Another chance at life

Damn, there is a lot of depressing info out there about lung transplants. Like did you know most patients suffer from several rounds of acute rejection? That's like short-term rejection that they treat with drugs. I guess sometimes you don't even know you're in rejection. I would have to have bronch tests done- that's where they stick a tube down your throat and biopsy part of your lung every few months to make sure there's nothing funky going on.

Did you know that the lungs are the only internal organ exposed to the outside air? That's why other organ transplants have a much better success rate. They aren't exposed to all of the crud in our environment.

Then there's chronic rejection. That's long-term rejection that eventually leads to death or perhaps a retransplant for those lucky enough. They have drugs to treat it, and some people have been in chronic rejection for over 7 years, some even longer!

Then there are the problems that stem from the medication. Prednisone causes diabetes and weight gain... hopefully only for the first few months after transplant while they decrease the prednisone levels. Yes, that involves giving myself insulin shots and avoiding sugar (I love me some sugar). Might as well have Andy come monitor me! He'd do a great job :-)

The anti-rejection medications also greatly increase the risk for skin cancer and renal failure. Gee... going on dialysis sounds like a hoot. Not. Several lung transplant recipients also end up needing kidney transplants as well.

I would not be able to garden for at least a year, since soil has lots of little nasties in it. I'd wear a mask if I ever got brave enough to pull a weed! I'm not supposed to get too close to my cats and someone else has to change the litter... forever. I should wear a mask when I go out in public for fear of catching a virus from sick people who don't cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough. I am not supposed to wash raw vegetables, as soil nasties can remain as well as certain types of fungus. Can't drink alcohol cuz it interacts horribly with the medications (but I'm finding out that some people still have a drink once in a while!).

Having a suppressed immune system is serious shit, people.

BUT, even with all of the complications and fear of rejection and the kidney and cancer problems, I am trying to see this as my way to "be normal" for as long as my new lungs will let me. I read on a message board that some guy is an 8 year survivor and hiked all over Asia! He's now in chronic rejection, but he's still going strong! There is a lady who is a 25 year survivor!! And another who is doing well (in chronic rejection also) at 15 years. Stories like that give me so much hope that I can make it too. Yeah, lots of people don't make it. But lots of people do! And I am hypervigilant about my body, so as long as I catch problems early I think I'll be okay.

And I have to see this as a new chance at life. A chance for me to be able to run again. A chance for me to have the energy to do multiple things in one day. A chance for me to outlive my stupid cats, b/c really, that's the important thing :-P A chance for me to spend more time with Jeff. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared out of my mind about this. But I was scared about PH and the central IV. It really was no big deal (it is... but very manageable). So I can conquer this bump in the road also!