Support during transplant process

[Pinkplanet]

I'm wondering how people manage the liver transplant process if they don't have a partner or any close family available? E.g. do a group of their friends come together to provide the support that they need? I'm thinking of them having someone available to take them to the hospital when they get the call, being there for them during the post op process and taking them back to the hospital weekly (which will be a long drive). How do people make it work? I'd be very grateful for any advice or suggestions.

[AyrshireK]

Which transplant centre is your friend under and what guidance has been provided by the liver transplant social workers? It's usually imperative that someone going through transplant does have some form of support network and what support someone has is usually examined during the assessment process.

I know in my husbands case he couldn't have gotten to pre transplant clinic appointments without me (and due to the degree of his ill health I was actually nursing him for nigh on 6 months before he finally got his call).

I had to drive him over after both of his calls though some hospitals will arrange a blue light ambulance - some folks even get flown depending on where they are and how quickly you need to get there.

During his 18 day stay in hospital I was there daily to provide company, fresh clothes, pj's, wash him when he needed help, take him in food or take him out of the ward for food and then when we left hospital I had to wheel him out in a wheel chair and carry all his bags and medicines (of which there were a lot). He can't drive for the foreseeable, can't lift anything too heavy and at home is still reliant on a bit of care for bathing, doing anything that requires bending - putting on socks etc. I am still ordering and sorting out hubbies medicines and more even 21 weeks on.

Like you say we had to attend clinic weekly for 8 weeks in our case (including 2 hospital readmissions) and then fortnightly for the next couple - we are 100 miles each way from transplant hospital on rural roads and we actually put our caravan closer to hospital so we didn't have to travel every time but could stay and have some relief between clinics.

Normally all this would be covered in transplant assessment as to the support network a person has.

Katie

[Pinkplanet in reply to AyrshireK]

Hi Katie, thank you! I really appreciate your response and the info that you have provided. My friend is under Birmingham and hasn't said what the social workers have advised. That's something that I can ask them. It's useful to know that this is something that is normally covered in the assessment.

[AyrshireK in reply to Pinkplanet]

Has your friend definitely undergone transplant assessment and been formally listed?

[Pinkplanet in reply to AyrshireK]

Yes, they have just gone through the assessment process and been listed.