Would love to answer some of the questions I got in the comments:
Tamara M- I read about lung transplant on the internet, but I was still doing fairly ok then, and thought that I was miles away from that, but at least I knew about it. My health really started getting bad all of a sudden in Jan/Feb 2006 when I started colonising Pseudomonas. In October of that year I asked my lung specialist in PE about lung transplant and if they even do it in South Africa? He said yes he knows they've started doing it at Milpark Hospital in Joburg. So we asked him to please find out more for us, as well as finding out as much as we could about it on the net. I got an appointment with the lung specialist at Milpark in Jan 2007 and they immediately did a work-up. I got listed roundabout at the end of May 2007. It is quite a new programme in SA, they only started a few years ago, which is why so many CF doctors around the country is not aware of it.. Yet. And I would like to change that. I'm only aware of one other succsesfull CF transplant, although I think we are the perfect candidates! I was also extremely lucky to get lungs in 8months time, as the waiting time can be LONG and I was a late referal! I should've been listed earlier. The CF people that DO get listed here often get listed TOO LATE!
As for the hygiene.. It's the same as anywhere else. I have to be extremely careful of germs. It's not like SA is 'dirtier' than other countries, lol! Except maybe for state hospitals! Hope that answers your question.
The American Brownie- it was BIGGER and CRUNCHIER than a normal brownie! Other than that I'm not sure why they call it 'American'. Don't know how brownies taste in the USA! Maybe one day I'll find out...
Tamara M- I read about lung transplant on the internet, but I was still doing fairly ok then, and thought that I was miles away from that, but at least I knew about it. My health really started getting bad all of a sudden in Jan/Feb 2006 when I started colonising Pseudomonas. In October of that year I asked my lung specialist in PE about lung transplant and if they even do it in South Africa? He said yes he knows they've started doing it at Milpark Hospital in Joburg. So we asked him to please find out more for us, as well as finding out as much as we could about it on the net. I got an appointment with the lung specialist at Milpark in Jan 2007 and they immediately did a work-up. I got listed roundabout at the end of May 2007. It is quite a new programme in SA, they only started a few years ago, which is why so many CF doctors around the country is not aware of it.. Yet. And I would like to change that. I'm only aware of one other succsesfull CF transplant, although I think we are the perfect candidates! I was also extremely lucky to get lungs in 8months time, as the waiting time can be LONG and I was a late referal! I should've been listed earlier. The CF people that DO get listed here often get listed TOO LATE!
As for the hygiene.. It's the same as anywhere else. I have to be extremely careful of germs. It's not like SA is 'dirtier' than other countries, lol! Except maybe for state hospitals! Hope that answers your question.
The American Brownie- it was BIGGER and CRUNCHIER than a normal brownie! Other than that I'm not sure why they call it 'American'. Don't know how brownies taste in the USA! Maybe one day I'll find out...