1. < Transplants

COVID-19 and Transplant Patients

Posted by jolinda @jolinda, Mar 14, 2020

As a kidney transplant recipient I have been extra vigilant/worried about protecting myself as COVID-19 spreads. Like most transplant patients I am used to washing my hands, carrying hand-sanitizer, avoiding sick people, getting flu shots, etc. The COVID-19 outbreak has caused me to take additional steps to try to remain safe but I am worried for my health. I would like to hear what you are doing to stay safe and how you are feeling.

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Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Mar 17, 2020
In reply to @estrada53 "I just called my store and they have designated new early hours for seniors starting tomorrow...." + (show)
@estrada53

I just called my store and they have designated new early hours for seniors starting tomorrow.

"Look for the helpers!"

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@estrada53 I just called our closest Winco [25 miles away]. They are now open 7AM to midnight, with no special hours for seniors/health compromised. Dang it ;((

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2 replies
cmael | @cmael | Mar 17, 2020
In reply to @gingerw "@estrada53 I just called our closest Winco [25 miles away]. They are now open 7AM to..." + (show)
@gingerw

@estrada53 I just called our closest Winco [25 miles away]. They are now open 7AM to midnight, with no special hours for seniors/health compromised. Dang it ;((

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Our one and only small town grocery store is reserving 6-7 am for seniors and immunosuppressed or the most vulnerable, when it’s been freshly sanitized. 👍🏻

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Mentor
Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor | @rosemarya | Mar 17, 2020
In reply to @dfenderso "Any transplant patients here who are also healthcare providers? As of now, I have 1 week..." + (show)
@dfenderso

Any transplant patients here who are also healthcare providers? As of now, I have 1 week off, when who knows. I'm working in a county where we have 8+ confirmed cases and up to 100 others under consideration. I work as a nurse practitioner in both a busy hospital and in a busy outpatient clinic. I am on a Cellcept/sirolimus/prednisone regimen. I know I am part of a high risk population, and likelihood of more severe symptoms in the immunocompromised is high. My employer told me to wear a mask and stay out of the hospital. A mask alone is not so reassuring to me, nor 100% evidence-based given so many unknowns. Our clinic currently has no policy in place for adequate screening of patients, and we have 100+ patient coming and going from our clinic daily. I feel like I am being pulled in two directions between self preservation and job preservation. As health care providers, we are trained to more or less "do and die." We are made to feel guilty if we make a selfish decision. But frankly, I'm currently scared to go to work and feel like I need to be selfish right now. Any input, thoughts, or words of reassurance?

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@dfenderso, I have always been at the receiving end of medical care and transplant. So I don't know what to suggest or have any experience that relates to your situation. Does your employer have any knowledge of what it means to be a transplant recipient on antirejection medications? Does he have any medical background that would make it easier to approach him?

I want to tag another member who is also a transplant recipient and is a practicing nurse. @annmariaa, I know that you are facing a similar question about seeing patients during this COVID-19 situation. What do you have to say to dfenderso about his situation?

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JK | @contentandwell | Mar 17, 2020
In reply to @gingerw "@contentandwell right now, my husband is 800 miles away from where I am. We are still..." + (show)
@gingerw

@contentandwell right now, my husband is 800 miles away from where I am. We are still living in two different households until he retires. He is a kidney transplant recipient. He is very aware of his increased vulnerability due to age and transplant. At the beginning, I was making comments and he didn't like that I was being such a helicopter wife. But now he has changed his tune and he is more careful about everything. Probably somebody other than me said something to him. As of this morning he is working from home rather than going into the manufacturing plant. But he is also increasing his hand washing and his interface with others has dropped to almost nothing. I think that in the end it is each person's responsibility to make the decision of how they will handle this epidemic.
Ginger

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@gingerw. It is each person’s decision bit I think it’s irresponsible to not follow the guidelines suggested. I don’t think quick trips to the store at quiet hours is out of line. He does and has now convinced my husband so my husband wants us to start getting our groceries delivered. The only place around here that does that is Whole Foods.
JK

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JK | @contentandwell | Mar 17, 2020
In reply to @jodeej "Maybe mention he should deactivate his Facebook, too. ;). I did and my stress went way..." + (show)
@jodeej

Maybe mention he should deactivate his Facebook, too. ;). I did and my stress went way down. Lol

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@jodeej if you are referring to my son, he has not been on Facebook for almost a year now! I’m the only one in the family who uses it at all, and I use it primarily for some special interest groups.
JK

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JK | @contentandwell | Mar 17, 2020
In reply to @gingerw "@estrada53 I just called our closest Winco [25 miles away]. They are now open 7AM to..." + (show)
@gingerw

@estrada53 I just called our closest Winco [25 miles away]. They are now open 7AM to midnight, with no special hours for seniors/health compromised. Dang it ;((

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@gingerw. If you go either early or very late it won’t be crowded. It depends on whether you’re an early bird or a night owl.
JK

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jolinda | @jolinda | Mar 17, 2020
In reply to @contentandwell "@jolinda the thing is though, I could not be snitty with my son, he just cares..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@jolinda the thing is though, I could not be snitty with my son, he just cares so much and worries about us. I know his advice is out of love. He is extremely conscious of our ages and that we have both have had serious issues. He is grateful that we are here and he would like us to be here for a long time. I quote Steven Wright to him -- "I'm going to live forever; so far, so good". 😉
JK

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@contentandwell
It sounds like your son loves you very much and is genuinely concerned for you. He may be worried about something bad happening to you and feels like he needs to be protective. His suggestions sound like they are being made with good intentions.

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amyintucson | @amyintucson | Mar 17, 2020
In reply to @contentandwell "Thanks for your response, @sueinmn I just looked up fresh produce and coronavirus and found a..." + (show)
@contentandwell

Thanks for your response, @sueinmn I just looked up fresh produce and coronavirus and found a number of websites that addressed it. I have sent them to him. He tends to really worry about my husband and me. He's a very caring son, but as you put it, he can be over the top. He was getting impatient with me on the phone when we discussed this.
We have a woman who comes in to clean every other week and he was upset that we let her in too. I was never close to her but he was concerned that she touched things.
Here are the websites I sent to him:

https://www.usda.gov/coronavirus
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2020/03/13/coronavirus-how-best-handle-food-protect-yourself/5046324002/
https://www.nbc-2.com/story/41872435/coronavirus-could-live-on-fruits-vegetables-at-the-grocery-store
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-concerns-is-it-time-to-change-the-way-shoppers-handle-produce-1.4850278
I hope they will alleviate his concerns.
JK

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I have a regular home cleaning set for next week and am dithering. She is a small business owner and has always been diligent both before and after my transplant. I'm holding off on decisions until Friday to see what has developed in my county.

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1 reply
jolinda | @jolinda | Mar 18, 2020
In reply to @amyintucson "I have a regular home cleaning set for next week and am dithering. She is a..." + (show)
@amyintucson

I have a regular home cleaning set for next week and am dithering. She is a small business owner and has always been diligent both before and after my transplant. I'm holding off on decisions until Friday to see what has developed in my county.

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@amyintucson
I'm on the fence with the same concern. My housekeeper is an independent business owner who comes in once a month for deep cleaning. I am contemplating offering to pay her for a few months but not having her clean. This solution would give her a much needed paycheck and allow me to reassess as COVID-19 is better understood. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Thoughts?

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4 replies
mayofeb2020 | @mayofeb2020 | Mar 18, 2020
In reply to @jolinda "@amyintucson I'm on the fence with the same concern. My housekeeper is an independent business owner..." + (show)
@jolinda

@amyintucson
I'm on the fence with the same concern. My housekeeper is an independent business owner who comes in once a month for deep cleaning. I am contemplating offering to pay her for a few months but not having her clean. This solution would give her a much needed paycheck and allow me to reassess as COVID-19 is better understood. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Thoughts?

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I think this is a good idea. It's very very considerate of you to pay her even though she won't be cleaning your house. I hope the other people who use her service would do the same.

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