A very general response to everyone’s comments on the kidney stone post…

Thanks all for your healthy skepticism of my doctors and nurses. I was a skeptic with my last nephrologist whom I hated and I couldn’t help but think he was grooming me to be a customer at the dialysis clinic he owned and not to be a healthy kidney transplant recipient like I wanted to be. That skepticism led me to the awesome care I’ve been given by my doctors at Stanford Hospital, nephrologist Dr. Jeffrey Petersen and transplant surgeon, Dr. Stephan Busque. When I signed on to be a kidney recipient I put my care in their hands and I’ve been given no reason so far to distrust them, in fact my next post will address a reason I’ve been given to trust them even more.

I am not at all a skeptic with my current doctors. Truth is I’m not at all concerned about taking the drug they prescribed. I just wanted to know if it’s something I will do permanently and I was frustrated that the nurse didn’t have that answer at hand, but I think she’s new and I really could just call and have the nurse find out or call the doctor or go see the doctor. I’ve actually walked right into the doctor’s office without an appointment, walked around the halls where he does his examinations and personally found him and talked over problems with him. I’ve never been in a doctor’s office where I could do that. Dr. Busque is the coolest doctor I’ve ever met and I’m happy to remain in his care. I’m luckier than most transplant recipients in that after their surgeries most recipients are assigned a nephrologist (who is not the surgeon) to handle their care, but because I have had a few problems and because I participate in a study for a new drug, Dr. Busque sees me personally and it’s not really his job to see to my post-surgery care.

The Stanford transplant team is actually an amazing group of people who don’t look at their job just as a way to save someone’s life, but as a way make your life better. I mean, they know you can live your life on dialysis, but the whole point of getting a transplant is to improve your quality of life. They do not rush into procedures, treatments, and drugs that will offset the quality of life they provided you with the original transplant. They are actually very open to how things are affecting you and if you don’t life the drugs you’re on, they will help you find ones that will work better for you, if needed at all.

So yeah….drugs? Boo. But I have unending trust for Dr. Busque and if he says its the way to go, its the way to go. If I let the kidney stone issue go completely unanswered, I could lose my transplanted kidney from damage by future stones and I can’t risk that. I’ll find out later if this is a permanent move. I’m guessing it’s not.

I was just venting and updating, but thanks all for you concern and suggestions.