@jeanne5009 it is over-whelming when you walk in the door for the first time. Everyone there is so helpful and kind, that it really helps to settle your nerves. It's scary, but oddly enough, it just becomes your new normal over time.
JoDee

@2011panc This has me thinking about the possibility of qualified exchange housing akin to student exchange?

@beckyjohnson exchange housing would certainly open another avenue of assistance, however "qualified" might be difficult to determine. The one thing that I am most grateful for after the hospital was the ability to stay at GOL (Gift Of Life). The entire houses are set up for cleanliness, sanitization, privacy, personal interactions, peace, activities, calm, solitude, and companionship according to your desires. Exchange housing might have more difficulty providing those needs and/or options. For example, if I were staying in an "exchange" home I would become uncomfortable if I saw dishes left on the counter, crumbs or spills left on the counters, live plants in the home, cobwebs or dust in corners, cluttered areas in the house or soap scum in a shared bathroom. The need for extreme cleanliness following transplant is of utmost importance. Knowing that the placed I stayed practiced and demanded the utmost cleanliness and sterilization provided me with a great deal of comfort and peace. I am not sure I could find that level of peace and security in someone's home.

@2011panc Thank you for your reply. It certainly expanded my thoughts. I'm under the impression that transplant houses are for recipients & their caregivers. Are they a possible option for donors & their caregivers as well? It is surprising that live indoor houseplants are a no-no for you. It has been scientifically proven that houseplants serve as air filters for several indoor contaminates as well as contributing to clean oxygen. I'm definitly of fostering indoor container gardening. Your points are well recieved but I wonder if the level of sterilization needed is the same for both transplant participants? I'm experienced with "bad roomate" issues which are so distant in the past that I had forgotten them.

I haven't read everything to be honest, but as a donor, we don't have as many restrictions. Our bodies aren't trying to accept something foreign. I have no restrictions other than a 10 lb weight restriction until my incisions heal.
I don't know where you live @beckyjohnson . I'm just about twenty minutes north of the twin cities. My husband and I rented an airbnb in Rochester. I stayed there before surgery and then he stayed there until we left to go home. I didn't have to stay in town because we live close enough if I had needed to return. I saved all my receipts for non medical purchases dealing with the donating, as you can write it off for tax purposes.
I'd you are considering the Gift of Life house, you do need to tour ahead of time. Perhaps try doing that while you are having your three days of testing.
Im not really good about following all of these feeds. I've been considering writing a blog of my experience from start to now.... and then add as my journey continues. It's a good thing to our my energy in to while I'm healing. Then future donors can read about my experience to help them in theirs!!!

@beckyjohnson GOL required a tour before being able to stay at the houses, and availability of rooms is also a factor. I do remember one donor staying at the house with a caregiver, as well as her recipient and their caregiver. Obviously stays for donors are much shorter than for recipients.

I doubt that the level of sterilization is the same for donors as recipients, as the donors are not given immunosuppressants. The transplant clinic office had a long planter of live snake plants when I received my transplant 7+ years ago. The transplant wing of the hospital allows no live plants or cut flowers because of the possibility of germs coming in on them. It is very easy for fungus to form in the water of cut flowers and the plants do have dirt, which is impossible to sterilize. GOL, following the lead of the hospital, also does not allow flowers or plants inside however the grounds are beautiful. Within 3 years of my transplant the planter and plants had been removed from the transplant clinic as well. Additionally, flowers and plants were addressed during the pre-transplant training. I have kept only one houseplant and my husband has taken over maintenance for me. It is a peace lily, which is possibly the safest houseplant to have unless you have cats that like to munch on the leaves. They are toxic to cats and mine won't leave it alone so I have had to move it to an inaccessible pillar.

You idea of exchange housing might work quite well for donors and would certainly reduce expenses. It would be wonderful for you to spearhead such a program. Since a pancreas is a death donation, I have not spent much time thinking about live donors. Thank you for the reminder.

@2011panc What a great explanation - thank you for sharing. It is always uplifting for me when I get to learn another viewpoint even when I do not agree. My college English argument & persuasion gets credit for shaping this characteristic trait in me. Everything you mentioned resignates in such a humble yet profound logical manner saying I appreciate it just doesn't express the warmth I get from your post. Thanks again