post-tx gardening... & other stuff!!!

[Guest guest]

Jim was told by his tx center absolutely NO gardening until he was at

LEAST 6 months out from tx.

About this worthy topic, IMHO, we'd do well in this group to ALWAYS try

& remember how post-tx protocols can vary from tx center to tx center.

Picking a transplantee's brain, while in & of itself a VERY good thing, is akin

to a gathering of " perhapses " & " possiblies " ...which is

my way of saying someone else's experience MAY OR MAY NOT end up happening to

you/your loved one, and becoming YOUR reality.

I guess doing so could be of the utmost help if you're talking about,

say, another hopeful tx taking place at the very same tx center... even perhaps

with the exact same surgeons. So, that qualification being said, go ahead

& ask away, to any & all of us in this group who have walked that road

ahead of the rest of the as-yet-not-txd PSCers... stay in that learning curve,

always, as it prepares you for one very whoop-dee-doo Mister Toad Wild Ride.

I've been known to say the above from time to time, but I guess it bears

repeating?! For example, Jim's tx center has zero tolerance regarding the

whole topic of alcohol for their transplantees. Because Jim & I are of

the strictly compliant sort ( & in our defense, we've learned that such

degree of compliance can indeed factor into post-tx " success "

stories), we don't even do wine-based vinegars, nor do we participate in

cuisine with, for instance, a wine reduction sauce. And before you go

thinking it, contrary to the widely-held assumption that (culinary) alcohol

consumption's a moot point, inasmuch as it burns off in cooking/baking, anyway,

a President-ordered government study on that very topic absolutely ROCKED the

culinary world, when the study's results came back as anything BUT (this

straight from the lips of our daughter's 2003 Culinary School's instructors).

But I'm digressing...

Segueing back to the original topic, even the surgical process itself

can differ. Neither Jim nor his donor/our son have the

" Mercedes " scar which so many of us assume will take place with this type

of surgery. Jim's scar is transverse, a very wide albeit slight

" frown, " & 's badge of honor is a " modified Mercedes, "

or what he prefers to call a " J for " (since that's what it

actually looks like on his abdomen). Since a modified incision was

sufficient for & the removal of his donor liver, the surgeons therefore

saw no need to give a 3rd, unnecessary cut.

From this outstanding support group, we can very easily make assumptions

about something that, upon our own transplant experience, later, we come to

find out is actually handled... either a bit differently, or dismissed

altogether as a non-issue. It's not always spot-on with what we learn

here!

Cases in point: based on what I gleaned from this support group,

beforehand, Jim & I went to his living donor tx pre-prepared with alllll

kinds of info (e.g., no plants allowed in his hospital room. That held

true. But use of antibacterial wipes & hand sanitizers post-tx?

Or, for that matter, hospital visitors to the ICU only allowed with gowns &

gloves on, or at least masks? Surprisingly, despite the experiences of

some in this group, Jim's/'s tx center told us nope, not necessary!).

I think one of the BIGGEST surprises for me was just prior to Jim's discharge;

they said not one word, nothing whatsoever, to us about avoiding grapefruit, in

ANY form. We in this group understand that grapefruit (even

" hidden " grapefruits, such as can exist in meat marinades or fruit

salads) can negatively interact with certain post-tx immunosuppressive

medications. Anyway, after they'd given us all their instructions, I,

Maureen, had to bring that " uh, what about grapefruit consumption?!?

Hello??? " matter to THEIR attention! There response began with:

" Oh! Uh, yeah.... " And from there, they launched into a fascinating

story about how they couldn't understand how one txee's labs were failing,

while still in hospital. They eventually had to " stake out " the

patient's room, to watch her every move. Turns out her lunch meal trays included

a carbonated beverage containing (dun-dun-DUNNN) grapefruit. Ever since

then, that soft drink has been banned from their hospital, even from their cafeteria

vending machines.

(Oops... looks like I digressed again)

Ok, so, furthermore, we brought along with us to the tx center alllll

kinds of paraphernalia we thought (from this group) that we'd need, such as a sphygmomanometer,

with which we understood we would need to daily monitor Jim's BP, at least,

until otherwise instructed. So imagine my surprise as we were told we

wouldn't need a sphygmomanometer!

(Sidebar: ironically, Jime IS now experiencing issues with BP; Jim believes

it's due to a recent upturn in his weight?)

So, obviously, buying a sphygmomanometer was not money wasted, because

we are sure using it now.......

Maureen (wife of Jim: UC '84; PSC '96, w/elevated

LFTs dating back to '84; LRLTx # 36 on 12/7/01 at USC in Los Angeles, CA, donor

son doing well; post-tx incisional hernia surgical repair 1/03; multiple

post-tx skin cancer issues presenting 18 months out from tx, as well as

sporadic post-tx UC issues -- which means Jim's doctors demand dermatological

exams every 90 days as well as colonoscopy every 24 weeks for the rest of his

life); ecstatic empty nesters & delighted doters to grandsons Stryder &

Indiana... who get a wee sibling sometime around this Thanksgiving!)