Post Lung Transplant Nutrition and Rehabilitation

A potential patient for a lung transplant undergoes various tests to determine if her/his body can be a recipient of a transplant lung, but that is only half the battle— the other half is post lung transplant nutrition and rehabilitation. After surgery, a patient would more than likely spend three to four weeks in the hospital and then have regular follow-ups with a physician for some time. In between visits to the doctor and after the final one, the lung recipient should take steps in his post lung transplant nutrition and rehabilitation that help in maintaining good health. What you need to realize After all, a lung transplant is not a cure all and, in fact, is the last resort in cases of emphysema and pulmonary hypertension. This is because patients’ bodies reject organs all the time and lung transplant patients are one of the leading ones to do so. Necessary medicines that have side effects are prescribed as a part of a patient’s post lung transplant nutrition and rehabilitation but these drugs can actually lower a patient’s immune system, thus contributing to infections that lead to the high transplanted lung rejection rates. But there are tactics a patient can use to improve his chances of having a successful transplant.

• Aerobic exercise - A patient should make aerobic exercise an essential part of her/ his post lung transplant nutrition and rehabilitation because it is imperative that the lungs get as much oxygen flow as possible. This is so that the doctor can monitor whether or not the transplanted lungs have sufficient enough capabilities.
• Proper nutrition - A lung transplant patient has to maintain his health by remaining within the ideal body weight according to his height. This means that he has to stay disciplined and eat a strict diet.
• Hyberbaric oxygen therapy - This therapy consists of a patient inhaling unpolluted oxygen at a pressure greater than sea level. This technique helps to strengthen the body’s immune system by making up for areas where the blood flow is low.

Where you can find these therapies Along with excellent chiropractic care, holistic health care clinics like the one in Scottsdale, Arizona called Tikey Chiropractic offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy as well as intravenous vitamins along with glucose and cholesterol testing. All of these services can help during post lung transplant nutrition and rehabilitation to maintain a patient’s health at its optimal level. The period after a lung transplant is critical to the surgery’s success but as long as a patient takes control of his own health, success can be within her/his grasp.