of the U.K. mob then…? The problem with us lucky nocturnals is that going anywhere involves only getting 1/2 the dx. NO fun in that eh? :roll:
God, I would love to meet all you guys, but i think the only way I can afford to fly to the states at the moment is in my dreams. 
Thanks for thinking of us though Bill, maybe one day…
I know how you feel, I feel the same way…sometimes we want to do things that we can’t! 
Well, at least we’re speaking here, what else do we want? 
This year I am starting the nurse refresher course but next year you’re on!
Manisha & everyone, I just thought I’d like to share with you a link to some of the photos from a meet of users of Kidney Patient Guide.
15 in total turned up representing every single aspect of dialysis, from predialysis to transplantation & all aspects of dialysis in between!
If you click on the images by cybercast, those are my photos:) although there are other contributors.
You can also see a few photos from a previous transplant games, 2004, by going to my blog.
Enjoy!
J
Hey, thanks for sharing those photos with us! Quite a crowd there! 
seattle in October??? Probably can’t do it, but would love to. I am planning a trip to oregon in a month or so. Klamath falls area. It will be my first trip with the NxStage machine. I like having this board to post to. I wish mroe patients knew about it. I didn’t find this on google, I found it thru another message board. So far this is the busiest one I have seen. .
Most of my human contact is thru the computer :oops:
LSB