Kidney
Life on transplant
A message meme came up on my facebook timeline "Life on transplant, lots of meds but still beats dialysis". It made me grateful and blessed and I wrote something from myself personally.
"Something that came up on my timeline really resonated with me because it is absolutely true. One of the greatest blessings of being with my transplant center and this incredible team of professionals is how deeply they care—even about the smallest details. While I was in the hospital, they provided me with a pill organizer and patiently went through it with me, explaining everything and filling it out about three different times to make sure I fully understood. They also printed a detailed medication list with all the doses and instructions. I feel incredibly blessed, because I have seen how easily people can miss a dose or become unsure about whether they took their medication or not. The team you are surrounded by becomes a huge part of this battle, and having people who truly care makes all the difference. I feel very fortunate and grateful."
What have you been doing to help yourself through this journey or do you have a great team of dedicated professional assisting you?
1 - 8 of 8 Replies
Transplant Patient
My team is amazing, so I definitely feel really lucky in that sense. One of the things I became aware of in this transplant journey is how privileged I am, and how a lot of people don’t have the level of support I had.
I don’t think I realized how hard pre transplant life was until after transplant. Before it was just life. So I’ve definitely learned to give myself some grace, that I did the best I could at the time, and to grieve the big feelings when it comes up. I see so many people feel they have to “just be grateful” which isn’t true. Feeling all the feelings is so important, and we can feel more than one thing at the same time.
Amen to that
My team is such a blessing. I am constantly asking them questions, and they are so patient with me. They are in Colorado and I am in New Mexico but they are a part of my family now. I will probably go up to see them my next yearly check up.
They saved my life. How could I not fall completely in love with them?
I garden all the time through this journey now. Growing life just feels right.
That sounds wonderful and I agree, it is a blessing and they are part of the family.
I can honestly say my transplant team has become like family to me. From the very beginning of my journey, they have cared for me not only medically, but emotionally as well. They have always taken the time to answer every question, explain every detail, and make sure I felt supported every step of the way.
Now, almost three years post transplant, that level of care has never changed. I know that I can reach out to them with any concern, and no concern is ever too small. They listen, they guide, and they truly want the best for their patients. That kind of support makes such a difference in this journey.
I feel incredibly blessed to have such a compassionate and dedicated team walking beside me. Their care, patience, and commitment have meant more to me than words can fully express. @jdanishevsky We have an amazing team
We absolutely do. I have been in way too many hospitals to know the difference, as I have mentioned to them and you, this is what the healthcare standard should be everywhere. They are absolutely incredible in seeing that we get all the answers no matter how small the question is and get all the support that we need to be healthier with less complications. They are very proactive and I could not ask for anything better. I have left them a review on google, not because I wanted to just leave a review, but because that is how I truly felt and feel about them all the time. Thank you LaVise for your support and glad you brought this topic up.
Those med lists and instructions in an after-visit summary are great! I am coming up on 10 years post kidney transplant and luckily my visits now are very spaced out. Which is great but it does get difficult to recall things that have happened, especially when I go to see my primary care or other specialists who want a run-down of everything. I do use the TransplantLyfe365 app mainly to track symptoms and side effects. This past year and a half, migraines have become a real problem for me and because I have a transplant and hypertension, I am limited in the medications that I am allowed to take. Insurance is tough about it too, so even getting approved for more refills requires proof of how many migraines I get in a 30-day period. So, the app has been pretty useful in helping me track all that. When I had to take magnesium twice in the middle of the day, I added it to the app as well to help remind me since I would always forget to take it.
Just had my 3 year anniversary yesterday. My team took the x with me before I left the hospital to make sure I was ready for the new life. And if any ?s were needed to be answered, which there was more than one, I called them n they gave me the help n guidance that I needed so that I could feel comfortable n move forward. My family too, they were a huge part in my recovery, I was definitely weak physically and mentally when i arrived home, it took me almost 3 months to where i felt completely confident that things were going to be ok. We are a lucky group n the advancement of medical technology is a beautiful thing. And I feel confident going forward that it will only get better going forward.