@caretakermom You may find out from your medical team that the heart surgery is not optimal right now because of your husband's kidney issues. It creates quite a catch-22, doesn't it? I also have a rare kidney disease, and am Stage 4. I cannot be transplanted due to that autoimmune disease that would attack a new kidney, and I am a cancer patient, too. I cannot tolerate a surgical procedure. UCLA, Cedars-Sinai, and Keck USC all have outstanding doctors, with dedicated cardiology centers. CTO is considered a highly technical procedure, and you want to be comfortable with your choice of medical professionals, whether there in LA or at Mayo.

There are many people who live well on dialysis, for many years. Some opt to not consider transplant, for their own reasons. Home hemodialysis, since it is done everyday, helps keep your body functioning closer to normal.

Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla/Torrey Pines is not affiliated with UC San Diego. My husband had his transplant at Scripps, driving down from San Gabriel Valley when the call came on October1, 2016. He had a deceased donor, who was 25 yrs younger than his 61 yrs at time of transplant. He was on dialysis for 5.5 years, after skating by with declining kidney function for 10 years before that. His kidney disease was due to high blood pressure. He has done remarkably well since then, and retired this year from full time work.
Ginger