Post a Comment On: Transplant Athlete

I received the following email recently in response to my post about firing my Nephrologist:
lou,
i am a semi regular reader of your blog, a former dialyses patient and a transplant recipient and an avid cyclist (2000+ miles/year). i really respect your accomplishments as a transplant recipient but you are a terrible dialyses patient. it looks like you are argumentative with the dialyses staff and confrontational with your doctor. an excellent way to always recieve lousy healthcare. this also would make you the guy no one at a dialyses unit is happy to have around. you may want to look at what kind of a patient you are being...you get what you give.

sincerely

chuckIn 37 years I've learned a few things. You don't pull the mask off the old lone rangerIf you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ballThe Force will be with you, alwaysIf somebody asks you if you are a god, you say yesNever, no matter how much you want to, play GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR with Joshua Don't feed gremlins after midnight, don't get them wet, and avoid bright lightsNO WIRE HANGERS...EVERNobody Puts baby in a cornerThere can be only one AND NEVER piss off the person sticking you with very large needles. I may sound like I complain at dialysis but I don't. I'm a model patient. I occasionally complain about dialysis and I do it here. I think the lesson here is that you have to be vigilant about your care. You can't just go on autopilot and hope to get good care just because you're NOT rocking the boat. I've always asked a lot of questions regarding my treatment, whether it was regarding my transplant or dialysis. Good doctors are happy to answer questions. My mother, a nurse, pointed out that too much potassium could have killed me. My wife, who does not want to be left alone raising 3 kids, pointed out that with my blood pressure that high, I could have had a serious stroke. I think most people under the same circumstances would be a bit confrontational with the doctor that caused those problems (and failed to correct them) and would not give them a second chance.