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Just Want to Talk | Last Active: Oct 6, 2019 | Replies (6)
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Replies to "GM JK thanks for replying. I think you reply to my posts more than anyone. I..."
@stuckonu The ratings I quote are from US News and World Reports, which I think are generally considered to be the most accurate and reliable. I had my liver transplant at MGH and go there for almost all of my other medical needs and have not been disappointed, which I have been with local medical care. I loved my gastroenterologist there but he is now in NYC at Columbia so I even considered going there since my daughter lives in the middle of Manhattan and I could stay with her. I will travel to get what I consider to be the best medical care possible. Had MGH not come through with a transplant when they did I was ready to head to Mayo since they said they would accept the tests from MGH and they felt they could get me a transplant sooner.
Yes, transplant recipients are supposed to be on immunosuppressants forever. It is a precaution but more often than not a very necessary precaution. Occasionally people stop taking them because they can’t afford them and in some cases have been fine, but that’s a huge gamble, one that I would never take. Our insurance pays for the drugs, thankfully, but if not I think we would sell our home and downsize to have the money to pay for them. Interestingly, I have read that livers are the least apt organ to be rejected. My body and my youthful liver (it’s 37 years old) seem so far to be very happy together. Immunosuppressants are life-savers but can be a real nuisance. There is research being done to take some tissue from a person who will be getting a transplant and use that to somehow create a natural immunity, eliminating the need for immunosuppressants.
JK