Our Recent Re-Evaluation

It has been a while since the last blog post because my work has kept me busy for the past two months. Thankfully, my husband's condition has remained somewhat stable, so we haven't had to deal with much trouble.

My husband had his annual re-evaluation at Piedmont Hospital on 1/30. Since he becomes easily fatigued after walking for more than five minutes, we rented a wheelchair from a local health supply rental store for the appointment. (It was a wise decision because Piedmont Hospital is quite large.) We were slightly nervous because this was the first re-evaluation he had to undergo since getting on the waiting list. We knew that, based on the results, he could either remain on the list or be removed if there were significant health changes.

Unlike last year’s full health evaluation, this re-evaluation was scheduled for the afternoon. The re-evaluation included some paperwork (which included questions about how much we know about kidney transplants), an EKG, a blood test, an ultrasound, and a chest X-ray. There was also a consultation with the doctor and a session with the social worker. I think everything took roughly 4 hours in total, although most of that time was spent waiting between tests. Still, compared to last year’s full evaluation, the tests and consultations felt more streamlined and simpler.

Waiting for the doctor to come.

The test results appeared over the next few days on the Piedmont Patient Portal, but I couldn’t fully understand what they all meant due to the medical terminology. So, I waited to hear back from the transplant coordinator. About two weeks later (on 2/18), the transplant coordinator contacted me via email, saying that all the tests were acceptable and Piedmont would keep him "active" on the transplant list. She also mentioned that my husband needs to have an echocardiogram, so I contacted Piedmont’s cardiology department and scheduled an appointment for mid-April. We are very thankful that my husband can continue to stay active on the waiting list!