Question for those of you who have transplanted

[kellyt]

Whether your transplant was scheduled or not, did you have a professional maid service come in a do an overhaul on your home so that when you returned it was bright, shiny and new?  I've already expressed that wish to my husband.  If I'm lucky enough to be able to schedule my transplant I'll schedule the service myself.  But should I get "the call", I want this done before I come home.  I might even be more excited about that than the transplant!  ha ha

Can anyone think of any cons to this?  Certain cleaning agents used by professionals, etc.  I've never had a professional maid service!






EDITED: Moved to transplant topics-kitkatz,moderator

[kitkatz]

I want one for my house. Try Merry Maids if they are in your area.

[Krisna]

I never had professional come in but hubby, my sister and my best friend cleaned before I came home.  I was only in the hospital the last time for 6 days.  I stayed with my dad for a while and my grandmother stayed there too and took care of me so John could work. 

[stauffenberg]

Perhaps I'm unusually hearty, but I never took many precautions against infection post-transplant and never had any problems with bacterial infections or viruses.  I did not have my house cleaned before returning after the transplant, and my two minature dachshunds, like all dachshunds, have never been properly house-trained, so the house was not exactly sterile.  Two weeks after the transplant I began teaching at a university where there had been an outbreak of viral menningitis, but nothing happened to me.  Even when I was home during the last Christmas break for three weeks and my wife had the worst cold of her life, I didn't catch it.  These experiences make me wonder whether the much touted danger to immunosuppressed patients from bacteria and viruses is as serious as it is made out to be.

[willieandwinnie]

When Len had his transplant in September, he was feeling so well one day, that I didn't make the 2 hour trip to hospital. My daughter, my ex-mother-in-law and I cleaned our house from top to bottom. Bleached both bathrooms and shampooed carpets and really cleaned master bedroom because it made me feel better to bring Len home to a clean house. I have also been told by trauma surgeon that what germs are in our home, Len has already been exposed to and should cause any problems. Just my 

[Romona]

Treat yourself. Live like the rich and famous. When you come home you'll feel better knowing that you've been pampered.

[kellyt]

Exactly Romona.  That's what I meant, I guess.  When I'm sick and I'm lust lying around doing nothing and my house is dirty I feel even more horrible.  Then I start to get angry because "we live like pigs!"      Everything is exaggerated when your sick.  I just want a nice clean house to come home to so that my husband doesn't have to do anything but put the dishes in the dishwasher, pick-up his dirty clothes and wash clothes.

[lola]

When Otto had his 1st transplant we were 22 our Apt was a a mess and he came home to a mess   when he gets the 2nd with 3 kids and a dog it still will probley be a mess but he never had problems. He also went back to work 2 weeks later and would have labs done 1st thing in the morning it was like nothing had changed and I'm praying things will go as well the 2nd time around Now if somebody wants to hire a maid service for us I'm not saying NO hehehe

[KT0930]

My in-laws have made the offer in the form of a Christmas present, to pay for a maid service. They did it for us when we went on vacation in September, and it was WONDERFUL to come home to a clean house. The maids were actually scheduled to come again on January 9, but that's the day I got the transplant, and we didn't want the maids in the house without someone there. (My husband is in law enforcement, so he's extra careful about that stuff).

A day or so before I got home from the hospital, my husband did go home and clean really well with all kinds of antibacterial and disinfectant. He asked his dad and step-mom to help, but they were more concerned with things like putting tablecloths on tables than really cleaning. Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right? Once it's a little warmer and I can sit outside while the maids are here, we'll probably have them come in and really scrub.

I don't think their cleansers are so bad, but I did read a book once about working in that industry ("Nickle and Dimed in America"), and a lot of times they don't really clean, they just wipe down. I would also be nervous about if any of the people coming in had any kind of cold or sniffle.

[livecam]

The thought of cleaning the house was probably one of the furthest things there could be from our minds at transplant time.  I was really hoping to get through the process alive with a functioning kidney.  My transplant was cadaveric and of course totally unplanned.  The call came on a typical Thursday with me at work and our daughter who was 8 at the time in school.  As soon as I found out the rush began to get home, get our bags packed, and figure out what to do with our daughter.  The transplant center was distant so during my days in the hospital and then at an on-campus family living faciility my wife made some trips home during which the house somehow got clean. 

[Romona]

Also I believe that women that have transplants recover faster with gifts of fine jewelry and new clothing. Also a new car helps tremendously. 

Unfortunately The only thing I got was a used mini van to make it to my appointments. I am not complaining. But if I would have got a BMW it would have made me recover much faster and parking in the hospital parking garage much easier. 

[livecam]

Also I believe that women that have transplants recover faster with gifts of fine jewelry and new clothing. Also a new car helps tremendously. 

I have heard of high maintenance women but really now..isn't a new lease on life enough? 

[Chicken Little]

The thought of cleaning the house was probably one of the furthest things there could be from our minds at transplant time.

I already have a long honey-do list made for when I go in.   Taking the dog to his sisters and getting the house professionally cleaned is on there.   I'm already packed as well.   I'm BORED, can you tell? 

[Krisna]

Also I believe that women that have transplants recover faster with gifts of fine jewelry and new clothing. Also a new car helps tremendously. 

Unfortunately The only thing I got was a used mini van to make it to my appointments. I am not complaining. But if I would have got a BMW it would have made me recover much faster and parking in the hospital parking garage much easier. 

 

I got jewelry, a clean house to come home to, meals prepared for me and someone else to drive me to and from appointments. The latter was because I wasn't allowed to drive for 8 wks. after my transplant.  I had staples in fro a LONG time because of all the scar tissue from previous surgeries.  It took a little longer for me to heal.

If I do ever decide and get approved for another my sister, Kelli, has her own house cleaning business and will probably be helping hubby again!  My grandma goes wherever she's needed, sometimes she moves there and other times she stays for however long she's needed. 

Having someone clean your home for you before you come home may not be medically necessary but it sure is nice to come home to a clean house!

[Romona]

Also I believe that women that have transplants recover faster with gifts of fine jewelry and new clothing. Also a new car helps tremendously.�

I have heard of high maintenance women but really now..isn't a new lease on life enough?�

Can't a girl dream? And really those parking spaces in the garage are way too small. Krisna even had a chauffer and you think I am high maintenance. 

[Krisna]

Also I believe that women that have transplants recover faster with gifts of fine jewelry and new clothing. Also a new car helps tremendously.�

I have heard of high maintenance women but really now..isn't a new lease on life enough?�

Can't a girl dream? And really those parking spaces in the garage are way too small. Krisna even had a chauffer and you think I am high maintenance. 

And a cook!  Don't forget the cook!   

[kitkatz]

Can you send your sister and her house cleaning service to me by UPS?

[Krisna]

Can you send your sister and her house cleaning service to me by UPS?

lol

It kind of sucks that she started that business 'cause now I'll probably have to pay her to clean mine!  And it was idea for her to start it in the first place. 

[mariannas]

Perhaps I'm unusually hearty, but I never took many precautions against infection post-transplant and never had any problems with bacterial infections or viruses.  I did not have my house cleaned before returning after the transplant, and my two minature dachshunds, like all dachshunds, have never been properly house-trained, so the house was not exactly sterile.  Two weeks after the transplant I began teaching at a university where there had been an outbreak of viral menningitis, but nothing happened to me.  Even when I was home during the last Christmas break for three weeks and my wife had the worst cold of her life, I didn't catch it.  These experiences make me wonder whether the much touted danger to immunosuppressed patients from bacteria and viruses is as serious as it is made out to be.

I'm in the same boat as you.  I've been immunosuppressed for about 22 years now and except for a few weird things (pneumonia, CMV, Shingles) I'm rarely actually sick.  I can't remember the last time I had the flu (ok...maybe my freshman year in college 7 years ago...) and I *might* get a common cold, but it only usually lasts a day or two.  I also have a dog and have almost always had at least one dog in the household.  Oh...and I also lived in a dorm for a couple of years in college.  It wasn't until recently with the PD catheter placement that I started getting paranoid about germs. 

As for maid services, we had one for 6 months or so for the fun of it.  We used the service based on a recommendation of a friend...it wasn't a widely available business like Merry Maids or Maid Brigade or whatever.

[vandie]

Also I believe that women that have transplants recover faster with gifts of fine jewelry and new clothing. Also a new car helps tremendously. 

Unfortunately The only thing I got was a used mini van to make it to my appointments. I am not complaining. But if I would have got a BMW it would have made me recover much faster and parking in the hospital parking garage much easier. 

Pressies can take the edge off of any situation, even if only temporarily.

[Romona]

Also I believe that women that have transplants recover faster with gifts of fine jewelry and new clothing. Also a new car helps tremendously.�

Unfortunately The only thing I got was a used mini van to make it to my appointments. I am not complaining. But if I would have got a BMW it would have made me recover much faster and parking in the hospital parking garage much easier.�

Pressies can take the edge off of any situation, even if only temporarily.

Exactly. 

[okarol]

When Jenna had her transplant I arranged to have her bedroom repainted and got new furniture to surprise her. During the 5 weeks away from home she and I stayed at a friends vacation home (2 hours away, near the transplant hospital) so my friend MaryAnn supervised the work and got it all done. It was great to bring her home to a new room. Also, while we were in La Jolla I had a maid service come in each week to clean the friends vacation home. It really took the pressure off me, so I mainly focused on Jenna's appointments, meals, meds and getting out to walk.

[tamara]

I was Allan and my housemaid frantically getting everything ready before the op. It's all the lil things that make it so much nicer when your recovering. I bought a heap of new sheets and doona covers, new towels, filled the cupboards galore so we wouldn't need for friends to be buying the essentials. I bought myself some nice hand creams and soaps, and also thanks to Wattle some beautiful body shop gear. I was planning on washing Woofa just before going in, but was being messed up by some of the immunosuppressants I started before the op. So Allan organised a Dog Wash to come to our home, just before I came home, so my Baby was beautifully cleaned when I got home. As for the maid afterwards when friends and family would drop in they would help where it was needed. As for cooking i was looking after that pretty much a couple of days from being home.

[KT0930]

Tamara, you reminded me...my mom arranged for Lucky to be boarded while I was in the hospital, and we had the groomer there bathe him for us. He would have needed it whether I had gotten the transplant or not!