Life365
Meet Catie
Catie is a 78 year old woman who was diagnosed with kidney disease at 21 years old. She also has respiratory issues and hypertension. Catie has lived with kidney disease for more than 5 decades, and shares how the use of digital health tools have impacted her life and the care she receives from her doctors.
Managing Chronic Kidney Disease
Catie was diagnosed with tuberculosis in her kidneys at 21 years old, and by this time, one of her kidneys was no longer functioning. The TB strain identified, was detected to be from unpasteurized milk in England, where Catie was raised. They estimated the disease had been in her body since she was approximately four years old. Catie has spent a majority of her life needing to carefully monitor and manage her health.
Currently, she has an appointment with her nephrologist (kidney doctor) every three months, and she has regular appointments with a cardiac specialist and a respiratory specialist.
“Before using my Life365 Health kit, I was writing my readings on paper logs, inconsistently. With the health kit, all I have to do is take readings with the devices, and the Tablet announces my readings out loud. The voice announcement lets me know my reading was captured.”
Catie was provided a Life365 health kit that included a cellular connected Tablet, a weight scale, a blood pressure monitor, a pulse oximeter, and a thermometer. She would take her weight, blood pressure, oxygen, and temperature readings daily. The Tablet captures the readings, and transmits the readings to the cloud for review by Catie, and her care providers.
Prior to her medical appointments, Catie would log into the Life365 web portal online to print out her readings for her visit, and present them to the doctor for review. “More than once, when I showed the kidney doctor my blood pressure readings, they changed my medications and altered my dosage based on my readings.”
By being able to review her readings, Catie has noticed how different factors affect her health. “I know my weight and salt and sodium intake affect my blood pressure. I can see how what I eat affects my measurements by monitoring my readings.”
She went on to share, “The product has helped me know that your body can change in a heartbeat if it wants to. I monitor my weight so my organs can work efficiently. I have an ideal weight, and I monitor for that.”
Catie recently downloaded the Life365 Health app to her iPhone. “I love the app. It was easy to download, and I am not good with technology!” The app allows Catie to pair her Bluetooth devices to her phone. She can review her readings directly on her phone, take notes, and send the information to her providers, friends, and family, directly from her device.
Catie's Tips for Health Living
Catie has struggled with kidney disease since a young age, and has learned to stabilize her condition. When asked how she remains positive and engaged in her health she shared, “My secret - I keep working. I am still working and writing, and my work is shared globally. It is great exercise for my brain." For healthy living, she shared, "Eat real, healthy foods low in sodium, take your medications, monitor your readings, hydrate, and exercise. Review the labels on packaged or canned food, learn to know what is truly healthy to eat.”
Despite her challenges, Catie remains positive and helps others where she can. “You can’t feel sorry for yourself. I rely on the power of prayer, and I try to do something everyday for someone else.”