Hello you wonderful helpful people. I am an occasional lurker, but I have a question I haven't found specifically asked yet so bear with me.
I am (hopefully) donating a kidney to my husband. He has been on dialysis for two years. We have an amazing 14 month old baby boy. We don't have any good friends in Montana. Friendly acquaintances, but not good friends. Actually, now that I think of it it wouldn't matter if we did because the nearest center is Utah (400+ miles away), then Seattle (500+ miles away). So we were thinking about going to California (1000+ miles away) where we both have family to help us with the baby and driving to appointments and stuff.
So my question is - how often do you have to go to the transplant center, both pre and post transplant? Is there anyone else that travels a long way to theirs? How much would they let us do long distance?
I know that after the transplant he has to be in the area for a while. Our work is seasonal (summertime) so we were thinking that if we try to do the transplant at the beginning of the winter then we will be able to stay around for as long as they want us to without any worries. But after we go home how often (assuming everything is going fine, which I know is anyone's guess) will they want us to come back? Is it mostly labs that we can do long distance or do they actually have to see you? Who is the doctor that runs the meds? Someone associated with the center or his regular neph? I see people talking a lot about how their meds change post transplant, that's one of the reasons I am wondering if they are going to want to see him all the time. And if he has some problems does that mean we would have to drive right down there or can some problems be dealt with through his neph or the local hospital?
He is healthy other than his lack of kidney function and all that goes along with that.
Ok so that was about 20 questions but you get my gist. Are we nuts to do it so far away? Make that 21...
Thanks in advance
And Merry Christmas!