What are the stages of transplantation that you refer to?
Your personal interaction with transplantation is the main focus of this book. How can organ transplant affect you as a person? Do you have any potential to influence your outcome after transplantation? These are the questions that we address. But it is important to be aware that at different times, the demands made on you by transplantation can differ widely. We refer to these distinctly different times as the stages of transplant.
The application stage extends from the time that you first consider transplant to the time that you sign on to a waiting list for surgery. Included in this stage is an extensive assessment of your health. Your own doctors, the transplant team, or both may undertake this assessment. The waiting stage spans the time that you are accepted to a waiting list until you undergo surgery. After you awake from surgery, there is a time of recovery in the hospital. This is the recovery stage. The stage of rehabilitation and adaptation begins with discharge from the hospital and we believe, continues for the remainder of your life. Each of these four stages holds unique challenges and demands for you and those working with you.