[haroldabrown]

There are a lot of posts on this site of people who have had transplants.  Perhaps for obvious reasons fewer posts from those who haven’t, and perhaps the best picture would be painted by their surviving caretakers.  I had a transplant single lung transplant at 69, two years ago.  I didn’t think I would live more than a few months more, if that, at the time, and while I was not in pain, my world had narrowed and because a series of immense frustrations.  I was on oxygen full time, about to up the dose again, followed by tanks, and getting to the bathroom from me bed was a journey.  The transplant has so far been a huge success, and less painful and difficult than I thought it would be.  I was off oxygen immediately, out of the hospital in and walking 1/4 of a mile within 10 days.  Two years later I work full time (indoors and no heavy lifting, to be sure) socialize, just got back from two weeks in Europe where I walked over 5 miles a day, climbed 500 stairs one day, and feel happy and productive.  There are very few absolute NOs — no sushi. I take meds. I am cautious — no theater, no basketball games, masks in public indoor places, etc.. but far from a hermit.  And of course I take meds.  I have had one cold and one round of rejection, and neither presented any great difficulty, although of course they could have.  On a daily basis I pretty much feel as good as I thought I would have felt at this age without a lung condition.  Life is good, and we all know it doesn’t last forever.  Putting aside religious concerns, which don’t apply to me, if you qualify and if to you life is worth living I could not recommend it more highly.

[haroldabrown]

This really depends so much on your personal circumstances.  Do you love or hate your job?  How much do you need the money?  How strenuous is it?  How stressful?  Etc.  In my case my disease progressed and within about 4 years I was on the list for a transplant.  I am a lawyer, so indoor work and no heavy lifting; and I am pretty stress free in a stressful profession.  I was 69 when I was on the list.  PF continually narrowed my world, until I was on Oxygen 24/7 (although I could do without it for a short zoom) and could barely walk across a room, but I kept working.  I was working when I got the call from the hospital to report for the transplant.  I enjoy my work and found that as the world got smaller, it was the one thing I could do that I could feel good about.  None of my clients and very few of the people I dealt with knew I was ill.  This was (fortunately?) during Covid so I didn’t have to be anywhere in person.  I made plans to cut back after the transplant, but I quickly trashed them and started working again from the hospital. It has been a year and half. I work slightly less hard than I did before,  and I make sure to walk or exercise every day; but I plan to keep on working, even though I am fortunate enough to have the money to retire.  I don’t recommend this for everyone.  I write only to say this route is possible.

[haroldabrown]

Duke is supposed to be very good.

I had a unilateral lung transplant August 31.  The process of getting on the list involved a lot of tests, but none were too painful.  Just a lot and a nuisance, while (in my case) my health continued to deteriorate.  Fortunately I live nearby the hospital — Cedars-Sinai in LA.

Recovery was much better than I had dreamed.  As soon as I came to I could breath room air.  I was in the hospital for two weeks, and by the time I got home could walk 100 yards or more, and breathe and talk normally.  I still coughed (and still do).  The cough was painful then, but no longer is.  Just annoying.  I have walked as many as 8 miles in a day, and ridden my bike over 10 miles regularly.  I exercise and take the PT seriously, but was back at work — a desk job and virtually at that — almost immediately after I returned home from the hospital.

Not everyone’s path is so smooth, and there is no guarantee that tomorrow will be as good as today, but I am telling you this because I found the operation itself and the recovery much easier and faster than I imagined or any of the doctors told me.  No doubt a bilateral transplant will be more difficult, but even still, in my case at least, there was more life more quickly after the transplant than I imagined.

Keep the faith.

 

[haroldabrown]

Hi,

I am a 69 year old man.  I had a single lung transplant August 31.  So far I am very glad I did.

I had had PF for who knows how long, but was fading fast, over a 6 months period last year.  The Doctors told me that a transplant was my only alternative, and that I should view it more that it would improve my quality of life than extend it, although it seemed to me that I didn’t have that much longer to live.  The process of getting on the list took about two months of repeated tests, which were generally a nuisance but not painful.  The most intrusive were a liver biopsy and and an angiogram.

I was in the hospital two weeks.  As soon as I came to I could breathe room oxygen.  The aftermath was not as painful as I expected. My hip replacement years ago was much worse.  Once I came to, I used no narcotics.  The most annoying were the tubes, and they came out in about a week.  By the time I went home I could walk a hundred yards or so, breath room air, and felt pretty normal.  I have been gaining strength ever since.  I went to physical therapy and exercise regularly — walking at a pace, riding my bike, outdoors or indoors, and stretching.  I have walked as much as 8 miles in a day, up or down 150 or more stairs, and over terrain, so I don’t view myself as an invalid.  I was back to work — a desk job, virtually — almost immediately after I returned home, and am full time.   I still have a cough, although more mild than before.  The doctors say it is from the bad lung and may or not disappear.  I always have the risk of rejection, but so far have had no complications or side effects.  Life is more or less back to normal, although I have remained secluded because of Covid.

I don’t usually chime in on line (to anything) but the tone of the responses to this post has been so apprehensive that I thought someone who has already gone through the operation should respond.  There are many of us.  So far my experience has been fantastic, but I know others have had more problems.  Even still considering the alternative, I give it two thumbs up.

Good luck all around.

Harold.