From an outraged family member of a Kaiser Permanente kidney patient. Kaiser continues to deny that any patients were harmed by its bungling:

My sister, Kim, is currently under the Kaiser Program. Her kidneys failed 6 yrs ago, (March 2000) she went into a coma and was not expected to ever come out. She is a fighter. Kim was diagnosed at the age of 12 with Lupus; was told she’d never have children (am the proud Aunt of 2 nieces and 1 nephew); was told she would be dead by the age of 30 (now 36-37 in Nov.). So, she has proven time and again that she is not going until she feels like it!

After her awakening, she was put on the list at UCSF. Now, over the years, there have been people who said they would give a kidney but then backed out. Fear of not being able to survive with just one. Unfortunately, I am not the same blood type, or I would not be as worried as I am now. Since being transferred to Kaiser, her health has gone down hill. Just last year, Kaiser called her and told her they were going to start prepping her for the transplant. Then, a month or so later, they told her she is not worthy of a new kidney! They were not going to give it to someone who could not follow the rules. At this point, I became enraged! How can you play god with someone’s life like that?? How in the hell can you determine who really wants it or not?? How do you know what they are going to do after they receive a new kidney?

My sister underwent dialysis 3 times a week - Tues, Thurs, and Sat. With her Lupus, it takes a toll on her. Just last Nov., when they told her she could not have a new kidney, and were preparing her to die. (Yes — her doctor told me to help her to get her affairs in order, to help her prepare mentally because she would die within 6 months time) Her catheter became clogged and the dialysis center could not unblock it. They sent her to Kaiser Oakland who said that there was nothing they could do; her veins had become too small (from the dialysis). and there was nowhere else they could put the graph for her treatments. They recommended a peritoneal, but then said that surgery would not be good (that was the ulterior reason they gave as to why she could never have the transplant) that the veins to her heart were too small and there would not be enough blood flow — she would die on the table. They did the surgery anyway!

Now, she is to do her dialysis at home, but still goes to the center until training is complete. Last Wednesday, they discovered there was a pin hole in the catheter that leads into her stomach, and they were unable to do the dialysis. The doctor advised that they clamp it off and send her home and that she should wait for his call. He called her the next day and told her that if she did not feel well over the weekend to go to the ER. She went to the ER on Saturday because her body started to swell, she was constantly cold, and in pain. She sat in the ER for a few hours and then was sent home and told to wait for her doctor to call her. On Sunday, I advised her to go back to the ER and demand that they put some sterile dressing around the pin hole and dialyze her, that the toxins were getting to her. It had been 4-5 days since her last treatment and she is to be done 4 times a week now. She is currently in Kaiser Oakland. They have yet to do the dialysis, and they are trying to figure out a way to fix the pinhole (how? — I’d like to see) when they know they just need to replace it!!

Sorry, there is so much more detail to this, but not enough time to type it into one e-mail. Trust, I am not a big fan of Kaiser, they killed my Mom and now they are trying to kill my Sister. I am glad that some else out there can see what Kaiser is doing to people….just hope they are stopped before any more lives are lost!!

Thanks for sharing your family’s Kaiser Permanente Horror Story, Robin.

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