Emotional Issues That May Come Up When You Receive An Organ Transplant

The  time has come.  You are going to receive an organ transplant.  You have waited and waited and finally you get that phone call.  Soon you will be going to the hospital, having surgery and hopefully having a better quality of life then you have had for the last few years.  You have been told what to expect.  You know the recovery time is different for every one.  You are ready, you want your life back

There are emotional issues that may come up for you and it might be helpful if you talk to someone.  There is possibilities of feeling grief about your body failing you and you being sick and then having to receive an organ transplant.

Then after waiting you have the surgery and you now have someone else’s organ in your body.  You can imagine that there may be different feelings that will pop up for you as you begin your recovery process.

What might come up for you?  One thing that may occur is feeling guilty.  You are alive and that someone who donated their organ is not alive and you are the recipient.  You might have questions about the donor.  Who were they, what kind of person are they, what happened to them?  All of these thoughts and feelings might just come surging up to the surface.

You feel different, you have someone else’s organ in your body and you are alive and they are not.  It might be helpful to talk to a licensed counselor and work through the many feelings and thoughts that are coming up for you. In order for you to heal you need to work on not only your physical body to ensure good health.  You might want to consider the emotions that may come up for you.