Product Description

Kidney Transplantation: A Guide to the Care of Transplant Recipients is an easy to read, up to date, clinical resource written by experts in the field of kidney transplantation. The book explains how donors and recipients are selected for transplantation, how the surgical procedure is performed, and how the experts recognize and treat rejection.

Clearly illustrated chapters show how the immune system works in the setting of transplantation and how immunosuppressive medications prevent rejection of the transplanted kidney; knowledge essential for the proper care of the transplant recipient.

The acute and long-term care of the patient is described from the perspective not only of proper immunosuppressive medication management, but also from the perspective of comorbidities most common to transplanted patients, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, infectious diseases, malignancies, and bone disease. Special issues that impact the care of the transplant recipient, such as unusual donor sources, nonadherence and insurability are also addressed.

Product Description
Tales about organ transplants appear in mythology and folk stories, and surface in documents from medieval times, but only during the past twenty years has medical knowledge and technology been sufficiently advanced for surgeons to perform thousands of transplants each year. In the majority of cases individuals diagnosed as "brain dead" are the source of the organs without which transplants could not take place. In this compelling and provocative examination, Margaret Lock traces the discourse over the past thirty years that contributed to the locating of a new criterion of death in the brain, and its routinization in clinical practice in North America. She compares this situation with that in Japan where, despite the availability of the necessary technology and expertise, brain death was legally recognized only in 1997, and then under limited and contested circumstances. Twice Dead explores the cultural, historical, political, and clinical reasons for the ready acceptance of the new criterion of death in North America and its rejection, until recently, in Japan, with the result that organ transplantation has been severely restricted in that country. This incisive and timely discussion demonstrates that death is not self-evident, that the space between life and death is historically and culturally constructed, fluid, multiple, and open to dispute. In addition to an analysis of that professional literature on and popular representations of the subject, Lock draws on extensive interviews conducted over ten years with physicians working in intensive care units, transplant surgeons, organ recipients, donor families, members of the general public in both Japan and North America, and political activists in Japan opposed to the recognition of brain death. By showing that death can never be understood merely as a biological event, and that cultural, medical, legal, and political dimensions are inevitably implicated in the invention of brain death, Twice Dead confronts one of the most troubling questions of our era. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent examination of a complex set of issues
I second the opinion of Timmermans Stefan and rather than review, I'll simply recommend it to anyone interested in biotethics, or end-of-life issues or anyone who, like I, have had to face the question of whether or not to offer your loved one's organs for transplant while they lie in front of you dying.

Along the same vein, though it explores a broader range of issues, is Robert Burt's book below, also recommended.

Death Is That Man Taking Names: Intersections of American Medicine, Law, and Culture (California/Milbank Books on Health and the Public)

A masterpiece of social research
Margaret Lock discusses how organ transplant interests fostered the notion of brain death in North America and Japan. Until recently, Japan did not accept brain death as a sufficient criterion of death, even when the Japanese had all the technology and medical skills to carry out organ transplantation. By contrasting the muted discussion about brain death in North America with the heated, well informed public debates in Japan, Lock makes readers uncomfortable. Are people declared brain dead in America really dead, or do neurologists simply assume that they are dead to allow transplantation to take place? When does death occur anyway; is it a process or an event? Should physicians determine death with technological guidelines, or should death be defined by the people who are the most implicated, like relatives? Lock does not provide easy answers to those questions but her exhaustive research indicates how a different consensus about brain death emerged in the East and the West.
This book is a masterpiece of social research that does not succumb to cheap moralizing. Lucidly written, it is solidly grounded in anthropology but widely accessible. I strongly recommend it to anyone with an interest in medicine or anthropology. ... Read more

Product Description
Dying to Live is about facing challenges. Being miserable. Finding faith. Letting go and learning to trust. It is the inspiring story of Gaea Shaw’s journey from heart transplant recipient to gold medal winner at the Olympic-style Transplant Games. But Gaea’s story is much more than that. Her gift to readers is that she encourages each of us to see that we all face our own challenges—and that each of us can experience an abundant life, filled with gratitude, no matter what the odds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

An Authentic Read!
Gaea Shaw has written an authentic, inspiring, book. I found myself emotionally reviewing my own life while reading the experience of hers. There is wisdom in this book...the kind that's earned when confronted with a major life challenge.
From a heart that was dying to a heart that is fully living, Gaea authentically shares herself and her family with the reader.

Dying to Live: From Heart Transplant to Abundant Life is a good reminder that while much of life is out of our control, we can choose how we respond! I am buying 10 copies and offering them as gifs to my circle of girlfriends.

Paulette Millander

What a Remarkable Story!
This is an amazing story!I went to bed reading it and woke up and finished it...was late to work and don't regret it.

There are many overwhelming moments, but none like the donor mother feeling her son's heart beating inside of Gaea.What an important and beautiful story, I've never read the likes of it.

Life changing experience
An amazing and beautifully written account of the path Gaea emabrked on in having a heart transplant. The impact on her renewed life and the ripple effect on those around her. Her account is clear and moving, equally so are the accounts of those who share her experience, especially the donor family. This book moved me greatly, a must read by anyone looking toward oragan transplant, and anyone considering donating.

A Heroine's Journey
Gaea Shaw's account of her heart disease, heart transplant and her new life is an inspiration to anyone whose life is spinning out of control. Gaea did all the right things: healthy diet, exercise--but her heart was giving out, and she was close to death. Her courageous descent into total surrender left me in tears. Shaw doesn't spare us any of the emotional turmoil she went through during this life-threatening experience, and yet this short book is written in a clear, simple, and unsentimental style. The way she told her story adds even more power to it. For myself, I know that if I were facing such a dire medical operation, at first I would be overwhelmed with fear and confusion. But Gaea's story elicited a deeper force within me (and all of us) which has the power to carry us through our darker hours, whether we are confronting day-to-day struggles or a life-and-death crisis.

Heart-opening!
Gaea's book is immensely moving, vulnerable, direct, beautifully written, very revealing of her and the intimate process she and her family went through with her heart transplant. It was incredibly raw and comprehensive in terms of their emotional experiences. Gaea's telling was not at all sentimental,
and it conveyed the spiritual presence that Gaea and her husband lived in while going through such an immense initiatory ordeal. The book also took me into the depths of the utter death of everything Gaea, her husband and her child had to face.I cried a lot...thanks so much, Gaea.This book offers an inspiring transmission of love and trust in the face of one of Life's fiercest experiences.It will be an inspiration and companion to those on the journey of transplant surgery, to their families, as well as those who are called to donate the precious organs of their fallen beloveds.
Gaea is also an inspiration for anyone who is facing any situation in life that appears to be more than they can handle. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is the second edition of a very popular narrative about the procedure of liver transplantation, told by the author about her own experience.It is often humorous, always informative, targeted at the patient and family who desperately need this information.The book was edited by medical personnel.The second edition has an extended glossary, further treatment of Hepatitis C, and more information about the distribution of organs. Anyone facing transplant or interested in the medical marvel will profit from reading this narrative. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Thank You
Ms Parr's book is a must read for anyone awaiting a liver transplant. She tells about her illness and the lead up to her surgery, her surgery and her recovery.

This book single handedly put us back on track without fear and panic. Ms. Parr thank you for sharing with us and making us realize that this is possible and we can do it.

Along with this book Ms. Parr's "Coping with an Organ Transplant" is also a must read.

Very relevant to my experiences
I was screened to be a living liver donor to a young woman who was in dire need of a transplant. I was ruled out since the MRI revealed that because of a complexly shaped vascular system in my liver, I was in danger of bleeding to death during the surgery. I continued to support this young woman and watched her slowly weaken to the point where she was near death. Then, at the last possible moment, she got a liver from a cadaver & she is doing great (I pray that her renewed good health will continue). I read this book and enjoyed learning about the author's transplant experience, Despite a writing style that at times I found hard to follow, I nonetheless found this book to be informative. When the author had her transplant in 1994, the system for finding a cadaver's liver was different than now. Under the former system, the author got one long before she was in critical condition. Nonetheless, the surgery took a lot out of her. The details of her wait for the liver, false alarms that one was available, the surgery and her recovery are all well documented. She also writes about the experiences of other recipients in ther support group. From my own experience, I now know that a recipient must be near death to get a cadaver's liver .. i.e. those in greatest need, not those in need for the longest period, get the liver first. Still the details of liver disease and the adventure of such major, life saving surgery is timeless. The book is not overly long; the author tells the story without straying to side issues that clutter the narrative. Nonetheless, I thought the narrative could have been a little more coherently written. All in all, I highly recommend this book to those interested in the subject. ... Read more

Product Description
Turning a difficult situation into a positive experience takes courage, faith, perseverance, and strength. How we deal with adversity defines who we truly are as human beings. In New Life: Lessons in Faith and Courage, we meet people who have overcome obstacles and inspired others around them along the way.Organ transplant recipients face not only serious illnesses, but sometimes life-threatening situations. Yet those same recipients have turned their frightening experiences into unique and inspiring examples of courage and achievement.New Life is a collection of heartwarming and compelling stories that will encourage not only transplant candidates, recipients, and their families, but people who are facing any kind of adversity. Through uplifting accounts of human achievement, readers are left with a deep sense of admiration for the accomplishments and triumphs of the individuals profiled. These stories show us how to overcome the most difficult of circumstances and go on to lead active, generous, and in many cases, remarkable lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent and Uplifting
This book is mandatory for any families facing possible transplantation. It's so uplifting and inspiring.
For those of us fortunate to not be facing these issues, these stories are just wonderful. It's amazing what is possible today that in our childhood was not.
The best feature of the book is how Violino captures the individual voice and tone of each person and each family's story.
Hospitals and doctors' offices should all have a copy on hand.

Great read!
New Life is a heartwarming book about the life challenges of several transplant recipients. I especially enjoyed reading and visualizing the many trials and triumphs endured by these courageous individuals. The book is a powerful collection of uplifting and insightful lessons that make you trust in faith, appreciate your own "life" and feel happy to know that others have been granted a "New Life". A great book you're sure to enjoy!

An Impressive Book
Beautifully written by a transplant recipient who details the experiences of other transplant recipients, "New Life" describes the triumphs of body and spirit of everyday people who faced and conquered some of life's most difficult challenges.The lessons described in "New Life" apply to each of us who may be confronted with any sort of crisis and illustrate the role that positive attitudes play in bringing about successful outcomes to the most difficult problems."New Life" is an easy to read book that is packed with the most profound examples of human courage.A great read! ... Read more

Product Description
In December 2008, Maria Siemionow, M.D., made headlines by performing the world’s first near-total face transplant. It was an extraordinary event in a thirty-year medical career marked by many astonishing milestones.

Now she recalls her remarkable journey in Face to Face, a unique memoir that traces the path from her childhood in Poland to her medical training there and in Finland. Her arrival in the United States in the 1980s, as a fellow at the Christine Kleinert Institute for Hand and Microsurgery in Louisville, Kentucky, confirmed her future as an award-winning researcher and world-class surgeon, leading ultimately to the controversial facial transplant procedure that revolutionized the field.

Weaving fascinating medical science with a captivating life story, Face to Face explores the emotional, cultural, and moral implications of the twenty-first-century advances that have helped Dr. Siemionow’s work thrive. She also provides details of the perseverance that led her to become the first U.S. physician to receive Institutional Review Board approval for facial transplantation surgery, followed by the poignant selection process as she was bombarded with compelling requests from prospective patients, and ultimately the successful completion of an operation that captured the world’s attention.

Both a chronicle of a groundbreaking surgery and a deeply moving story of personal courage, Face to Face also shares Dr. Siemionow’s inspiring philosophy about the identities, physiological traits, and biological needs that combine to create our individual faces. Celebrating this triumph of form and function, she transforms the way we feel when we look in the mirror—and the way we think about those who dedicate their lives to healing and hope. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Review of Fafe to Face
Awe inspiring story of Maria's journey of dedication, determination , hardships faced while developing andachieving her goal.Tale of a modern Polish woman !

Includes a great deal of medical insights and a survey of transplant science in general
FACE TO FACE: MY QUEST TO PERFORM THE FIRST FULL FACE TRANSPLANT includes a great deal of medical insights and a survey of transplant science in general. What it doesn't include are any photos of transplant results, or in-depth case histories. Thus medical collections will be satisfied with the detailed history and examination of the medical challenges involved, while general-interest holdings will wish for more patient details.

Disappointing
I was hoping to find here a book which described the world's first face transplant. It would have been fascinating stuff, no doubt.
Instead I read the biography of the surgeon, Dr. Maria Siemionow,interspersed with a bit of detail on transplant science.The author's childhood and the rigors of her training make for dry reading, and the details of the ground-breaking, first-of-it's-kind face transplant surgery (which should have easily filled half the book) is strangely relegated to a three page epilogue.
... Read more

Product Description
The American doctor, Joseph E. Murray, whose research into organ transplant rejection led to the first successful kidney transplant. ... Read more

Product Description
For the first time a complete review of the research work done over the past 30 years by leading investigators around the world in targeting immunosuppressants to both solid-organ and cellular transplants is available in a single volume. One section consists of studies conducted in rat allograft models using osmotic minipumps for delivery of a variety of immunosuppressants. The book will be of great benefit to researchers in the fields of transplant immunology, pharmacology and drug delivery and targeting, particularly those involved in drug development. ... Read more

Product Description
Unlike any other book, this one talks to teens and offers practical advice and suggestions for coping with and surviving the situation when their parent has an organ transplant, or when they are personally facing an organ transplant. It covers how to deal with events that happen before, during, and after the surgery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A great reference book for the whole family.
I recieved this book as a gift from the author herself and, despite it being a sort of reference book, I enjoyed it a lot. It was informative without being boring or anything. The illustrations are cute too. If you or a family member is experiencing the hardships of dealing with an organ transplant, this book is great. A+++

Wish I saw this sooner...
My grandpa had a transplant a few years ago, and my mom was a total wreck! I wish she saw this book earlier. I checked it out from my library, and now I'm going to buy it for her as a present. (The artwork is cool!)

This one is for everybody not just the patient!
This is the first book I have seen that talks to everybody in the family dealing with a loved ones transplant.All the feelings, good and bad are there.Anyone who knows someone going through or is the person going through a transplant should read this book.Personal stories are everywhere throughout the text.Tips about insurance, location, hopes, fears, what to expect, what wasn't expected, and a whole lot more.Questions to ask and who to ask, as well as questions you don't want to ask but will feel better knowing those thoughts running through your head aren't only your's.All the important authorities to know are contributors to this text.There are even movie suggestions while you are waiting, and waiting, and ...... ... Read more

Product Description
Fine Thyme! is a low sodium, low fat vegetarian cookbook with recipes for main dishes, soups, whole grains, beans, desserts and more. The cookbook is written for kidney transplant patients and their families and can be used by anyone who wishes to enjoy a healthier lifestyle. In addition to over one hundred vegan recipes, the cookbook is loaded with informative notes on the health benefits of soy and the vital importance of water. With few exceptions the recipes can be prepared within thirty minutes. Many recipes can be prepared ahead. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Just for Vegetarians
Recipes are simple, easy to follow and adjustable for single servings. Though some of the ingrediants difficult to locate in your local supermarket.Some of the ingrediants need to be adjusted for those that may have high blood pressure or are diabetic due to transplant medication. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes in lay language, what is involved in preparing for, undergoing and surviving a bone marrow or blood stem cell transplant. A helpful handbook for patients and family members facing this medical procedure. Referred to by many survivors as their "bible". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Bone Marrow Transplants - A Book of Basics for Patients
In my opinion, this book is a must for anyone about to undergo a bone marrow transplant. It is a great resource for family members, too. My only suggestion is that you purchase the more updated, 2006, version. The updated version is Bone Marrow & Stem Cell Transplants by the same author. This is an A-Z bone marrow transplant book in layman terms. ... Read more

Product Description
Hepatology and Transplant Hepatology: A Case Based Approach presents a collection of interesting cases in liver disease seen at a very busy and large liver transplant center in the United States. These cases cover the full range of pathology that an internist or gastroenterologist may expect to see in a lifetime of taking care of patients with acute or chronic liver disease, before or after liver transplant. Each case is presentedas you would see it in a clinical situation where a patient presents a complaint or something is noted on exam or blood work. The question/answer format will help one through the problem of making a diagnosis or in considering a differential diagnosis and also point to the best way to manage each condition. The volume is divided into pre-transplant and post-transplant hepatology. Each case is 3 pages with the first page presenting the case and pertinent lab data and 3-4 questions (i.e. differential diagnosis, tests to order, x-rays/CT required).The second page illustrates the tests, scans, biopsies and asks for the pertinent findings. The third page provides the diagnosis and what may have been expected with other diagnoses. Here is a single source dealing with questions specific for patients with complications of advanced liver disease and also clinical situations seen in transplant hepatology.Hepatology and Transplant Hepatology: A Case Based Approach will have great appeal to anyone in hepatology/transplant hepatology and also to residents/fellows and internists interested in gastroenterology. ... Read more

Product Description
No one ever wants to hear that they have a disease, especially one as fatal as severe pulmonary hypertension. This book takes readers through Shirley Jewett's experience, providing insight into the ways patients can take responsibility for their health and medical treatments. It is far more than a feel good book about one woman's journey to the other side of a death sentence. It is an instructional manual of survival. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

tina
thank you so much...it gives me hope you were so honest/ you wrote the truth.i am being evaluated for a lung transplant.i hope as of today 7/11/10 that you are in good health

I call My new Lung Tina
On a scale of 1-10, ten being the highest. I would rate this as a 10.
thank you

Awesome book on the realities of transplantation
This is an awesome book and i highly recommend it to anyone wanting to know what it's like to be chronicaly ill. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of powerful stories told by 50 persons whohave been through the heart transplant experience. The reader is drawnint the sorrows, joys, ironies, and trials of people living live atthe edge.

Death, suffering, rebirth, and humor are the stuff of greatliterature.This is great literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Stories of the Heart
I am presently on the heart transplant journey myself and found this book to be of great value.It is like talking to a friend that knows what you are going through.The fact that the stories are written by the people themselves made me feel like I am not alone if they can do it then maybe I can too.I feel that this would be a good bed side book for anyone who is dealing with a heart transplant it was like getting a hug when needed.I find it hard to talk about what I'mgoing through with others and it was nice to know that I'm not alone on my journey.

I don't know what to say
I silently absorbed all of this work and just came away with such empathy it's very difficult to express it. It is a good manual to prepare you for such procedures. Too much to say about it, my words fail. ... Read more

Product Description
The informative, intimate,emotionally compelling, sometimes hilarious, yet inspiring and encouragingaccount of one man?s miraculous heart transplant and traumatic near-deathexperiences, before, during and following six crippling heart attacks, and threeopen heart surgeries.Four times he was clinically dead? flat line.You will LAUGH, you will CRY andyou will LEARN more about the personal side of heart transplants and organdonation than you ever could have imagined.A must-read if you or someone youknow is waiting for or considering a heart or other organ transplant.??? Learn what is involved and what it allmeans from the perspective of one man and his family who have ?been there anddone that.? ... Read more

Product Description
Mr. NewHeart is David Hollar's inspiring account of his battle with heart disease and his life-saving transplant. It is a story of faith, courage, endurance, miracles, and God's rich blessings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Great Teaching Tool
The author of this book not only experienced the full impact of a heart transplant, he endured multiple other challenges and nearly every type of cardiac testing under the sun. That is why I feel this book is an excellent teaching tool for physicians and nurses to help their cardiac patients understand many of the cardiac procedures and tests which patients undergo. It has the potential to help ALL cardiac patients, not just cardiac transplant patients. I am a Registered Nurse and a Nurse Educator myself. I can see great value of this tool in this arena.
Christina Feist-Heilmeier, RN, MSN
Author of Nurses Are From Heaven: Nursing Through Eyes of Faith.

Mr. NewHeart
This is an inspiring story of how one man and his family walked down a long road of devastating medical challenges. David's story contains candid details of discouraging, frightening moments. But it is a story of hope, ending with the triumph of the successful transplant. His faith in God and his courage are evident across every page.

A Change of Heart
"An inspiring first hand account of the emotional roller coaster Dave's family rode, during his long and emphatic struggle to sustain life. A point of faith and hope for all who read this book."

Charles Hamilton Sr, Former Executive Director of Northwest Teen Challenge, author of From Darkness To Light and A Step Of Faith.
[...]

From Darkness To Light

Inspiring "NewHeart" story
As a fellow heart transplant recipient "only" 13 years out now, it is always inspiring to read the life story of another fellow recipient who has led the way, being my "senior" in those 16 years post transplant.David tells his story with passion and insight, offering testimony to the human spirit that seemingly can overcome all odds (well, not ALL, but certainly able to climb lofty mountains of life challenge as his typifies)- serving as an inspiration to anyone facing their own unique life challenges, and isn't that what we need today, more inspirations like this?

David writes in easy to understand language of medical professional and family support along with a strong faith in God (imagine getting the call for a new heaert on Easter as a sign that God answers our prayers!).He endures more than many of us have had to with his transplant and life, but then that's what makes for good reading, right?Just don't fear transplant based on his many issues, that while each may be typical, most patients do not face all of them, but even if you did, isn't it great to hear they can be overcome as David's life story shows us?

Another important lesson learned from his story is the ever growing need (due to the success of the transplant process)for organ donors as (here in 2007...) over 100,000 patients await their own life saving organ transplant in the US alone.Inspired by David's story, give some thought to your own ability to save someone's life after your death through the gift of organ donation, then tell your family about your decision!

Strength For The Task
The main character of this book should never have had a heart attack in the beginning, but he did!The struggles which came later, dealing with a very sick heart and then a younger heart gives us some idea of the difficulties involved in the process of transplanting organs.Not knowing from one day to the next whether he would be alive or not, Mr. Hollar exhibits great faith in God as he navigates the inside world of organ transplants, doctors, nurses and hospitals.Having received a mystical assurance that he was not going to die, he set about to get well.The excellent medical care from all the hospital staff; the love and support of his family and his deep abiding faith all helped in overcoming this tragic catastrophic illness.A faithful testimony, indeed. ... Read more

Product Description
"Laura’s New Heart" follows the dramatic journey of a vibrantly successful Wholistic Healer, teacher, coach and counselor as she learns she has congestive heart failure. Laura sweeps you along in her struggles to implement spiritual, creative, healing beliefs and practices in the face of a rapidly deteriorating condition. Deeply challenged by her years as a teacher, having trained hundreds of students, Laura is faced with the formidable task of practicing what she preaches, only to discoverflaws and limitations of these beliefs. We follow Laura through her daily life as she applies her training and understanding of various alternative-healing modalities in efforts to heal herself - to no avail. It is not until Laura is on her deathbed that she consents to be evaluated for a heart transplant after which a series of uncanny miracles remarkably unfold. She invites you intimately into her mind and way of being in human struggles, failures and triumphs. Laura reveals her most intimate thoughts about living, dying, death and her relationship with God. Her deeply moving tale makes us laugh, cry and lifts us in an unsuspecting invitation to reflect on our own beliefs. Laura’s natural teaching abilities are clearly present in her writing as she turns the lessons learned into practical opportunities for those of us who have ever been or will become seriously ill as well as those of us who walk beside anyone facing a serious illness. This book inspires an opportunity to reevaluate our lives as it broadens our perspectives about illness and wellness.

This book is highly recommend for anyone in the field of healing or creative arts. Doctors, nurses, artists and healers are invited to see a new refreshing perspective into the lives of those they touch on a daily basis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Laura's New Heart hits home!
This beautifully written book describe one woman's journey through congestive heart failure to heart transplantion.The journey is filled with emotional highs and lows and is described from a spiritual perspective.Besides making for a fascinating tale---imagine coming back from the brink of death to lead a completely normal life---the spiritual guidelines offered should allow the reader to better cope with everything life has to offer. ... Read more

Product Description
I have now survived for three years with a brain tumor. It was not just any tumor; it was a glioblastoma multiforme. Glioblastoma multiforme is the most fatal and aggressive of all brain tumors. The average life expectancy with glioblastoma multiforme is approximately 54 to 65 weeks. That's just over one year! It has been quite an ordeal since I first started speaking gibberish and had a grand mal seizure on June 3, 2002, the day my tumor was discovered. It's crazy to think what a difference a single day had on my life. This book discusses my second and third years, which also included a bone marrow transplant because the chemotherapy had destroyed my bone marrow. Now, three years later, I still have many things to deal with on a daily basis including graft-versus-host disease from the bone marrow transplant, and reading and memory problems because a large piece of my brain was removed during my brain surgery. Surviving the first year was one of the most difficult things I have ever faced, but the second and third years were even harder. I am not even close to winning my battle over cancer, but I continue to fight until the end. There were many times that I just wanted to give up, even if the result was death. It was becoming too hard to fight as I became increasingly sick with each treatment. However, I never gave up. I have family and friends that I am not ready to leave yet and things I still want to do, so I will continue to fight! ... Read more

Product Description
Here, in straightforward language is everything you need to know about BMT's. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Bone Marrow Transplants by Shaffer
The author explains the complex bone marrow concepts in simple
English. There is an American Bone Marrow Registry in order to
facilitate transplant management.

Allogenic transplant recipients are matched to specific donors. Syngeneric transplants involve identical twins .An autologous transplant utilizes the patient's own bone marrow during the transplant process. There are important considerations prior to going forward with the bone marrow transplant procedure:

- Has cancer metastasized into the bone marrow itself?
- Should anti-cancer treatments be performed first?
- When should peripheral stem cell harvesting be done?

This work sets forth important bone marrow transplant information
in a readable form. ... Read more

Product Description

Small and bean shaped, the kidneys are sophisticated organs that filter waste from the blood. A number of diseases and disorders -- including diabetes and hypertension -- can harm the kidneys and cause them to fail.

Historian and nephrologist Steven J. Peitzman traces the medical history of kidney disease alongside the personal experience of illness. Drawing on diaries, letters, literary narratives, and scientific writings, Peitzman charts the triumphs of medical innovators like Richard Bright, Thomas Addis, and Belding Scribner as well as the stories of persons, famous and not, who have struggled with the disease.

Conditions once known as "Bright's Disease" are now recognized as complex disorders with names such as glomerulopathy and acute tubular necrosis. Treatments have evolved from abdominal tapping and dietetics to hemodialysis and transplantation. Medical advances have improved the well-being and prognosis of persons with failing kidneys. Yet such persons continue on an arduous journey of chronic illness. Peitzman travels with them, from diagnosis to treatment, and witnesses their remarkable ability to cope.

Joining the clinician's perspective with the historian's analysis, this fascinating chronicle offers insight into how diseases are defined, categorized, and understood and explains current concepts of how kidney disease behaves and how modern therapy works.

Customer Reviews (2)

A wonderfully interesting and informative book
I enjoy reading books on diseases, and have read several - on such subjects as smallpox, polio, bubonic plague, and others. Well, this book is slightly different, in that instead of focusing on a specific disease, it looks at diseases of the kidneys. As a genealogist, I have often read seen family histories that mention "dropsy" and death certificates that mention "Bright's Disease." But, what does that mean for the person so diagnosed?

Well, this book does a great job of explaining what it meant to have dropsy, or be diagnosed with Bright's Disease, and following the history through to the present, it discusses the origins and dialysis and kidney transplantation, and what they all meant. I found that the book did a wonderful job of really bringing home to me just what it meant to have kidney problems over the years, and how doctors and patients looked at themselves and their relationship.

I found this to be a wonderfully interesting and informative book. If you are interested in the history of medicine, then you really should read this book. If you are a genealogist or family historian, and want to understand what your ancestors faced years ago, then you really must get this book. I highly recommend it!

The organ that gets no respect... until it is needed
This is the second book in the new series, Johns Hopkins Biographies of Diseases.The first, on malaria, is on my reading list.This one, Dropsy, Dialysis, Transplant: A Short History of Failing Kidneys, encourages me to read all the books in this series as they appear.

Physician Steven Peitzman takes the reader on a trip through the practical and technological stages of understanding and treating renal (kidney) disease, later to become kidney (renal) disease.From the diagnosis and treatment of "dropsy" (the illustration of a woman being treated for dropsy on page 5 is indicative of the suffering this condition involved), to the fumbling understanding of the role of the kidney in "Bright's Disease," to a clearer recognition of the structure and functions of healthy and diseased kidney tissue, Peitzman takes the reader on a journey though medical history.And it is a significant history, covering many firsts:diagnosis of organ-specific diseases, artificial organs, and transplantation.

I was particularly engaged with the sections on dialysis and transplantation.Dialysis was, and is, a profound invention.Humans became tied to machine, and an industry developed around this relationship.Today, a third of a million Americans visit dialysis centers or are home-treated three days a week and, for most of them, this will continue for the rest of their lives.Peitzman discusses the ultimate goal for these patients or clients: reintegration into work and family life.In many cases, this has been successful.However, the average age of dialysis patients is increasing, and for these dialysis clients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) at age 75, survival, not work, is the ultimate goal.Peitzman hints at the ethical concerns of investing huge sums of public monies for keeping very ill dialysis clients alive for a few months.

Transplantation is the most recent miracle.Peitzman writes, "...some recipients of a kidney transplant can see in the returning trickle of urine the very presence of a loving God" (p. 159).For those with ESRD, it must seem like a miracle.There are troubling issues with the increasing number of people donating kidneys to family members and friends (understandable), and total strangers (less understandable).Given the extraordinary increase in type 2 diabetes and obesity, primary reasons affecting the deterioration of kidneys, it seems people should hold on to their kidneys a little tighter.Time will tell whether these donors have made an appropriate choice.

The last chapter on prevention is also of great interest, with Peitzman suggesting that 10 million undiagnosed Americans could benefit from treatment to prevent future kidney disease.

All in all, this is an excellent summary of the history of kidney disease and treatment. ... Read more