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Comment by DebbieK on May 8, 2013 at 6:42pm

I have been eating all fresh fruits and vegetables and lettuces since I got out of the hospital. I have been cleaning them myself. I eat tomatoes, berries, a lot of potatoes, fresh raw spinach and make raw broccoli salad. I clean the fruits and veggies myself and have never had a problem. Don't know how I missed that.

  

Comment by Judith on October 15, 2012 at 10:51am

CMV lives within you and can't be detected until it flares.  I have had food poisoning 21 times and was deathly sick.  You must have a lot of luck riding with you and that is great, but I would never take that kind of chance with my new life.  I am 22 years out and have been so sick I thought I was going to die, so really follow my doctors orders.  Some people are better at taking chances than me!

Comment by Rachel on October 14, 2012 at 9:08pm

I'm  sorry to hear about  your cat. 

Comment by Laurel on October 14, 2012 at 8:21pm

I have an old indoor cat. She has been to the vet several times. I had her tested for that disease. She did not have it and I did not have it. She was 16 at the time. I clean her cat box about three or four times a day with no mask or gloves. She is 19 now.I will never give her away or board her. I eat at buffets, have traveled to Cambodia and Thailand and have taken other trips. I guess it is not my time to go. I have a liver transplant 3 years ago. I am sorry for your loss. She is my best friend.

Comment by Gary FTL on October 14, 2012 at 2:39pm

My tx doc (Dr. Baz at Shands) was adamant about avoiding cruises and cats.  At my last clinic visit I told him that we found ridiculously low Florida resident prices for one of the cruise lines from Port Canaveral and he said OK.  Just avoid the buffet and eat in the dining room when possible.

He had not softened with regard to cats.  He says not allowed.  Period.  I have seen that some tx centers do allow cats, but with the condition that someone else change the box.  We had to find a new home for our cat of 17 years, which was not easy.  No one in Florida would take her so my partner drove her back to Baltimore where we came from.  And then we found out later that the person who we thought would be good, and gave her to, got rid of her.  Don't know where or when -- he would not say, so we assumed something horrible happened.  Needless to say he is no longer a friend.  But I would say that knowing now what happened there and seeing that some tx centers allow cats, I would have been willing to take a chance.  I never changed the box anyway.  That whole experience was worse than my recovery from the surgery.

Sorry to go on too long,

Gary, Fort Lauderdale, Single Lung Tx April 2011, Shands@UF, Gainesville

Comment by Rachel on October 13, 2012 at 10:24pm

very helpful, thanks.  I'll have to ask on my next visit.

Comment by Jay Lackritz on October 13, 2012 at 1:43pm

Rachel, I asked my TX pulmo about CoQ10, and she said that it was a very good idea to start taking it. It is an OTC product and you do not need a prescription. The Mayo says that Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is produced by the human body and is necessary for the basic functioning of cells. CoQ10 levels decrease with age and are low in patients with some chronic diseases such as heart conditions, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. Some prescription drugs like statins also lower CoQ10 levels.

There are many reported benefits of taking CoQ10 such as increased cell energy, lower blood pressure, anti-oxident properties, reduce aging effects etc.

One of the main reasons I asked about it is because I take statins as part of my drug regimen, and have heard from many quarters about the need to replenish my CoQ10 levels.

Here's an ad from Dr. Mercola with some of the benefits:

http://products.mercola.com/coq10-ubiquinol/

Comment by Rachel on October 12, 2012 at 7:15pm

I'm a dlung tx, I take the calcium, mag, vit d, mvi.  Like Jay mentioned I also have some pre-osteoprosis becuz of steroids (can't think of the medical term for it).  Jay you mentioned CoQ10, they haven't prescribed that or mentioned it.  Is it by prescription or otc?    

Comment by Jay Lackritz on October 12, 2012 at 3:11pm

One of the reasons that TX Friends and Buddies is such a nice outlet for us. Yes, we are all very similar in the concerns about rejection and many of the drugs we take, yet very different in many treatments. With lungs, these are the only solid organ transplants that are exposed to the environment, so we tend to worry about some things that some others may not, such as fungus and mold, but I love learning about the issues with other organs.

And we similarly have to get all meds and supplements approved by our transplant pulmonologists as other transplantees do with their transplant team.

Comment by Suzanne on October 12, 2012 at 2:09pm

Jay, you are also like Laurel and I as your doctor recommended the pills you take. Those of us with liver transplants also have to worry about our kidneys for the same reason you do. I was just saying that I don't take things that my doctor doesn't specifically recommend. 

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