Based on the medical and psychological reviews of both donors, the transplant team has selected Mr. McGrath’s nephew, Thomas Murphy, to be the live donor. Mr. Murphy is healthy and his motivation for donating seems genuine. Members of the transplant team and I met with both men and explained the procedure to them. Both have consented to the procedure and we’re almost ready to perform the surgery.

Next Steps
Despite my face-to-face explanations, both of them are understandably quite nervous. They have some additional follow-up questions, which I want you to address. I have forwarded you emails from both Mr. McGrath and Mr. Murphy. Please review their emails carefully and prepare short-answer responses to each of their questions. I’d like to review your answers before I forward them to our patients. Keep in mind that this is a difficult and frightening time for both patients. Your responses should be clear and thorough, but empathetic.

Thanks,

Dr. Laura Schaffer, M.D.
Attending Physician

Division of Hepatology
Lincoln Regional Medical Center

 

 

 

 

Hi Dr. Schaffer,

Hope you’re doing OK. Thanks for sitting down with Elsa and me the other day. It was good to get a feel for what to expect from the surgery. We talked through everything afterwards and we still have a few questions. I’m sure you went over most of this with us already, but it was just so much information all at once that we couldn’t remember it all. We made a list of all the questions we could think of. Here goes:

• How long will the operation take


• How big will my incision be?


• How long will I be in the ICU? What happens while I’m in the ICU?


• How long will I be in the hospital?


• What are the biggest risks during the surgery? After the surgery?


• How will you monitor me during the surgery? What will you watch to make sure I’m doing OK?


• How much pain will I be in after the surgery?


• What else should I expect during the first few days after the surgery?


• How long will I still have my symptoms? My swollen stomach and jaundice?

Elsa will be in the waiting room during the surgery. We’ll get someone to come and sit with her, as you suggested. She’s worried about me, of course, but we both know it needs to be done. Right now, I’m just eager to get it over with.

Thanks for all your help,

Frank

Dr. Schaffer,

I’m a nervous wreck thinking about this surgery! I’m sure I’ll calm down by the time the big day comes, but right now, its all I can think about. Can you answer a few questions for me? My aunt and uncle said they were going to send you a list of questions – that seemed like a great idea, so I’m sending you my own list. Hope you don’t mind.

• Is my surgery similar to what Uncle Frank will go through? What's different about mine?


• Will the surgeries happen at the same time?


• How long will I be in the hospital? Will I be in the ICU for a while?


• What part of my liver will you remove?


• What’s the biggest risk I face during the surgery?


• How long will it take for my liver to grow back to its normal size?


• What should I expect during my recovery (time, pain, etc)?


• When can I go back to work and will I be able to go back full-time?

You’ve been very helpful, Dr. Schaffer, and I appreciate your taking the time to answer my questions. Talk to you soon.

Tom