Transplants: Tips for Success with This Life-Long Process

How many times have you heard the call for organ donors? How many times have you been amazed by transplants "saving" the lives of some famous actor or musician? How often have you heard of an outstanding family member or friend giving up one of their organs to "save" the life of a loved one?

I can't count the stories I've heard or seen about these miraculous operations. Having spent the better part of my 9^th year of life recovering from open-heart surgery I am particularly interested in these types of operations. While I didn't need a heart transplant there was a lengthy recover just from the repair I had done. While life had been great for 27 years I was faced with repercussions last summer. Thankfully for me nothing serious and no further operations are needed at this time.

Today as I sit in front of the Discovery Channel watching a program called Surgery Saved My Lifea baby has his arteries and veins readjusted and a teenage girl has a second replacement valve put in. Yes, a second. Surprisingly while I have always heard stories about transplants saving lives I have never heard a story about how often transplants need to be re-done. In fact a transplant is only a temporary lifesaver.

I remember the shortness of breath and the building up of exercise until I could walk from the kitchen to the living room without being tired. Having to stay home from school for a month without any visitors for fear of infection was no picnic. Imagine having to do this every five years. Yes, per this program, every five to ten years that teenage girl has an open-heart surgery to look forward to. The valve in her chest, made from the sack surrounding a cows heart, will fail/clog, every five to ten years requiring her to have yet another replacement. At this point there are already issues with the amounts of scar tissue her body is forming and it's attachment to the most important vessels in her body. Imagine what it will be like when she is 30 and has had three more of these operations.

The next episode followed three kidney transplants. Kidney failure is possibly the most recognized reason for a transplant. Many siblings have been tested in hopes of saving each other from a life shortened by 50% with half of that remaining time spent in dialysis. The cold hard fact is kidney transplants last on average only 8 years (from a cadaveric donor). This is the average however, some can last up to 20 years. Most from living donors have a life expectancy of up to 15 years. Still if you think of this in the grand scheme of your life you are looking at a lot of medication and a lot of surgeries if you plan to make it to retirement. Two of the three patients featured passed away only months after the procedures.

Heart transplants need to be redone too. If you have one as a child, even if you take all of the prescribed drugs every day, even if you have received the heart of Lance Armstrong, you can expect to develop coronary artery disease as an adult and require another transplant.

While nothing will make the reality of a transplant any less devastating there are some things you can set up ahead of time to prepare for the changes and necessities that will need to be taken care of during the transition from old organ to new.

The first and most important thing is to find out what your insurance coverage is. Many hospitals have financial coordinators who can guide you through working with the insurance companies. Their experience will help you maximize your benefits and work out payments for items that are not covered.

It is important to have a caregiver who can dedicate their time to you for one to four months after a transplant. You will need someone with you 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Grocery shopping and help you with basics such as bathing, dressing, preparing meals, and getting around in general will be needed. Transportation to subsequent doctors visits and monitoring medications will be two major responsibilities for your caregiver.

In general proper eating and exercise are important to your everyday life. They are vitally important before and after the transplant. The more fit you are going into the surgery the more fit you will be coming out and the easier it will be to get back on your feet. Be sure to consult with your doctor about what you can do to get in the best physical condition you can possibly be in before the procedure. Many doctors work with nurse coordinators and dietitians to aid you in this process.

To maintain optimum health status at this time it is important to stay away from situations where germs are easily passed on. Avoid going to places or visiting with people who may have anything contagious. Even the common cold will comprise your immune system and affect your ability to handle the transplant and recovery. This is also important after the transplant, as your immune system will be suppressed with anti-rejection drugs. While family and friends will want to visit and show their support make it known that if they have even the slightest case of the sniffles it is better if they stay away.

Medicine is moving ahead by leaps and bounds every year and with each transplant and replacement they are learning more, improving, and gaining time between reoccurrences. In the long run no one is ever going to save your life they will only delay your death.