Getting ready for a transplant.

This past summer, Matt's nephrologist said that it was time to begin the transplant process. We originally thought the transplant would be a few years from now, but it turns out that he is only about a year away from it.
We decided to go ahead with the dr's recommendation and do the transplant at Mass General. So we had our first appointment there on December 9th, 2009. It was a very overwhelming day. First, you have to go through an orientation where they educate you on the whole process. Information overload! Then, we met individually with the nephrologist, the surgeon, a transplant coordinator, a financial coordinator, a social worker, and a dietician.

They all gave a brief overview of how things work and what we need to be doing in the meantime. Everything was fine with the financial coordinator, because we have insurance to cover everything. But she needed to make us aware of all the out-of-pocket costs.
The social worker was there to help identify our support network and to talk about any possible stresses that could hinder Matt's condition (is she serious?! This whole experience is stressful!)
The transplant coordinator helps make the whole process run smoothly. They organize all your appointments and let you know what you need to do and when.
The dietician, surgeon, and nephrologist were all a little more eye opening. We went over all the numbers and how important it is for Matt to keep his weight down. The nephrologist said they won't even do the surgery until he loses 25-50 pounds. After the surgery, Matt will be on steroids for the rest of his life that could make him gain weight, so it is necessary for him to lose weight prior to the surgery.