Prescreening for transplant

[gotmoose]

I currenly awaiting my prescreening with UW Madison Transplant center. Not sure what goes on in their prescreening. Anyone here have any info or ideas what might take place . I know I might have issues with their BMI index. Cant be over 35 BMI. I'm currenty 38 BMI. So just that might stop me.

[Joe]

Your BMI may be an issue, I think it's going to depend on how you do with the rest of the testing. They will draw more blood than you think you have so they can test it every way possible. My donors had to have CT scans, cardiac stress tests, colonoscopies for those over 50 and a 24 hour collection to check flow and GFR.

Thanks for offering to donate!

Good luck!

[Deanne]

I'm in Oregon, but it sounds like screening is pretty similar all over. It's intense. They take about 20 vials of blood and require you be up-to-date on "normal" annual physical stuff and be vaccinated against Hep A and B, tetanus, pneumonia. Mammogram & pap smear are required for women, eye exam, dental clearance, colonoscopy, heart stress tests, abdominal ultrasounds. My first abdominal ultrasound revealed polyps in my gallbladder, so they required removing my gallbladder. My second round of tests came back positive for TB - not that I *have* TB, just that it shows I've been exposed to it, so I have to take TB antibiotics for the next 9 months. Then you have to prove you'll have post-surgical care support, a financial plan in place (insurance coverage and/or a way to prove you can afford the post-transplant meds after medicare runs out), be able to prove medical compliance.

BMI is an issue for most centers. You might want to be proactive about it and be able to walk in and tell them what you're doing to change it. It could work in your benefit if you can tell them you're already working with your doctor to reduce your BMI and these are the specific steps you're taking (what diet/exercise changes are you making, etc).

Good luck! It's stressful and very time-consuming to get listed. Don't expect anyone to be nice to you or even treat you with much kindness. It's just a business for them. If you approach it in the same business-like fashion, you might be able to maintain your sanity through it.

[MooseMom]

gotmoose, I was transplanted at UW Madison in June of last year.  I had been on the list at Rush in Chicago for two years and had recently completed my annual testing when my neph declared he wanted me to list at Madison, too.  If you have specific questions, let me know and I'll do my best to answer. 

[cattlekid]

I was transplanted at UW Madison in April (my six month anniversary is tomorrow!) 

When I went for my transplant screening in 2012, I had already been through the wringer at Northwestern University here in Chicago.  So I already had almost all of the testing completed.  I just had to do the bloodwork (I believe it was a dozen vials if I remember correctly), plus meet with the transplant surgeon, transplant coordinator and social worker.  The other tests that I had done for Northwestern all transferred down.  Those were:  colonoscopy (I have a history of Ulcerative Colitis), mammogram, Pap smear, cardiac stress test, chest X-ray, EKG and Doppler echo, plus clearances from my cardiologist, pulmonologist and gastroenterologist.  I think that was all but I may be missing something.

I was mostly in fear of the "psych evaluation".  That ended up being a five minute conversation with the social worker who told me that since I did home hemo and had been doing it for six months at the time of my eval, in her eyes, there was no need for me to prove that I could take care of a transplant and follow the post-transplant care plan and medication regimen.

I have found everyone at UW to be very polite and caring and I had no issues with them.  Of course, I lived a few years up in Madison so I have a soft spot in my heart for all things Wisconsin.    

Like Moosemom said, if you have any specific questions, I'll do my best to answer them as well.

[gotmoose]

this is directed to cattlekid and moosemom. how long where you on the waiting list at UW Madison before you got your transplant? My mother had her transplant done there 25+ yrs ago and her experience was good to.

[cattlekid]

I transferred my waiting time from Northwestern to Madison when I got approval.  So overall, I was on the waiting list for 20 months before I received my transplant. I actually got my first call about a year after listing, but at that time, I was on hold due to a heart attack.  Right hand didn't seem to know what the left hand was doing at that point - my only complaint with UW at all.

this is directed to cattlekid and moosemom. how long where you on the waiting list at UW Madison before you got your transplant? My mother had her transplant done there 25+ yrs ago and her experience was good to.

[MooseMom]

I had been on Rush's waitlist for just short of 2 years before I got the word from Madison that I was medically cleared for transplant.  I then had to wait about a week or so before I was informed that I was also financially cleared.  Every center wants to make sure of 3 things, that you will survive the surgery, that you will be compliant with their post tx protocols (ie, that you will take your meds and go to your follow up appointments), and that they will be paid.  Astonishingly, after I was financially cleared, I got the call about 5 days later.

[cariad]

I currenly awaiting my prescreening with UW Madison Transplant center. Not sure what goes on in their prescreening. Anyone here have any info or ideas what might take place . I know I might have issues with their BMI index. Cant be over 35 BMI. I'm currenty 38 BMI. So just that might stop me.

38 BMI is so close to their cut-off it would be ridiculous for them to deny you based on that, but it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. Since it cannot be that much that they would require you to lose, perhaps you could manage it. If you want to list with a hospital that won't judge you by that idiotic metric, contact UIC. Here is a link with information: http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=26144.0 There is a member who actually did go on to contact them and got a transplant with a BMI that was higher than most centres would accept. From a convenience standpoint, I hope you can just get approval from Madison, but a backup plan is always a good idea.

I did not like UW Madison. I went there for post-transplant follow-up care and then had a transplant evaluation with them in 2004 when they were a bit too eager to operate on me. (My GFR was 30!) I continued to go to them for post-transplant care until one unforgivable incident in 2006 when I ditched them and never looked back. Had 4 more evals before my transplant at Northwestern in 2010.