Lung transplant
Has anyone currently or previously undergone a lung transplant? Feedback would be appreciated.
Hi
. A friend's son had his third double-lung transplant for cystic fibrosis a few years ago. He ran a marathon a year or so after. He was yonger than most who have COPD -- in his 40s -- but that was pretty amazing, I thought. Here is a wonderful article about the pros and cons of lung transplants: https://copd.net/clinical/lung-transplants. I hope this helps and that you get lots of feedback from others in the community who have been through it. Keep us posted, if you don't mind. We're here for you, whatever you decide. - Lori (Team Member)
Thanks for the information Lori.
I have been deemed eligible for a transplant at the age 78. I’m trying to balance my decision to move forward, based on surgical risk and survival rates, compared to longevity with supplemental oxygen. I’ll try to talk to someone in my age range, to get more perspective.
Thanks again
HarryHi Harry. How awesome that you have the opportunity to make that decision. It can be very difficult to get approval for a transplant after age 65. I'm glad you are not rushing into a decision. You are smart to weigh the pros and cons carefully before moving forward. - Lori (Team Member)
Hi Harry! I know of two people who were previously part of the site who had lung transplants: Jeff Collings and Kevin Davitt. Both have written about their experiences and as far as I know are doing well, though of course every experience is unique.
Here is a 4-part interview Kevin did with another transplant recipient. I'm linking you to the last part since it has all of them right at the top:
https://copd.net/living/lung-transplant-interview
To offer a counterpoint, our dear late member Carol chose not to have a transplant and wrote about her decision:
https://copd.net/living/lung-transplant-decision
If you want to take a look at our archives for articles about transplant, you can check it out here:
https://copd.net/search?s=transplant
I hope some of these resources are helpful! Feel free to share more with us as you feel comfortable -- we're here to support whatever you choose. All the best! -Melissa, team member
