Re: Living donor transplants - Waiting for the report

May 10, 2001

Sorry should have warned you that you need to subscribe (free)

to read the story.

As to the family not hanging around the surgical waiting room, I

don't find that surprising. The family was probably up long

before 7:30 when Risa would have been taken down to the OR to be

prepped. By 12:30 they hear everthing is good to go. At 7:30 pm

the report comes out that Risa's liver has been divided and it

was being hooked up to Gail. It is still going to be several

hours before visits to either Risa or Gail will be possible.

I don't know about you, but my idea of a pleasant day is not

waiting in a hospital waiting room. When my father had his heart

surgery, we checked into the surgical waiting room and said we'd

be back later - hold all messages. Mom and children (all over

50) had a leisurely breadfast and walked around town where we

could be away from the hospital setting. Went back to the

waiting area and had a very brief wait for the surgeons to come

out and report how well things had gone. It would still be a few

more hours before we could visit with him, he had to get the

anesthesia out of his system and be moved to ICU.

I suspect that Risa and Gail's family also left during that long

stretch between saying I love you Good luck You'll be fine and

their emergence in the ICU. Many centers have houses nearby for

the family, where you can have a room - not just an chair in a

waiting area - to call your own for a while. The staff of the

waiting area will relay messages to you, as long as you have a

number you can be reached at.

That is my perspective. When it is your turn you can deal with

the wait however is best for you.

Tim R

--- jterry05@... wrote:

> This was a very interesting story, but did anyone else think

> this part was strange...{After dinner, Teperman went up to the

> transplant unit on the 14th floor to tell the family the good

> news, but they were long gone.} Did the family get tired and

go

> home? Did I read it correctly? I can't imagine.

> ( 's mom who's happy to have him home after his

> first year at college!)

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