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Living Donor

Posted by tjdog @tjdog, Sep 6, 2018

I am on the kidney waiting list. Using social media, we found a potential living donor. She is blood type O+ and I am B-. For transplant purposes, I think that's an acceptable match. She has mentioned my name as the recipient in her questionnaire. About a month ago, she submitted her medical records to the living donor team and talked to a social worker. Since then, both of us have heard nothing more from Mayo. I this normal? About how long does it take for the living donor team to decide if someone qualifies as a donor for a particular recipient? Thanks!

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mauraacro | @mauraacro | Sep 6, 2018

@tjdog a lot probably depends on scheduling but can also depend on your health. She can call the social worker and ask if there's any thing she can do while waiting. I was able to get routine doctor appointments like mammogram, colonoscopy, flu shot etc done while I was waiting for my full, physical evaluation,
I signed up (for someone I found on social media!) through Mayo Breeze Rochester site. A social worker called the next day to do a phone interview and it seems like they mailed me a lengthy application the next week. About 2 weeks after that, they sent a box of lab work to be completed by my regular doctor. The blood work was to test as a match. We did not match but she had no antibodies that would reject my kidney. A week later, they called to schedule appointments for my evaluation. It took a week to hear back from scheduling after I let them know my availability. I realized later it took so long to schedule because they had to fit 23 appointments for me into 2 days.
After the evaluation, my case was presented to the donor board and 9 long days later, I got the call to schedule the surgery.
I didn't know at the time but the recipient was going to her regular appointments and they were also checking her health for a potential transplant. If she had any infection or her numbers were off, they may have had to postpone my evaluation until she was healthy enough for surgery.
From beginning (sign up) to end, (surgery) it took 3 months but part of that was because she had some problems in November and then I wanted to wait until after Christmas for surgery.
I hope you find out soon, the waiting and wondering is hard.

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1 reply
tjdog | @tjdog | Sep 6, 2018
In reply to @mauraacro "@tjdog a lot probably depends on scheduling but can also depend on your health. She can..." + (show)
@mauraacro

@tjdog a lot probably depends on scheduling but can also depend on your health. She can call the social worker and ask if there's any thing she can do while waiting. I was able to get routine doctor appointments like mammogram, colonoscopy, flu shot etc done while I was waiting for my full, physical evaluation,
I signed up (for someone I found on social media!) through Mayo Breeze Rochester site. A social worker called the next day to do a phone interview and it seems like they mailed me a lengthy application the next week. About 2 weeks after that, they sent a box of lab work to be completed by my regular doctor. The blood work was to test as a match. We did not match but she had no antibodies that would reject my kidney. A week later, they called to schedule appointments for my evaluation. It took a week to hear back from scheduling after I let them know my availability. I realized later it took so long to schedule because they had to fit 23 appointments for me into 2 days.
After the evaluation, my case was presented to the donor board and 9 long days later, I got the call to schedule the surgery.
I didn't know at the time but the recipient was going to her regular appointments and they were also checking her health for a potential transplant. If she had any infection or her numbers were off, they may have had to postpone my evaluation until she was healthy enough for surgery.
From beginning (sign up) to end, (surgery) it took 3 months but part of that was because she had some problems in November and then I wanted to wait until after Christmas for surgery.
I hope you find out soon, the waiting and wondering is hard.

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Thank you for this. I’ve been in contact with my possible donor and we’re both very frustrated at how long this is taking. I’ll ask her to contact the social worker about the medical tests. I’ve already passed all of mine.

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jolinda | @jolinda | Sep 6, 2018

I know it can be very frustrating waiting for the process but I can assure you the transplant/evaluation teams want the very best for you and your donor. If something happens to a donor for any reason (medical issue, social or economic issues, etc.) the teams can not share that info with you. It is so frustrating waiting especially when you are sick but be patient and continue to seek potential donors as it sometimes can require dozens of individuals to find a qualified match.

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Kristin Eggebraaten | @keggebraaten | Sep 7, 2018

@tjdog - Welcome to Connect! I can check on your situation, but need to know some details, names, etc. Would you be willing to email us at transplant-rst@mayo.edu with your name and the donor's name? I also will need to know which Mayo Clinic you both contacted - Arizona, Florida or Minnesota. Once I have that info, I can check on your status. Feel free to send that email any time! Thanks! Kristin

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