Lung Transplant
William M. Allen, Ph.D.
April 7, 2002
Dedication
This site is dedicated to the following:
To all those who have contracted one of the more than 150 diseases that lead to pulmonary fibrosis and enter the fellowship of those who know what it means to be unable to breathe naturally. And, especially to those who have participated in drug trials attempting to find a way to control or cure this disease.
To my medical team at Loma Linda University Health Sciences Center and at the UCLA Medical Center with a nod to Dr. Ganesh Raghu at the University of Washington. To those who tirelessly do research to find a cure for this disease and to those who advance the techniques of lung transplantation and recovery.
To my family, and to all of the others who have expresseddtheir support for me and are united with me in a fellowship of prayer.
To Dr. Charles Goodacre, Dean of the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry and to the entire University for their support providing me with time to prepare for my surgery and for the financial support of my medical care.
To friends that I have never met but who regularly contribute to the Huff n Puff forum on the Internet. Thanks gang.
The Family Support Team
Mother: Berwyn Allen, Loma Linda, CA
Wife: J. Laurentine Allen, Riverside, CA
Daughter: Barbara Herbel, MS, Caldwell, ID
Wayne, Caleb & Reuben
Son: Gregory W. Allen, PhD, MD, Madison, WI
Ramona & Lilia Joelle Mi-SongBrother: Reggie Allen, Loma Linda, CA
Janette, BrandonSister: Susan Walker, Redding, CA
Steve, Morgan & Shannon
Recommended Websites
My Other Websites
IPF/Lung Transplant Websites
Discovery Health: Video Transcript
Vitae
The Past Year - The Diagnosis
My Story
During the summer of 2000 my primary physician retired. At that time he was treating me for hypothyroid disease and high blood pressure. In January 2001 I went to a former student of mine at Loma Linda University Health Sciences Center, James Larsen, MD, and he became my primary physician. He gave me a thorough physical and he focused on two new areas of concern, my shortness of breath under certain circumstances and my esophogeal gastric reflux (heart burn). In listening to my lungs he said that he "heard some rattles that he didn't like." He referred me to another former student and pulmonologist, Lennard Specht, MD.
Dr. Specht also heard the rattles, which I'm told sounds like velcro being pulled apart. On March 6, 2001 I had my first pulmonary function test. The key results of this test, and subsequent ones on September 18, 2001 and February 19, 2002 are as follows:
3/06/01 -- FEV1 78%, SVC, 67%, DLCO 47%
9/18/01 -- FEV1 58%, SVC, 54%, DLCO 30%
2/19/02 -- FEV1 56%, SVC, 53%, DLCO 36%
After the pulmonary function test I had a CT Scan that clearly indicated the presence of pulmonary fibrosis. I had a Video Assisted Thoroscopy on May 6, 2001 and the histology of the biopsy resulted in the diagnosis of Usual Intersitial Pneumonia. In early July I started on a regimen of 80 mg/day of prednisone and within a few weeks the side effects were so bad that it was evident that this dosage was too high. The dosage was reduced to 40 mg/day with my condition getting worse as the summer progressed.
As a result of a contact made while my son was in Seattle for a medical school rotation, in October I traveled to the University of Washington for a consultation with pulmonologist Ganesh Raghu, M.D. He said that my condition was already too advanced to consider the drug Actimmune (gamma interferon) which was in clinical trials. His advice was to add Imuran and N-acetylcysteine to my prednisone therapy. Dr. Raghu also advised me to return to Southern California and immediately find a transplant program that could get me a lung. . .time was of the essence. Dr. Raghu also indicated that some weight loss would improved my chances for a successful surgery.
Returning home the search immediately began for a transplant program. The interview with David Ross, M.D., at UCLA and the prospect of a transplant in less than 6 months met my need. During the first week of December I entered the UCLA Medical Center for three days of diagnostic testing and I was accepted into their program. . .with the proviso that I would be put on hold until I had lost 15-20 pounds. The UCLA team proposed to transplant my left lung. On December 14 the details were received in writing and a weight loss program begun in earnest. By the first of February the weight loss goal had been met and I was cleared for surgery.
On February 24 I was notified that a donor lung was available for me. I was prepared for surgery and was on the operating table with the initial sedative entering my body when the anesthesiologist came and told me that the donor lung had a defect and since I didn't have a critical need for a lung that they had decided to wait for a better lung. Later a biopsy was done that revealed that the lung had Valley Fever. Eight days later the call came again. I was prepared for surgery and waiting for transport to the operating room when Dr. Ross came into the room and said, "I have bad news." Once again a defect had been found in the donor lung that precluded surgery. Diet and exercise continued until my weight loss in mid March reached 26 pounds.
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As a scientist I have considered a number of factors that could have contributed to the stabilization of my health--some serious and some speculative. It is difficiult to do human subject research because there are so many variables. A number of changes were made in my life, all with the intention of helping me, so I conclude that they have all worked together to bring me where I am today. The factors that I have considered are as follows:
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The last item requires some additional comment. I was born into a Christian home, attended Christian schools through college, and have worked at Christian colleges and Universities for 35 years. However, I entered a new fellowship with my Lord during sleepless nights in July and August while on a high dosage of prednisone. It was then that I started to study and put the Biblical Psalms into my own words. On July 3, 2001 I began a journey that is recorded in another website called an Odyssey of Psalms. I hope the "translation" of the Psalms into my own words will be helpful to others, though I know it could be painful for some to read what I have written.
Reflecting on my study of the psalms two years later, I believe the act of putting the psalms into my own words made the experience a conversation with my Lord that could not have happened by simply reading and reflecting on the psalms. From my perspective, there was a dialog, and the resulting peace of mind is something that no psychiatrist or counselor could provide.
