Avoid Illness and Infection Before Transplant
To avoid illness and infection before my transplant, I made some lifestyle changes. A lot has happened since then and what was different then is normal now. Society now practices many of the same habits thanks largely to the SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus/COVID-19) Pandemic. Why Is It So Much More Important Now? When diagnosed with a condition […]
Self-Care After Transplant
Self-care after transplant is something to start almost immediately. You did it! You made it through transplant and recovered! Now it’s time to get back to your life and all of the things you might have been neglecting a little while you were sick. Too Sick to Care I was so sick leading […]
Information Within Reach
Having the right information within reach shows your preparedness and ability to keep track of your health. It also makes your journey a little more smooth. So Many Questions In my visits to the ER and admissions to the hospital, staff often had many questions for me. Many times, staff would ask the same questions […]
Organ Donation and Transplantation Terms
There are many organ donation and transplantation terms that you will run across during your journey. Some you may have never heard before. Then there are some that are next to impossible to pronounce and have their own separate set of acronyms. I’ll try to keep this list short and sweet. Hopefully, this will arm […]
How Painful is a Transplant?
So how painful is a transplant anyway? Well, frankly, that depends. I’m going to start this off by saying my threshold for pain is pretty high. I’m not trying to be braggy here. Is that even a thing? Bragging about pain? Geez, I hope not. It never used to be, but I think in part […]
Dealing with Fatigue
I’m So Tired Today! Who’s dealing with fatigue today? This girl. Boy, did I pick the right day to talk to you guys about this! This morning I woke up after 7 hours of decent sleep and I felt pretty OK despite the more-often-than-not sour stomach (what I not-so-affectionately refer to as transplant belly). No […]
Sensitivity in Transplant Terminology
Sensitivity in transplant terminology is important when we talk about our journey. Honoring our donors and donor families compels us to think about these things. I heard many things discussed around the hospital and on television (TV…oh boy…there’s a blog post idea). I can understand the use of some terminology in the medical field […]
The Go-Bag
The go-bag is essential so you have everything you need for the hospital. Having one ready will make an extended trip to the hospital a little more comfortable. If you haven’t figured it out already, I am a planner. If you were to look at my desk right now, you would see lots of lists. […]
Being an Encouraging but Realistic Caregiver
Today I’m going to talk about how to be an encouraging but realistic caregiver for your loved one and how that will help them through the toughest of times. It Ain’t Easy Being Them Your loved one is going through it, aren’t they? Trips to the doctor, ER and hospital stays, at-home visits, […]
The Transplant Evaluation Process
The transplant evaluation process can be daunting. In this post, you’ll get some ideas of what to expect and how to get through it all. Everyone’s Process Will Be Different I spent more than half my time in the hospital while waiting for my transplant. What that means is that the bulk of my evaluation […]
