Getting the call

When you get a call about a potential match, you will be asked to go to the hospital and wait. During this time, you will have several blood tests and a dose of anti-rejection medicine, and you may be given an anti-microbial soap with which to bathe. Meanwhile, several tests will be run on the donor and the organs themselves to guarantee viability. If, for whatever reason, the organ is not viable, this is known as a “dry run.”

You also may experience a dry run if you are called in as a back-up patient and the patient ahead of you is able to receive the lungs. If this happens, the hospital will send you home to wait for the next call. If the organ is viable and a good match for you, then the team of nurses, anesthesiologists and other hospital staff will prepare you for surgery. They will start an IV, give you consent forms to sign, and then take you to the operating room.

The very end of a patient’s time on the list before undergoing a transplant can be both a time of anticipation and excitement but also anxiety and fear. You may have time to reflect on what is about to happen, and you will be able to lay down the burden of being so sick.