Organ Transplants Support Group
An organ transplant is the transplantation of a whole or partial organ from one body to another (or from a donor site on the patient's own body), for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or failing organ with a working one from the donor site. Organ donors can be living, or deceased (previously referred to as cadaveric)... Types of transplants include:...
I will be going for a transplant assessment sometime within the next year and have no idea what to expect. I am not currently on oxygen and my lung capacity is stable at 50%. They have a new med that they want to try to see if some of the inflammation in my lungs will come down more, I don't have high hopes but it is worth trying. I know i am not at a critical state yet, I was just wondering what I might expect, if anyone here has been through it.
Thank you
Beth
Thank you
Beth
I went through a transplant assessment some 17 years ago for a different transplant than a lung... Mine was for a liver transplant, and they basically put me through a myriad of tests including all sorts of blood tests, biopsies, stress tests, cardio health tests, and asked me a battery of psychological questions...
They, the transplant team @ UPMC in Pittsburgh, PA then interviewed me to summarize if I was indeed a good candidate and the next thing I knew was that I was put on the list which was administered under some rather different set of UNOS transplant rules & regs than what is currently being used today...
One of the main differences was that they didn't use a MELD score like they do nowadays and instead, used a status 1 thru 4 system with status one being put highest on the transplant list.
Anywho, it sounds like you still have some lung capacity and still some hope in potentially avoiding a transplant provided that things go your way with these new meds they want you to try out!
I hope it works out for you, and if you need more questions answered, please don't be afraid to ask your coordinator because that what they're there for... If they cannot nawer them for you, the internet does have some very good medical help site that can possibly be of some assistance and some of may or may not be helpful, but please remember this, we're not healthcare professionals so take out advice with a grain of salt!
You can get it validated afterwards with the help of your healthcare providers.
Respectfully,
Henry
Welcome... I'm new to this site too. I had a kidney transplant about 4 years ago. I think it was way easier for me though, since my brother volunteered to donate and it was an organ that he could spare. My experience was still about what Hank described, with talking with the transplant team, going for needed tests, and waiting until the doctors were ready. Your case will be different too, as you will need to be placed on a wait list. I know the transplant team I worked with said you had to be at a certain level of illness (certain % of capacity left, etc.) before being placed on the list. As Hank said, the transplant team in your area is key to answering questions and it sounds like most teams are pretty responsive.
Keep up the hope. And write as often as you need to. That's what we're here for. The good news and the struggles too.
Kelly
Thank you