Liver transplant - Let's support each other

Hello everyone,

'Thank you for letting me join the group. I am a 4 month liver transplant recipient . I'm searching for opinions and feedback on certain side effects. At this time I am having pain on my upper right side and my stomach area has a hard bloating effect which is uncomfortable and worrisome. If anyone has had similar symptoms, please reply. My next appointment for labs is this coming Monday and I also have an appointment with my liver team on Wednesday.

Thank you.

Hello - I'll answer the questions I can and hope it helps. Mayo AZ is in a safe affluent neighborhood. Mayo does offer some options to stay on campus or near by but you may want to look into an Air BnB or VRBO for lodging. There are plenty of lyft or uber options as well as meal and grocery delivery services. Depending on where he lives - it may not be the best option location wise because you have to be nearby to go to the hospital for a deceased donor (I forget - its like 4 hours or so). Quality wise it is ranked the best in AZ.

Now to what I should have started with - If your father insurance covers mayo transplant and hospital services. Double check with his insurance and see what options you'll have. Mayo may not be covered but an adequate hospital in his location may be. This link can help https://www.srtr.org/transplant-centers/?organ=liver looking into transplant centers - you may have to copy and paste.
Remember to double check for hospital and liver transplant services - I am personally going through this and actually have to get a second insurance that covers the transplant part.

Best of luck and I wish you and your father well.

Hi afternoonnaps. The area is very safe. From Mayo Clinic and its inexpensive housing at the Village at Mayo on Mayo Blvd near 56th st. to lots of apartments and residence hotels all on Mayo Blvd by Scottsdale Rd. Then on 56th strett Deer Valley has more apartment lodging and a massive outdoor shopping center that is cornered by Tatum ans Deer Valley. I lived in this rectangle of lidging and services from December (Residence Inn Desert View next to Mayo Clinic) and from end of January to the end of May at Montreux apartments at the corner of 56th and Deer Valley. I didn't take advantage of the inexpensive Mayo Village because I knew my cousin who was my primary caregiver would not like the living situation. Also I had two pups that I wanted by me for the 4 months until the transplant.
There are lots of restaurants and Whole Foods on Mayo Blvd and Albertson's grocery store on Deer Valley. Both parallel streets have shops and large movie theaters.
My "bubble" was Mayo to 56th to Deer Valley to Tatum and occasionally to Scottsdale Rd and Mayo Blvd. And all was very safe and convenient.
The Mayo social worker has a list of places you can stay. I recommend that if you want yo stay at the Village at Mayo thet you should get on their wait list now. The turn around is fast enough if you are in the queue.
Hope this helps, Barbara aka ajdo129

@afternoonnaps, Welcome to Connect. I want to connect you with some members who have had experience with transplant at Mayo Arizona. I had my transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN. Like your dad, I was an out of state patient. My husband and I stayed at the Transplant House in Rochester MN and it was the best choice we could have made.

I want to invite - @ajdo129, @klm3, @amyintucson, @emilyw, @danab, to this discussion because they are familiar with the Arizona Campus where they receiver their own transplants.
While waiting for someone to respond, here are some links that you might want to look at.

- Gabriel House of Care
https://gabrielhouseofcare.org/
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- Liver Transplant Program
https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/liver-transplant/sections/overview/ovc-20212010
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@afternoonnaps, If you have any questions related to the transplant process, let me know.

Hello! I'm trying to help my father decide if we want to select Mayo Clinic - AZ as his transplant waitlist location. We would appreciate any and all feedback regarding the recovery housing that the hospital provides patients and their caregiver, as he would be an out-of-state patient. Is the Arizona Transplant House the only option? Has anyone been put into a hotel? I'm trying to find out if they would provide a small kitchen situation and if the area is safe/pleasant (and any other pertinent info you'd like to add), since it would be approx 8 weeks recovery time. Thank you for any help you could provide!

@markslivertransplant, I don't remember whether or not I extended a 'Welcome to Connect' to you. I had my liver and kidney transplant at Mayo Rochester in 2009, and I can still remember the anxiety as waited to hear that I was eligible to receive a liver and kidney transplant.
I am thinking of you, and I hope that you will soon get the message that you are looking forward to. Please send an update, and know that I am here and available to help you with any questions you might have.

@jaxpilot, Welcome to Connect! And Congratulations on your approaching 1st year with your new liver and for the co0mpliments of "looking good' . As a recipient, I know that the "You looking good" compliments are accompanied by your feeling good! Isn't it great to be healthy again?

Will you be doing anything to celebrate/honor your donor? Here is where members have shared their ideas. I invite you to join us there!Happy "Transplantiversary"!
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/happy-transplantiversary/

Congrats markslivertransplant. I wish you the very best. ajdo129 aka Barbara

Mine took 7 days, 1 week plus 2 days the next week.

Then I had a million things to accomplish before it went before the Mayo Jax board. This whole process took close to 4 months. I almost got put on the list during ICU stay but got better and got deferred for counseling. I've completed everything and got a phone call this morning 6/26/23 that my file was going back to committee this Wednesday and likely will be approved.

@klm3 I don’t know about liver transplants. I had a pancreas transplant. I have also gone through pretransplant evaluation for kidney transplant at Mayo Transplant Center in Rochester, MN. The initial evaluation was outpatient and took about a week. It was 5 days full of appointments to check me out head to toe. It was impressively thorough. There were a bunch of staff / disciplines involved to address everything including insurance coverage. I received an itinerary before I went and help with lodging and transportation issues. In the years since then I’ve returned for a few days to review and update some of the tests to keep current. I suspect procedures are similar at the AZ and FL campuses.