i have been on the transplant list for about 7 months. at 2:45ish this afternoon (sunday), i got a call from st lukes hospital (kansas city mo). they had a matching heart for me but the donor was a recent IV drug abuser. they gave me the option of taking it or rejecting it. i opted to pass on this one. even though the donor passed an hiv test today, there was still a chance of taking the heart and then in a month or two or more, testing positive for hiv. after transplant hiv would grow fast since the immune system is forever supressed by the transplant medicines. my cardiologist said i made the same decision she would have ..... but now i know how close i actually am to getting a heart. i feel like my brain is in a new gear now. i just wanna get it and get back to playin with my buicks.
Yuk, the Heart Insitute at St. Lukes is one of the best. They did my father in-law's heart transplant a few years ago. Make sure you do what they tell you afterwards (rehab, physical therapy, diet, etc.)!! He hasn't done the best job he could have with the gift he's been given. He definitely gained another chance, but hasn't been as agressive as he should be with the work required afterwards to take full advantage of the new life. You made the right decision and the day will be here before you know it. Jeff
That's a tough choice in a tough situation, I really hope everything works out. Be strong and you'll be back in the game soon. :3gears:
i still go to work everyday. it aint easy but it has kept me in pretty good shape. im only 45 years old and never smoked, drank OR done an illegal drug and that helps too. a transplant soon would let me hit the rehab hard while the weather is still nice. that is what im hopin' for. i wear a pump that pumps a milrinone IV directly to heart 24 hours a day. its battery operated and stays in a fanny-pack strapped to me. last week i had to get a fiberglass shower out of my house. it wouldnt fit through any doors (it was brought in before windows were installed). so i grabbed my skilsaw and started sawing it in pieces and in the process, the hose from my fanny-pack to my body fell into the saw. OOOOOOPS!! good thing i have extra supplies around. thanks for all the good thoughts.
Hope all goes well. Sorry to hear about the problems. I was back in the hospital this week with more heart problems, and sitting on the sideline now watching my son work on the new T-type. I am glad to see that you are getting close to a new one. Let us all know how it is going for you. Prayers from us.
i talked with one of my cardiologists a couple days ago and she said only one person was offered the heart BEFORE me so that gives me a better indication of where i stand on the list. Mark, sorry to hear you battling heart stuff too. if there are any questions or opinions on some of the precesses, medicines, and treatments that i can help with, lemme know either in this post or PM me.
Thanks. Mine is not as serious as yours I don't think. It just won't beat right, and I loose oxygen flow. They are trying medication to eliminate the skipped beats. Prayers still for you. Good luck.
ANY heart problem is a serious one! I have an occasional skip but it's not bad enough to cause a problem. My biggest issue was with mild hypertension from sleep apnea. That's ok since I started wearing a CPAP back in 2000 but it's always in the back of my mind. Good luck guys!
