No one wants to experience an emergency.  But being prepared in the event something does happen can make a huge difference.  Having information in place in case of an emergency is important, both before and after a transplant.

What’s the Urgency for Emergencies?

Emergencies, by their very nature, are unexpected.  Most people have experienced some form of emergency in their life.  But when you are waiting for a transplant (and even after), the chances of an emergency issue increase.

One thing we all face as transplant patients is our mortality.  Going through the transplant process itself helps us understand that life is fragile and our time is not guaranteed.  While most people go through life knowing this, it is rarely something they consider on a daily basis.

We are no strangers to emergencies.  We have a go-bag at the ready for a dash out the door to an ER or transplant surgery.  We know the risks we face every day with edema, bleeding, low oxygen, and infections.  There’s no such thing as a trivial emergency, so we can do a lot to help anyone who may come to our aid.

The Walgreens Wheelchair Whisk

A little more than a month before my transplant, I woke up one morning feeling like I had rested better than ever!  I proceeded to pull together my morning medications and my mom was quick to correct me.  I was mixing up dosages.  This was the first sign something was wrong.

We had planned a trip that day to go to Walgreens with my grandma who needed a few things.  She lived up the street at an assisted living community with my grandpa who was in memory care there.  My mom was a very busy lady caring for me and my grandparents!

We picked up grandma and headed on our outing.  I was in a wheelchair at the time (my edema was so bad my feet wouldn’t even fit in shoes, and I could not breathe well either).  As we were shopping I felt a sudden wave of nausea hit.

I looked at my mom and told her I felt sick.  So she left my grandma with the cart and hurried to find a restroom.  Walking by a door to a back room she told an employee I was going to be sick. He directed her through the area to an outside door where I could do what I needed to do.  My mom then wheeled me to the car and put the brake on the chair.  Since the car was locked, and her purse was inside with my grandma, she left me there and went to get them both.

Inside, she told my grandma I wasn’t well and that we needed to go.  It took her a minute to fully understand the seriousness but she hurried to the counter to pay and we left.  Back at her place, my grandma instructed my mom to drop her off with her things and she’d get them upstairs.  She knew I needed to get to the hospital.  I don’t remember anything after going through the backroom door.  My HE had really settled in.

I spent nearly a month in the hospital after that.

Sometimes We’re All Alone

I was never alone before my transplant.  I couldn’t drive, lived with my mom, and even when she was gone someone else was always with me.  I even had a button by my bed (I was on a different floor) so that if there was an emergency I could hit it to signify I needed help.

But that’s not the case for everyone.  And it’s certainly not the case when we have recovered from surgery and are back to our lives.  There may come a time where something happens and you are unconscious or confused and need help but not with someone who knows what to do.

Had I been in that Walgreens by myself, I would not have had the where-with-all to know who to call.  Often when I had HE, I couldn’t even tell you my name, let alone an emergency contact and their phone number.

ICE Is Nice!

Thanks to technology, you can add your emergency information to your lock screen.  This usually involves using your phone’s health app, a user setting, or adding emergency info in “my information” in contacts.   Aside from that, there are many apps available that do this as well.  Just search for ICE or In Case of Emergency in your app store.

You can also go old school and wear an emergency bracelet or necklace.  There are many different styles now that are very stylish and even trendy!  Two of my favorite sites are N-StyleID and Lauren’s Hope.

No matter what you choose, it’s a good idea to put those things in place, because it’s not just about your contacts.  You can also include important information like “Liver Transplant” with the name of your hospital and 24-hour number.  There’s a place for your blood type and any other medical condition that could be pertinent to your care.  You can also record your medications (and keep them up to date). This way anyone treating you knows what you need and does not give you something that would interact.

First Responders Know

When it comes to getting in touch with your emergency contacts, the pros are in the know.  First responders know to look for bracelets, necklaces, and emergency info on phones.  The same goes for medical staff who work in a hospital.

Say you’re unconscious.  The information you put into your phone or wear on your body could save your life.  This information tells first responders who to contact (medically and personally).  It also gives them information about any other medical condition you have.  What if you have drug allergies?  That would be good information for an EMT to know before administering meds in transit to a hospital, right?

When you arrive at a hospital, it may not be your hospital.  You will want your transplant team to be in the know with everything that is going on.  While some things may not be transplant-related, others might.  So, including their information is important as well.

We Have Responsibilities

Before and after transplant, we have responsibilities.  Keeping up with appointments, taking our medications, and communicating with our team are all part of that.  Emergency information helps others help us when we need it.

We also have a responsibility to ourselves.  Caregivers, family, and friends are all an important part of our journey.  But in the end, it’s up to us to advocate for ourselves.  Part of that is just keeping simple information together and up to date.  In the event we are unable to communicate, initial information is on hand.  This allows the pros to take care of our immediate needs as well as call in our reinforcements until we can speak for ourselves again.

With any luck, we won’t have to go through an emergency.  If a situation does arise, time is extremely valuable.  With a little effort, we can make any situation that does come up move a little smoother and save that valuable time.  I don’t know about you, but I’m happy to do whatever I can to preserve the second chance I’ve received.

“When disaster strikes, the time to prepare has passed.”  ~Steven Cyros