Transplant after care is just as important as the surgery..

Hey Guys,

Hope your all well?

So today's post is a serious one on the topic of - Transplant After care.

This is a topic which I think can sometimes be underestimated of its severity,this doesn't just go for transplant it also goes for other major surgeries.

After having any kind of major surgery life can be very daunting afterwards.

You begin wondering the best way to care for yourself out of hospital,how slowly to pace recovery and when to get back to 'normal' and you very often take a while to sit down and process what has actually happened to you - knowing this from personal experience.

Now were all aware that the hospitals give us amazing care while in hospital and always make sure we are comfortable and happy with the care we receive but what about after discharge from the hospital? Since you only see you surgeon a few times after surgery,what do you do next?

Having personally have struggled with weight loss and social anxiety after transplant number 3 I'm quite aware of how important after care is.

For example,in my situation the after care I received was from the dieticians to help me gain weight steadily and in a healthy way and then I also had to see a member of the 'mental health' team to ensure that I was okay after transplant and help me understand my anxiety.

I'm lucky enough to have been supported well by both of these teams.

The dieticians gave me a ng tube (feeding tube) and set a food diary in place to ensure I was having enough calories every day.

 And the mental health team continued to make me understand that the anxious feelings I was getting in social situations was only natural since I'd spent close on 3 of my teenage years in hospital.

This support ensured that not only was the donor organ in good health and doing well,but so was I.

This then brings me to introduce you all to a charity I believe is so so important and needs continuous support.

For this I would send you to http://www.lookbeyondtheheart.com/.

This website is there to give transplant after care advice to patients from an amazing woman,

Nicola Langlands.

In 1989 Nicola received a Heart and Lung transplant which she claims to have been ' a hard but challenging physically ,mentally and spiritual journey .

This then made Nicola start Look beyond the heart to try and promote awareness of transplant after care in hospitals and to build a support group for transplant patients.

Nicola also started up 'Give with Love and Receive with Care' with her daughter Megan.

This is a campaign in which they talk to and teach young children about transplant with the use of transplant recipients and there siblings as those of us affected are all aware it isn't just the patient who is challenged by these kind of experiences.

I would ask you all so kindly to go and look at http://www.lookbeyondtheheart.com/ as I can not explain enough how inspiring this lady and her story is and what she is now doing under the look beyond the heart website!

Thanks as always for reading this post,

and as ever if you have any comments at all be free to ask me!

I will be uploading a video about my transplant experiences very soon on YouTube.

But for now,

Stay Safe & Speak Soon

Kate

xoxo