by Tough Mom on Wed Apr 22, 2015 10:09 pm
I do recommend outpatient transplants when possible – it is so good for the patient to be at home. But being "less than an hour" away from the transplant center can still be quite far. It is every day at the transplant center for labs, infusions, transfusions, tests, etc., and the days can be long and rather tiring. Outside the transplant center, recovery requires a little exercise, good healthy mild food (yogurt, smoothies, Ensure), and a LOT of sleep.
I recommend that you should investigate if your insurance will reimburse for housing much closer. It is often easier to keep a small rental apartment unit clean as well (no kids, no pets, no bric-a-brac collecting dust ). I did a bit of a combo – 17 days at an apartment, then came home once my counts came back up. It was nice to be close to the hospital while I was at the lowest point, but SO good to get home as soon as possible.
If you do decide to stay at home the whole time, as others have said, the main concerns regarding infections are to get the home as clean as possible, especially with regards to carpets, kitchens, bathrooms, and pets. Diluted bleach is your friend – it is the indiscriminate killer of all viruses and bacteria. Use a vinegar and water spray on all fruits and veggies that the patient eats. Plan to wash their sheets often like a hospital does. Remove houseplants. Take a bunch of the masks from the transplant center. They are just standard surgical masks.
