atgre

I wish I'd seen this sooner! I received a kidney from my mom about 10 years ago in Richmond, so I understand some of what you're going through. On the other hand, there's really no comparing a heart and kidney.

1. How do you deal with telling people who don't know about your transplant? What are their reactions like?
2. Because of one of my medications, I haven't had anything with grapefruit in 10 years. Do you have any dietary restrictions due to your medications?
3. Since organ donation is such a personally important thing for you, how do you react (both internally and externally) to people who decide not to be donors?

I can't emphasize fully cooked meat enough. I managed to get salmonella within my first year and that might've been more miserable for me than the transplant experience. Everything else on that list seems very familiar.

My mother worked at DMV for a while and had to ask people if they wanted to be donors as part of the whole license thing. For her it was personal too, and while she had a perspective few others in her position had, some people's misconceptions about the donation process were too much to overcome. She also heard a lot of "I'm taking it all with me." My weirdest one was when my girlfriend was renewing her license and put herself down as undecided. We are no longer dating.

Best of luck and good health to you! Hopefully by the time you'd need a new heart there will be other equally or more effective options. I know I look forward to a day when the transplant list starts going down.