FIL just got his lungs....double lung transplant!

[thefed]

My FIL has been waiting for new lungs and has deteriorated greatly since he was put on the list. Well, today the call came and we've been at the hospital since. We are confident he is in good hands (Cleveland Clinic), but have not gotten the final word from the doctors...almost 12 hrs in....at 6 hrs they said the lungs were in and all they needed to do was put his chest back together.


Keep him in your prayers.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

My FIL has been waiting for new lungs and has deteriorated greatly since he was put on the list. Well, today the call came and we've been at the hospital since. We are confident he is in good hands (Cleveland Clinic), but have not gotten the final word from the doctors...almost 12 hrs in....at 6 hrs they said the lungs were in and all they needed to do was put his chest back together.


Keep him in your prayers.

Alright, best of luck.

 

[REWahoo]

Wow.

Here's wishing him all the best and a speedy, full recovery.

 

[Maurice]

Wow, I wish him the best. I know several people who have received bilateral lung transplants. (as unlikely as that sounds). I've heard that that first conscious breath when he wakes up is remarkable.

Can I ask what his diagnosis was? COPD? Pulmonary Fibrosis? Pulmonary Hypertension?

 

[Alan]

All the very best

 

[thefed]

Emphysema- smoked for 50 years, then continued once he was put on oxygen. What a shame.

I dont know how to handle this good news. One one hand, he is better off than he was before he got the donor lungs. BUT, the statistics arent too promising. I want the family to be happy and all, but the odds of him living a somewhat active happy life for much longer are slim.

10% die within 1 month. 20% within 1 year, 55% within 5 years. This is across the board for single and double....so I imagine double transplant recipients are a bit worse off.

I know we should be thankful, and we are. But now I'm worried the family is on too high of a high...and dont want them to be crushed if it turns for the worse.

 

[Maurice]

Yeah, chronic rejection is a big issue.

I used to think rejection was something that either happened right away or not at all. But having looked into it and seen the mortality data, it seems to be a pretty much continuous threat over time.

The other problem is that the symptoms one often experiences with chronic rejection are not unlike what he lived through with his old lungs - shortness of breath, reduced lung function, etc.

At any rate, the transplant will certainly buy him some years he wouldn't have had with the old set.

Again I wish your family well. Please keep us updated with his progress.