Blood Group And waiting time?

[Amanda From OZ]

wattle how long have you been on the list now. Its nearly 3 1/2 years for me!

[Wattle]

wattle how long have you been on the list now. Its nearly 3 1/2 years for me!

Two years on dialysis for me and thats when they start the clock. The first dialysis session. I have a long way to go.

[Chicken Little]

I am O+ and for a kidney it's a 7-8 year wait here.  It's the worst blood type.   I'm listed at UCSF and I'm going to LA next month to get evaluated for another program there. 
I'm doing the simultaneous kidney/pancreas which brings my wait time down to 1-3 years.     From what I've been told, it's the pancreas that is more likely to fail, and it's harder on your body to do them separately. 

I guess we all get different stories.   

[okarol]

Hey Chick,
If it were me I would get evaluated in the San Diego area - the wait is 3 - 5 years. We used Scripps Green Hospital and they were wonderful. I believe livecam had a good experience at UCSD. The LA area will not benefit you as the wait is worse that SF. Good luck!

[Wattle]

Hey Chick,
If it were me I would get evaluated in the San Diego area - the wait is 3 - 5 years. We used Scripps Green Hospital and they were wonderful. I believe livecam had a good experience at UCSD. The LA area will not benefit you as the wait is worse that SF. Good luck!

Karol, Why is the wait different at different hospitals? Our waiting list is State wide, then if no one matches it goes National. It makes no difference what hospital you are with. The waiting list is run by the Red Cross.

[Chicken Little]

Hey Chick,
If it were me I would get evaluated in the San Diego area - the wait is 3 - 5 years. We used Scripps Green Hospital and they were wonderful. I believe livecam had a good experience at UCSD. The LA area will not benefit you as the wait is worse that SF. Good luck!

I'll check it out.  Thanks!

[okarol]

Hey Chick,
If it were me I would get evaluated in the San Diego area - the wait is 3 - 5 years. We used Scripps Green Hospital and they were wonderful. I believe livecam had a good experience at UCSD. The LA area will not benefit you as the wait is worse that SF. Good luck!

Karol, Why is the wait different at different hospitals? Our waiting list is State wide, then if no one matches it goes National. It makes no difference what hospital you are with. The waiting list is run by the Red Cross.

The hospital doesn't matter hear, it's the area. I just mention those 2 hospitals in the San Diego area because I am familiar with them (Good coordinators, experienced surgeons, etc.) Each state is divided up in to Organ Procurement Organizations. They try to keep the organs local to reduce the time from donor to recipient. If there is no local match it can go to another procurement area. Los Angeles has a large population and and longer wait time. In San Diego the population is less. There is also a large number of ederly patients in San Diego (retirement area) that are willing to take extended criteria organs, which takes them off the list sooner.

This is from http://www.organtransplants.org/understanding/unos/ and explains it better "

"Specifics of waiting list rules, which can be seen at OPTN website, vary by organ. General principles, such as a patient's medical urgency, blood, tissue and size match with the donor, time on the waiting list and proximity to the donor, guide the distribution of organs. Under certain circumstance, special allowances are made for children. For example, children under age 11 who need kidneys are automatically assigned additional points. Factors such as a patient's income, celebrity status, and race or ethnic background play no role in determining allocation of organs.

Contrary to popular belief, waiting on the list for a transplant is not like taking a number at the deli counter and waiting for your turn to order. In some respects, even the word "list" is misleading; the list is really a giant pool of patients. There is no ranking or patient order until there is a donor, because each donor's blood type, size and genetic characteristics are different. Therefore, when a donor is entered into the national computer system, the patients that match that donor, and therefore the "list," is different each time.

The other major guiding principal in organ allocation is: local patients first. The country is divided into 11 geographic regions, each served by a federally-designated organ procurement organization (OPO), which is responsible for coordinating all organ donations. With the exception of perfectly matched kidneys and the most urgent liver patients, first priority goes to patients at transplant hospitals located in the region served by the OPO. Next in priority are patients in areas served by nearby OPOs; and finally, only if no patients in these communities can use the organ, it is offered to patients elsewhere in the U.S.

Contrary to the image of organs always crisscrossing the country, 80 percent of all organs are donated and used in the same geographic area."

[Wattle]

Thanks Karol. I understand now. I was assuming San Diego would be in the same "area" as LA. But the states are divided smaller again.

[paris]

In my area, the two hospitals I am listed at have very different statistics. One says 6-8 years for kidney and the other says 2-3 years. It does pay to look into other hospitals near you.

[Romona]

I am glad people are recommending multiple lists. Most people are not aware that they can do that. I am from Pennsylvania. I met a family that drove across country in an RV to be on the transplant waiting list here. They were from California. They were told Fla and PA had the shortest lists.

[KT0930]

but romona, once they get the call they have to be able to get to the hospital within three hours. How can they do that from California to Pennsylvania??

I'm A and was told the average wait for my blood type would be 1.5 years. However, with my PRA, my own wait will be much longer (5-7 perhaps?). Been only six months so far.

[Romona]

   Hello!                 I should have explained it alittle better. They actually moved. The man wasn't cleared by doctors to fly so they drove cross country to move here. I think his story is incredible. They sold everything they owned. Not everyone can do this. I really admire what they did. I don't think I would have had the courage to do that.

[KT0930]

Wow, that is amazing! I wouldn't have been able to do that, either!