Kidney
Post transplant care and being away from home
April 27, 2026
in Kidney
As I am recovering from my kidney transplant ( 8 weeks now) It has been pretty interesting having a new organ but being away from home has been harder than i thought, feeling like a nomad. Ive been with family and I so appreciate them. i do look forward to getting home to my family and my bed. has anyone faced this before? what did you do?
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You probably can't wait to go home again.
You probably can't wait to go home again.
Transplant Patient
I was transplanted in August, home in November when I had my transplant so we spent a few months relocated. We ended up getting an apartment right across from the hospital, so we were able to make it a little more homey. I was in such rough shape post transplant that I honestly wasn't doing a whole lot, and by the time I felt "ready" to go home, it was only a few weeks away so I didn't have a ton of time to wait.
@AliEm14 thats good. so i was transplanted in February and its looking like ill be going home in either late may or early June. Glad you were able to get apartment to at least be in one place, but i have felt like a nomad hopping from one home to another all while trying to recover....but alas i digress, thanks for sharing
Recently I read/listened to a story where someone created a home for tx patients to live while recovering before they could move back home, providing a safe and stress free environment, and be near the hospital where the tx was performed. Considering the emotional and financial strains patients face, it seems such a simple and inexpensive solution, compared to short term rentals or hotel rooms.
Transplant Patient
The apartment complex we lived in post transplant was entirely medical! Not only was everything in it completely accessible, which made recovery a whole lot easier, it was subsidized by the hospital. It was an actual apartment building, so everyone had all their own space, and it was longer term (as opposed to something like a Ronald McDonald house) so you just did by month for however long you were going to be there.
It was primarily transplant recipients when I lived there. I only know because there was a whole herd of us that shuffled to the lab together every morning 😂
That is incredible. Of course, you have that in Canada!!!😖 Is there anything that isn't free? 😉
I heard horror stories about R McD houses.
When you say it is subsidized by the hospital, how does it work with insurance? Is it all run by the government in essence?
There is no reimbursement in the US for staying near the hospital, which is, of course, also a hospital requirement that patients can show up for weekly appointments, etc. Thankfully, I'm only about an hour from the hospital, and we have people who will drive us, but not everyone is in that position. Now, with the gas prices up, those trips got a lot more expensive. I did find a program that provides grants to living donors for loss of income and travel expenses, including hotels. My wife applied for it and was approved. The program is not advertised and is very limited. If you don't research, nobody will point it out. Our hospital social workers, who are supposed to know and advise us, weren't aware that the program existed.
If it were just 60 degrees warmer in Canada in the fall, winter, and spring...I just might apply for political asylum...
Transplant Patient
@AliEm14 , alas! Something's are available only in 🇨🇦, eh? 😉 Glad you had that option.
@Berriosa1234 - b/cos the hospital you're is in NYC, everything's super expensive anyway. Of course, you'd want to be close to the hospital, so it won't make sense to look for options in the neighboring boroughs (or even across the Hudson in parts of NJ that are not too far. Sucky situation, for sure. Best wishes finding something decent and reasonable. 🍀 🤞
Transplant Patient
haha I love the cold so it doesn't bother me. I will say not all areas in Canada are quite as frigid as where I am though.
Every province is different in terms of what you can access. So we have universal healthcare, which is set by the federal government and we "pay for it" with our taxes, and then money is given to each province who is technically in charge of healthcare for that province. So what each province does is different, but insurance isn't a thing that comes into play when accessing medical services.
Transplant is one of the things that is fully covered here, so I've never had to pay anything. Canada definitely isn't perfect, but that's one of the things I will always be incredibly grateful I had access to.