Liver and Intestine Transplant Educators are trained to give the candidate specific information and train them on what to expect during their surgery. This allows the candidates to know what they are getting into before their surgery and what steps they should take to make sure that they are safe during and after their surgery.
During school age, a child can be very excited about having a new organ in their body. They love to show off the new organ to their friends and family members and show them how they feel like a different person. It is during this time that the medical community starts to realize that there is a need for liver and intestine transplants.
The children learn about the new organ that they have been given. Their families and friends are told how much better they will feel about the new organ that the child has received.
During school age, they also start to understand that there is a certain period of time where they need to be monitored. It is during this time that the appropriate care is needed to ensure the child stays healthy and their organs function properly.
After school age, the child can start to get to know about the organs. Some of them even start to look at themselves in the mirror and wish that they could have the other organs in their body.
Liver transplants are a pretty straight forward procedure. The donor has to be the younger or an older age with the same blood type as the recipient. Once the donor and recipient have been chosen, the medical professionals will divide the organs.
Children will be tested in order to determine which organs the recipient can use. The surgeon will then check each organ to see how well it will work with the other organs. If the organs cannot be used together, the children will need to be placed in the standby list.
Children will be separated from their parents and will be put into a waiting room. At this time, they will be informed of the names of the waiting lists and will be notified when they will be called to meet with the surgeon to discuss the wait for placement.
Parents are still at the waiting area to meet with the surgeon for the surgery and will stay at this area until they can leave. Families and friends will often join the family for a time before they can leave as well. It is a time for the family to heal and prepare for the new life that is being given to them.
Once the surgeon has decided which organs the child can use, the wait for placement will continue. The surgery can take up to a week to complete. Children will have to stay at a hospital bed until the transplant surgery has been completed.
The operation will be covered by health insurance. The children will need to undergo a series of physicals to make sure that the organs are healthy. The patient will then have to go home for a week before returning to the hospital for more tests.
