Casey Jo's Lung Transplant Journey: Day 2

Day 2 of Casey Jo's Lung Transplant Journey at UPMC

 

Today, Casey Jo met up with her financial specialist, met with the transplant coordinator, one of the surgeons, pulmonary testing, and met with a nutritionist/dietitian.  

The financial analyst went over what her insurances would cover and what they would not.

Her transplant coordinator answered some questions Casey had:

Q: "Can Hemi come to the hospital and visit me?"

A: He can't come inside, but it can be arranged for Hemi to be brought to the hospital garden area and  then Casey could go out to see him.

Q: "What happens to my used CF lungs?"

A: They can be given to research if you consent to it.

Q: "How long will the whole transplant take?"

A: 4-6 hours

Q: "I've seen movies about people getting weird cravings or super powers from a donor organ after transplantation, have you ever hear of that?"

A: Never

She also went over more of the procedure before the Surgeon came in to talk to her.  She commented on how healthy Casey Jo seemed.  She said she wouldn't be surprised if she isn't a transplant candidate just yet because she may be "Too healthy" at this point.  They want her to get as much use out of her "native lungs" as possible before they actually transplant.  However, they want to do it while she is still semi-healthy so she can make a great recovery.  (Every lung transplant is different, people with CF can seem a little healthier than other transplant candidates, but their disease makes them just as much in need as others with different lung ailments) 

By the time the surgeon came in, everyone else had pretty much answered our questions. He spent the remaining time talking to Casey Jo about Pulmonary Rehab, and elaborated more on the procedure.

Next, she did 3 Pulmonary tests:

 

Pulmonary Function Test

 



PFTs: (Pulmonary Function Tests) Casey's PFT has been getting low. As in the high twenties. However, the last time she had one done in Cleveland, it was 33%. Today it was 34% Go Casey Jo!!!!

Diffusion Study

 



Diffusion Study:  (Lung Diffusion Testing) Usually the norm is around 80%, anyone below 50% needs oxygen.  Casey's is 47% (She knows she needs oxygen, but is stubborn and is waiting until last minute to get it because it's "not pretty to wear.")

Lung Volumes

It's a "chick" in a box! (Kudos for you if you actually got that! -SNL skit lol!)

 



Lung Volumes:  (Lung Volumes) The norm is 80% also, Anyone with an obstructive disease such as CF is usually higher. Casey's is 150

Blood gasses being drawn

 



In correlation with these tests, the doctor ordered blood gasses to drawn.  If you know anything about blood gasses, you know they hurt like a mother!!!! (The go for the artery, not the vein!) Unfortunately, the Respiratory Tech tried 2 times and was unsuccessful. Bless her heart, she felt bad about it and was really nice.

Casey Jo walking on the treadmill

 



In addition to those pulmonary tests, she also had to walk on a treadmill to see how low her oxygen gets when she walks.

That took up most of the day.  The remaining 15 minutes we sat with the nutritionist and talked about pre/post diet. A CF patient can NEVER eat enough! No matter how much Casey eats, she will never get fat! (Lucky!) Some things that she told us that really stuck out from the obvious were food poisoning, and  what she will NEVER be allowed to eat ever again post transplant.  She has to be super careful on where she eats after transplant.  If she were to get food poisoning, if could really be detrimental to her health.  Some foods she must never be allowed to eat after transplant are exotic fruits, grapefruit, and blood oranges.  There is something in the fruits that react with her anti-rejection drugs. (Which she will have to take everyday for the rest of her life.) 

That pretty much covered today!