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Ruth is an example of perseverance and willpower for lung transplant she underwent almost a year ago. Today she tells us about her experience.
How to cope with a lung transplant in Cystic Fibrosis
Lung transplantation in Cystic Fibrosis is an extreme solution when the lungs no longer work and there are no adequate treatments to restore them.
The person with Cystic Fibrosis may be tempted to think that, since his lungs are going to be replaced, there is no need to prepare for this process. Nothing could be further from the truth. The work is, if possible, more important than the one carried out in the daily routine of the normal treatment.
Post-transplantation hardship
As Ruth tells us in this informative capsule, that two days after the operation, you have to deal with physiotherapy, which will include movements of a rib cage full of staples, legs that are not able to support the weight of the body, etc.
Therefore, all the muscle mass that may have been gained in the months prior to the transplant will help enormously to make the post-transplant period more bearable.
Mental strength as a key part of recovery
Lung transplantation is not a simple operation, so recovery will depend on many factors, both positive and negative.
The state of mind will be even more important when these negative aspects appear, because giving up cannot be an option when you have reached this situation.
Ruth knows very well that her recovery has not been as fast as she would have liked, but her mental strength allows her to keep fighting.
Physical exercise before and after transplantation
Ruth tells us how the sessions of re-education to the effort with our physical educator Joan Llobera has allowed her to arrive in better conditions to the transplant.
During the months leading up to the transplant, Ruth has worked on her muscles with strength and endurance exercises… even with oxygen connected.
The key is to do the exercises at the intensity that the lungs allow at any given moment. Now that she has her “new” lungs, she continues to work with Joan to regain the strength needed to perform those activities she could not do before the transplant.
#TogetheragainstCF
