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@blbird33

Hello1234, I did have anxiety and depression before which was untreated. The nephrologist said that somehow the surgery and anesthesia kicked me into a higher degree of anxiety and depression which was not medicated. I had to be hospitalized to get on meds, attend an outpatient program and after 4-5 months am still dealing with meds that need management. So, I am looking for a better psychiatrist that takes Medicare and has openings. I wondered if others in the year after transplant experienced these mental health issues. And how did you treat them of course with TC approval of meds? Take care, BB

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Replies to "Hello1234, I did have anxiety and depression before which was untreated. The nephrologist said that somehow..."

@blbird33 I am not a transplant patient, but I am an end stage renal disease patient, on daily dialysis. Over the course of time I have met many with transplants of some sort or another.

Here is my thinking. As we go through the disease process, we journey along in our mental and physical health, learning to navigate daily life. Sometime we are successful, and at other times, not so. Many of us live with mild issues of stress and anxiety that we may not recognize as just that. We just learn to deal with it. As our disease process becomes more pronounced, our world may narrow down, in scope of daily activities/interactions.

A transplant is a major change, an "upset" as it were to what we got used to. And now, things might be opened back up to us, avenues we thought might have been closed off. New opportunities, new challenges, new regimes with the medications, new responsibilities to keep ourselves healthy. Yep, it can be overwhelming. A major surgery, and new medications, all can play a role in how we approach our new life after that transplant.

Kudos to you for realizing you might need some assistance to get back on track mentally! I bet your transplant center has a social worker you can reach out to. They [your team] want you to be successful, also. I hope you will let us know what you discover, and the help you were able to get.
Ginger