Transplant Talk

Hi friends! My last 3 month check-in at the University of Washington was July 19th. Everything has stayed about the same so instead of writing about repeated tests I'm going to share snippets of transplant (tx) information I think you'll find more interesting.

The UW has done 31 lung transplants in 2016. 3 were in July and ~4 so far in August. ~52 people are on their waiting list.

Lung transplant is a procedure...not a cure. It is not expected to extend life. The hope is to improve the quality of life remaining. In July of 2013 I was told I have a 25% chance of being alive in 3 years. It's time for some new statistics ;p

A letter from the UW dated July 27th provides the most recent survival results as reported by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). "The report includes 1-year survival of 85.61% at UWMC, which is within the expected range when compared with the national patient survival of 87.24%. The UWMC 3-year lung patient survival of 73.39% is above the national patient survival of 69.28%." More information is available at the website for the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) at www.unos.org.

The tx should take 8-10hrs. The surgical team will make a "clamshell" cut (from below one armpit, through sternum, to other armpit) for access. Post-tx I should be in the ICU for less than a week if all goes well. I will wake intubated with a ventilator breathing for me. I'll have ~6 chest tubes draining the lung area. I will be on immunosuppressant, antibacterial, and antifungal drugs to name a few. I'm expected to lose up to 33% muscle mass. They want me up and walking asap after surgery. I'll probably have severe hand tremors for a few weeks.

More complicated recoveries can take several weeks. After the ICU I'll be on the thoracic surgery floor for a few weeks(?). When stable enough I'll be released to live close to the UW for 3-6 months. Eventually they'll give us the thumbs up to go home.

I think the opening image reflects my morning thoughts right on the mark. Then I think of the people that will cross my path today, smile, and start moving...