How many calls did you get before the one that led to transplant?

[Tora66]

I'll be waiting four years on October 13 of this year. I'm just curious and would like to know how many "false alarms" folks have had before they got the call that sent them to the hospital for the actually surgery?

[iolaire]

You can read about my various calls here, that starts in 2015, I received my first call Nov 2013 and a few per year between 2013 and 2015.
http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=32523.0

I'd say 10+ calls, but I feel like my original hospital INOVA called me as an alternate almost too much.  (I transferred to GW about 4 months before my transplant as it is more convenient to my home by about 30-60 minutes. Both are about the same distance by how the crow flies.) I think I was about a year over the average wait time in the area at a month away from six years.

[theone]

I was on the list for 10 1/2 years as I live around SF which is a major problem.

So far, I got 1 false alarm. Traveled all the way up to UCSF, stayed for 1/2 day. 4 am in the morning, the doctor came in and said the kidney was no good. So, we drove home at 4:30am. It was a good dry run though.

[kristina]

Hello Tora, due to some health issues before, I have "only" been on the transplant waiting list for over 18 months and had no "direct" call yet, but at one time during my dialysis-session the nurses appeared very excited and were taking blood from me again and again ... Nothing was said of course, and no one told me anything about what it was all about, but from how it all appeared, I could guess, that I must have in direct "waiting-line" for "you know what"...
I am still waiting and hopefully with better luck next time and I wish you very good luck and all the best from Kristina.

[Tora66]

Thank you, iolaire, theone and Kristina for your responses. I wish everyone success and those of us whom are still waiting to receive one soon!