The Lung Transplantation Handbook (Second Edition)

About the Book

This comprehensive, 270-page book, written by lung transplant recipient Karen A. Couture, covers the entire transplantation process from beginning to end for both lung and heart-lung transplants.

This book introduces the reader, in easy-to-understand language, to the complex process of getting on the transplant waiting list and how the list works; preparing for surgery and the surgery itself; financing the operation and the recovery afterward; and the complications of rejection and the medications. It also includes precautions a transplant recipient should take in order to live a long and healthy life; returning to work or school; future trends in transplantation; and writing to your donor family.

Scattered throughout this book are excerpts from the stories of pre-transplant patients, recipients and caregivers, to offer the unique perspective only a person going through the process could furnish.

This edition also provides a wealth of information in an extensive, up-to-date resource section; glossary; appendix of all lung transplant centers, including waiting time and the number of transplants performed; bibliography; and worksheets. This publication is a must-read for transplant candidates, recipients, family members, as well as social workers, and nurse transplant coordinators.

Click here to read about Joanne Schum's TAKING FLIGHT: INSPIRATIONAL STORIES IN LUNG TRANSPLANTATION

About the Author

Karen A. Couture is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Over the past 20 years, Ms. Couture has worked in the visual arts and publishing fields. She was diagnosed with a rare lung disease, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, for which she received a double-lung transplant at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida on January 21, 1996. Currently, she is a licensed massage therapist and lives in Davie, Florida.