i do not know if this is the right place to be asking this sorry if it is not.

i lost my best mate to CF following a heart and lung transplant earlier this year, we met at the same ward my brother was on when he was very ill as a baby.
we have shared a lot together throughout the years. i am asking if any one can tell me how she could have died, because no one has ever told me how. it happend very fast after the operation.was it to do with the transplant or was she just to poorly i do not understand tranplants well. I dont have a network of people i can trust to speak to and my mates mother who i was very close to is in a hosptial herself (longterm). i am very scared as my baby bother ( 5yrs) has cf and am scared for him also.

I am so sorry for your loss. You are dealing with quite a bit right now and not having the answers you seek causes increased tension. I wish I had the answers for you, but unfortunately without knowing the details of the transplant it is very hard to say.

Just speaking from the fact it was a transplant there are many factors that could have contributed. There body could have "rejected" the new lung. This happens for many reasons on a cellular level. Unfortunately and fortunately our bodies fight against "foriegn" material in it. They do give medications to help supress this fight but sometimes it isn't enough or the medications cause additional problems. Because the meds decrease the body's ability to fight back they are not "new lung" specific. They decrease the person's overall immune system and infections can develop more easily.


There may have additional circumstances associated with her condition and/or surgery that could have contributed. It is very scary and I wish you had someone who knew more to talk to. In time you may find the answers you seek, in the mean time try not to worry yourself with the specifics. Surgeries always pose certain risks and sometimes things don't work out the way we had hoped.

CF is different for different people, it's hard to say how one person will react. People are living to older and older ages through the help of medicne and technology. Help your brother be compliant to what the doctors prescribe to him, routine chest PT, medicines, and treating infections before they become too severe will help. As he gets older it will become more difficult as his compliance will have more to do with his own self than what anyone tells him to do. You sound very caring and supportive, your brother is fortunate to have you in his family.

~ Best to you.