Transplant gives family hope
Residency is supposed to prepare physicians to help patients face long, difficult illnesses which have cloudy, unknown endings. There's not much in the curriculum to help you handle that situation if the patient is your spouse.
Family Medicine PGY3 Scott Peterson, MD, is learning that the hard way. His wife, Jamie, is recovering from a kidney transplant she received at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. As with most transplant patients, the path to transplant has not been easy.
In 2001 and at the age of 21, Jamie was diagnosed with IGA nephropathy, an autoimmune disease that progressively damages the kidney and ends in renal failure about 25 percent of the time. At the time of diagnosis, 20 percent of Jamie's kidneys had already been damaged. Doctors told her she would need a kidney transplant by age 40.
In 2007, Jamie became pregnant with the Petersons' daughter, Tori. With doctors questioning the baby's chances for survival and knowing there would be complications as the pregnancy progressed, Jamie braced for either an early delivery or dialysis. Labor was induced, and Tori was born, relatively healthy, two months early in January 2008.
Jamie began dialysis in February 2008 and added her name to a kidney transplant waiting list, which typically results in a wait of three to six years in the Upper Midwest. Meanwhile, Scott and Jamie's brothers were tested to be donors, all three turning out to be matches with one brother being the best match of the three.
In September 2008, as Jamie awaited final word on her brother's match, the Peterson's received a phone call informing them that a dying 5-month-old infant's kidneys would soon be available. Due to the size of the kidneys, doctors could transplant two instead of one, and they would grow to average adult size in about three weeks. Jamie was burdened by the circumstances in which these kidneys became available, but the Peterson's knew they had to go through with the procedure.
Unfortunately, only one kidney functioned after surgery, forcing doctors to remove the faulty kidney. Still, doctors only expected the good kidney to last five years. During her recovery, the transplanted baby kidney incurred a blood clot and stopped functioning, not uncommon to baby kidneys. Doctors removed that kidney too, and Jamie returned to dialysis.
Jamie then enrolled in the Mayo transplant program, but was disheartened to learn she had developed antibodies to 90 percent of all tissue types because of her initial transplant. This news meant a transplant from her brothers or husband was now impossible because her body would naturally attack the foreign kidneys. In addition, her time on the waiting list would be extremely long.
Since January 2009, possible donors flooded Mayo Clinic with calls to be tested as donors for Jamie. In June, a potential donor surfaced against whom Jamie's body would have a reasonably low number of antibodies. After testing, Mayo doctors decided this donor would not make the best match. A month later, yet another family friend passed Mayo's exams as a donor.
Jamie received her new kidney October 9, and was discharged from the hospital October 14. She has remained in Rochester for a few weeks so doctors can monitor her condition, but is expected home on Friday of this week.
Scott has worked out a schedule with the residency faculty and fellow residents to be able to adjust his shifts and still support Jamie. Family Medicine residency coordinator Jo Erickson credited Dr. Peterson's professionalism throughout his wife's ordeal, noting how he never let their family's pain show in his work. "Scott's attitude has just been amazing," Erickson said.
Scott said his occupation as a physician has been both helpful and worrisome in coping with his wife's trials for the past two years. "It's nice to be 'in the know' as a doctor, but ignorance is bliss, too," Scott pointed out. "When you really know what could happen to your wife, it's much more difficult to handle."
It's been a learning experience as well for the young doctor. "Being at the bedside with my wife has helped be to be a better doctor," Scott explained. He said he has a better appreciation for each test that is run, patient diets, and how important it is to make a personal connection with each patient.
"We've been really blessed with a lot of support from our family and friends," Scott concluded. "I don't know how we could have done this without them."
Information for this article courtesy of the Centerville Journal.
