Before I leave the subject of the renal team I must tell the story of their last visit to my bedside. The creatinine crisis being over, we were making small talk when I was asked for a favor.

"What kind of favor?" I asked.

"Could we listen to your chest," he said.

I was puzzled. Why would a bunch of kidney specialists want to listen to my chest so I asked them to explain what the objective was. It seemed that in medical school they had all heard that sound is transmitted differently between the right and left lung cavity after a pneumonectomy and they had never had the chance to listen and find out for themselves. I was amused by this request but cheerfully agreed and over the next ten minutes, a line of doctors took turns listening to my chest as I made "Ahhhhhhhh" sounds. Each one would smile and shake his head in wonder, saying, "It’s really true. The pitch is different from one side to the other."

That was the day that I became the science experiment of the month for the renal department. It is a moment I will always proudly cherish.