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A lung transplant is a surgery to remove a person’s diseased lung and replace it with a healthy lung from a deceased donor.
Lung transplants are used for people who are likely to die from lung disease within 1 to 2 years. Their conditions are so severe that other treatments, such as medicines or breathing devices, no longer work.
If you are told that you need a lung transplant, whether you have been sick for only a short period of time or a long time, you may still find it hard to believe that this is happening to you. You may feel at a complete loss, and a feeling of despondency may come over you at the thought of a long drawn out course of treatment.
But just remember that having a lung transplant can offer you a second chance at life and hope for the future. Life will be different after your transplant. You will have to make a lifetime commitment to taking care of your new lungs. This is not as frightening as it sounds. If you follow the instructions laid down for you by your doctors and take all your medications, there is every chance that you will make a complete recovery. Getting back to work, resuming your old activities, and being able to do many more activities with your new lungs are things you can look forward to once the transplant is done.
You will be meeting many new people who are on the transplant team at your hospital and having many medical tests in the months to come. This section describes some of the things you can expect to happen while being evaluated, waiting on the transplant list, and after the surgery.
Related Links
Reasons For Transplant
Lung Transplant Evaluation, Allocation, Scoring & Matching
Waiting For An Organ Donor
Getting The Call
The Lung Transplant Operation & Post-Operative Stay
Living With New Lungs – Rejections & Infections
Things You MUST Know After a Lung Transplant
Clinic Visits & Studies