Your Transplant and After Class

Mom, Dad, Kelly and I went to the Your Transplant and After class. I thought I would give everyone a quick summary of what we learned.

• only immediate care givers should accompany Mike to the hospital when he gets the call
• there is always a chance he may not get a heart even after the call - he could be called as a back-up or there could be a problem with the donor heart
• the heart can survive outside of the donor body only 4 hours
• Dad will not be cut open until the heart surgeon has actually visualized the donor heart and confirmed it is of good quality and match
• after the surgery he will go to in the Intensive Care Unit (FICU - 3rd floor Fondren) for 3 to 6 days
• when he is stable he will move to the Transplant Floor on the 4th floor of Dunn Tower
• visitors should be kept to a minimum while Mike is in the hospital - he is highly susceptible to infection and they suggest only healthy immediate family members come in contact with him for approximately one month after surgery
• he will be in the hospital 7 to 14 days after the surgery
• he will require at-home 24 hour care for the first 30 days after discharge
• he cannot travel more than 2 hours away from the hospital 3 to 6 months after surgery
• there will be no heavy lifting for Mike the first 8 weeks and no driving for 6 to 8 weeks
• he must avoid anyone who receives a live vaccine for 2 weeks