It is not only the waiting time that brings psychosocial stress, which demands a lot of energy and effort from you and your relatives. In the further course of the transplantation process, phases can also occur again and again in which the experience of the disease changes and as a result you and your family can be exposed to increased psychological stress.
For this reason, the interdisciplinary treatment includes psychological care during the entire transplantation process. During the waiting phase, you and your relatives can contact our psychological staff at any time as part of the interdisciplinary treatment. They will help you cope with your fears and uncertainties, support you in coming to terms with the acceptance of the donor organ and in developing strategies for coping with your illness.
There is always the possibility of receiving support in crisis situations. This includes supportive talks during inpatient stays but also in the context of outpatient contacts in the form of individual talks or couple or family talks. We are also happy to refer you to special counselling and support services offered by outpatient counselling centres (also close to home), psychotherapists and self-help groups. It is also possible to work on psychological problems during an inpatient stay. The aim of this psychotherapeutic support is to develop strategies together with you for coping with current or ongoing problems in order to reduce additional avoidable stress and to help you to be able to use all your strength for your recovery, thus contributing to a successful treatment outcome.
If a transplantation is necessary, our support is also available to you after the operation during your stay in the intensive care unit. Particularly in the first few days after transplantation, unexpectedly severe disturbances of consciousness with mood swings are occasionally observed in some patients. These are called delirium.
The time after transplantation is associated on the one hand with the feeling of "having been saved" and on the other hand with the fear of losing the new organ. Thus, ambivalent moods can also occur in this early post-operative phase. In addition to excessive joy, there are feelings of dejection, fear, guilt, helplessness and hopelessness.
Furthermore, drug side effects can also lead to psychological changes (e.g. restlessness, tension, depressive mood), especially in the first period after the transplant. The next of kin also continue to be under a lot of stress in the time after the transplant. The uncertainty regarding the ability to cope with stress and the shaping of the future and the renewed change in family structures can lead to intra-family crises in which increased irritability, insecurity and depressive moods can occur.
For this reason, the psychological counselling and advice service will continue to be offered to you and your family members after the operation and during the follow-up examinations.
Dr. med. Katharina. Bednarz - Senior Physician
Specialist in Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics / Specialist in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
or Psychosomatic Consultation Service