Angela is 35, works as a teacher, is married to Tim and has a beautiful little two year old girl, Rosie. Angela was diagnosed with CF when she was three.
At what age did you get your transplant?
I had my transplant in 2008 when I was 27. I was about the 25th person to have a lung transplant at Royal Perth at this time and I was about the 2nd or 3rd person with CF. My health was ok until I was in my early twenties and then my lung function dropped.
What sorts of things did they assess you for to get onto the waitlist for transplant?
They looked at how often I was in hospital, I had chest x-rays, lung function tests and they checked my kidney level function, and my weight. They were checking to see that I would be strong enough to survive the transplant operation.
What was the decision making process around getting a transplant?
I wasn’t devastated when the doctors told me I would need a transplant, I accepted it. It wasn’t always smooth, but I guess there wasn’t any other option. I assumed if I didn’t do it, I would die.
What happened when you were on the list for transplant? E.g. did you have to work really hard to go to physio, attend appointments etc.
When I was on the wait list I was still working as a relief teacher, between one to three days a week. My lung function was at about 30%. I look back now and wonder how on earth I did that! I still had my regular appointments with Charlies and went to appointments at Royal Perth, once a month. I did also start going to the gym at Royal Perth too.
Did you have to wait long when you were listed for transplant?
I was on the wait list for 10 months before I got the call.
What sorts of changes happened to your body after transplant?
Straight after my transplant my chest felt very heavy. It felt like I had a turtle shell on my back. It took ages for me to get used to the fact that I didn’t have to do physio anymore. It would get to 4 pm and I would think “I need to do my physio” and then realise with happiness that I didn’t have to do it anymore.
I can put on weight much more easily than before my transplant. I also find I have much more energy now. It feels like I was a totally different person before my transplant.
Some people report weird dreams or other strange experiences e.g. suddenly liking beer did anything like this happen to you?
No, I don’t believe in that. I think it is an interesting subject but I haven’t seen the evidence to support it.
There is some evidence that people experience some trauma after coming out of ICU after the transplant, do you remember anything about this?
The actual surgery took 13 hours and was difficult. My oxygen levels dropped and I was in ICU for five days. I was sleep induced for about 48 hours. I was out of the hospital after three and half weeks. I don’t feel like it was a trauma, going through the lung transplant though. I feel like it was an operation, compared with something like a car accident which is traumatic.
Where are you now in terms of your health and outlook on life?
I am just trying to maintain my health and look after my lungs as best I can. It is more important to me now that I also have a little girl who relies on me to look after her. I am also now more aware of things that are harmful to my health, particularly harmful thought processes. I am finding I put more effort into my mind, as how you feel mentally can have a huge impact on your physical health.
What are your future plans?
I would very much love to see my little girl grow up and maybe have a second child, or maybe not, it just depends.
What words of wisdom can you offer other people considering transplant?
I would recommend making sure you keep yourself occupied while you are on the waiting list, I think that is really important. It doesn’t have to be anything strenuous, it could be a knitting group or whatever, but just being part of something keeps your mind directed towards other things. Otherwise you can fixate on the transplant process too much.
Interview from our Transplant Positive Profiles book.