Infections in a transplant patient can be quite serious, even life-threatening. Good hand washing along with the following practices will help prevent infection.

Avoid Large Crowds

After lung transplant, avoid large crowds where people could carry contagious illnesses. While you don't have to be confined to your home, use common sense and intuition to avoid crowds that carry illness and germs.

Possible precautions to take:

• Eat out when restaurants are not crowded, for an early lunch or dinner.
• See a matinee movie instead of a night movie since matinees are often less crowded.
• Limit the number of people in your home. If you are staying in a small apartment after transplant, do not invite guests and family members to come see you right away. Avoid having a large number of house guests at any one time for at least two months after your transplant.
• Wear a mask if you fly on an airplane.
• Carry a mask and a bottle of hand sanitizer with you whenever you go out in public.

Practice Safety at Home

Light housekeeping will not harm you and is a very good way to get back into shape. It is important to observe the following safety precautions:

• Do not empty vacuum cleaner bags, change furnace filters, or clean very dusty areas such as a garage or attic.
• Do not lift more than five pounds for the first six weeks after your surgery.
• Avoid inhaling strong fumes from some cleaning products such as ammonia or bleach.
• Wear masks and gardening gloves if you work with plants and flowers, since many infectious organisms live in the soil.

Care for Pets Cautiously

If you have always enjoyed having a pet or pets in the house, there is no reason for that to change. However you should follow some guidelines to prevent infection:

• Keep your overall number of pets to a minimum. Just as having too many people in one house can be unhealthy, so can having too many pets.
• You should wear a mask and gloves when changing cat litter boxes, cleaning up after birds, or cleaning pets' ears. Better yet, get someone else to do these tasks.
• Be sure to take the pets to your veterinarian for their shots and checkups. Avoid exposure to live vaccines, such as the Bordatella vaccine.
• Pets should not be allowed to sleep on your bed.
• Your mattress should be vacuumed at least once a month. This is a good idea even if you don't have pets.

Avoiding Colds and the Flu

After your transplant, you will probably get the same number of colds and flu-like illnesses that you always did, but, understandably, these will cause you more concern than they did before.

For both your physical and emotional health, therefore, you should do all you can to prevent colds and flu. This is largely a matter of careful hygiene and common sense.

It is important to wash your hands frequently, since most infections travel hand-to-hand rather than through the air.

Do not eat after people (out of bags or bowls of popcorn, for example), drink after people, or reuse a bathroom glass.

Vaccines

You and all of your family members should get a flu shot as soon as they are available each year. This is usually in October. If you have small children, discuss the flu shot with their pediatrician.

You should also keep up with other routine vaccinations, such as tetanus and pneumonia vaccines. You may also receive a shot of the H1N1 vaccine.

You should not get live vaccines (oral polio, flu nasal spray); in fact, you should avoid close contact with anyone who has received these vaccinations within the last three weeks.

Responding to a Cold or the Flu

Despite your best efforts, you will catch a cold or flu from time to time. When you do, you should call the transplant coordinator to see if you need antibiotics.

Should symptoms of a cold linger, or if you develop a fever, symptoms of chest congestion, or a productive cough, be sure to call the transplant coordinator right away.

The lung is the most susceptible site of infection after your transplant, and the doctor may x-ray your chest in order to spot the infection.

First Aid and Hygiene

The natural ability of your body to heal wounds will be slowed down because of the immunosuppressive medication you take to prevent transplant rejection. If you do need first aid care, follow these guidelines:

• Clean any cut or injury and keep a clean, dry dressing on the wound.
• If healing is prolonged or if you experience pain, swelling, redness, or other signs of infection, notify your transplant coordinator right away.
• Notify the transplant coordinator if you notice any unusual rashes, blisters, or other lesions on your skin.
• Visit your dentist every six months to avoid tooth and gum disease. We do not prescribe antibiotics for routine dental work. If your dentist wants to put you on one, please call your coordinator to confirm compatibility with your immunosuppressant.
• Notify your transplant coordinator if you notice sores, ulcers, or white patches in your mouth and throat.