COVID-19 and Transplant Patients

@jeffdavis0617 Welcome to Mayo Connect. I hope you will find us to be a helpful group in navigating the world during and after this pandemic. There is a fairly large and active community of people living with transplants in the group https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/transplants/ who discuss many of the challenges they face. They have an ongoing discussion about precautions they are taking in this discussion: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-19-in-transplant-patients/
I hope you find the information helpful.
Sue

I am 13 1/2 years out on my transplant. Being immunosuppressed, am I going to have to wait until there is a vaccine before I am able to socialize again?

Hi @jeffdavis0617, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You'll notice that I moved your question to this existing discussion called "COVID-19 and Transplant Patients". I did this so that you can easily meet other kidney transplant recipients like @jolinda @rosemarya @dshaver @cmael and many more.

Jeff, you ask a great question - Being immunosuppressed, am I going to have to wait until there is a vaccine before I am able to socialize again?

Many in this forum are grappling with the same question and listening attentively to the evolving developments. The short answer is that no one knows yet. The latest news seems to indicate that people, especially those who are immunosuppressed, will have to keep up some form of social distancing until a vaccine is found. What socializing might we consider safe in a month from now? What safety measures are you still practising?

@jeffdavis0617
Hi Jeff!
Congrats on keeping you transplant healthy for so long, that's an awesome accomplishment! It's good to have you here where you can socialize freely with a 0% chance of contracting COVID-19. We are all asking the same questions and wondering when we can return to normal. As for me, the risk of going out hasn't outweighed the reward but I am getting antsy. How are you coping? Are you staying in? Working from home? Binge watching Netflix?

Welcome to Connect, @jeffdavis0617 You are asking a question that many of us wonder about. I am 3.5 years post-transplant and am being very cautious. I have not been out in weeks except for walks in my neighborhood, which is a very spread out neighborhood.
Only time will tell what the recommendations will be, particularly for those of us with risk factors, such as taking immunosuppressants.
We are all in this together, and dealing with it the best we can. It is a major inconvenience but I value my health over going out and doing things.
JK

https://kidney.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lZ9HMMzSR2a13Gi66S4hZw
If you are interested a interesting Webinar from Nation kidney foundation
Apr 23, 2020 03:30 PM
Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Webinar ID 960-0265-9872
Are you worried about COVID-19 as an immunosuppressed patient? Join us for a live Q&A webinar (also available as a Facebook Live) to hear a renowned transplant nephrologist, Dr. Anil Chandraker, talk about precautions and considerations for transplant recipients and living donors. Ask questions in real time as he discusses the latest updates on how COVID-19 is affecting transplant surgeries, including:

- Should you consider a kidney from someone who has had COVID-19?
- Can you be evaluated for a transplant if you've had COVID-19?
- Can transplant patients recover from COVID-19?

During this period of stay at home isolation, healthy at home, safe social distancing - whatever the terminology - I have learned a lot from what everyone who has shared here. I want to say "Thank You" to each and everyone who has participated in this discussion.

At this particular time, just when I was getting comfortable with all of the restrictions and limitations, I feel new anxiety and concern because of the push to 'Return to normal'. I expect that we can look forward to some advise from our transplant specialists as we move forward to the 'new normal'.
In the meantime -
How are you getting along so far? What are your plans for protection as your locale begins to ease the local restrictions?

We had to travel 3 days to get home to Minnesota this week, so now into 14 days of quarantine. Amazed at the lack of face masks and distancing we observed, so anxious that our own precautions were enough.
Our state is still stay-at-home for 17 more days. We''ll be watching - anticipate only seeing few people from safe distance into early summer. Our kids are adamant we stay away from stores due to lack of face masks, but our governor is working to change that - telling stores they must implement requirement to stay open - even for pickup or delivery. The hardest thing was seeing our kids and grandkids from the driveway without real hugs. And quite confusing/distressing for my little guys! Thankfully the weather cooperated and we were able to engage in safely-distanced games of chase, and their Auntie brought bubbles. Will be doing a "driveway picnic" this weekend with takeout food from a favorite gluten-free restaurant.
I just wish there was a safe way to get my hair cut and colored - already 2 months overdue due to early shutdown in my county in Texas doing early closure.
Sue

@rosemarya I am not a transplant patient but was my husband's caregiver when he had a kidney transplant, and I am also a kidney patient. The proposed reopening of different states, at different phases and speeds, has me concerned. We are both immunosuppressed. Not a good thing. He faces the possibility of travel for business from our retirement home, which is our only home, back to his job where he retires after 40 years there. I posed that he suggests a rental car to drive down the 800 miles each way rather than airplane trip. It remains to be seen how soon after his retirement next week they will need him to come back to work on design projects. We are seeing already a lessening of the face mask wearing, fewer people honoring social distancing and increased populations in stores and just around town in general. We can still isolate pretty good, and have no problem doing that. The cavalier attitude of many that are tired of being cooped up, or being told what to do, is frustrating to those of us who have to watch our health so close. I believe what used to be normal, will not be again.
Ginger

@rosemarya My state has a partial reopening on May 11, but overall not until the end of the month. I intend to change nothing. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled this month but intend to cancel it, it's just a check-up but really not something that can be via phone or video. My hair will have to suffer for a while longer. Beauty salons are being allowed to reopen but I do not intend to go for a while. My son and his wife are trying to figure out how they will visit this summer but I just do not see that happening even though they plan to drive. They would need to self-isolate for two weeks after arriving and there would go their vacation.
The thing I want most is to be able to do my own grocery shopping! We are using Instacart and Whole Foods delivery but it's just not the same as being able to choose your own produce and meat/fish.

@sueinmn Glad you have made it home, and in pretty good time too. By the time this is over I may have long, grey hair.

@gingerw Of course driving that distance will require staying overnight along the way I presume unless you and your husband are like my husband. We used to drive to visit our daughter in college in VA without staying anywhere but that was only about 550 miles.
Fortunately, around here most people are taking this very seriously, as are our relatives and friends.
JK