You Decide
January 20, 2010
Normally, I like to be in charge. But this time I really don’t want to be. The doctor explained to us that the only way to get a true diagnosis is by renal biopsy. He also explained that we will need to do one at some point, but based on her labs, we don’t have to do it now. He told me of another patient of his that came to him with more signs of active disease where he recommended biopsy the same week. We are so fortunate that this is not the case for Mackenzie. Since the biopsy was not urgent, her doctor scheduled a follow-up appointment a month later to discuss. This would give us the opportunity to think through our questions and not feel pressured. During this appointment her doctor was so patient with us and explained each benefit and each risk with painstaking details. He answered every question we had and never once pushed us to do a biopsy before we were ready. I don’t want to go into the details of why we decided to have the biopsy. For others that are faced with the decision, they should work closely with their doctor to come up with their own decision. I just remember the feelings of wanting to make sure I made the right decision for Mackenzie. What I can say that worked for me was asking a lot of questions, and then taking the time I needed.
