Customer Reviews

The Lung Transplantation Handbook: A Guide For Patients, Second Edition

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I had a lung transplant in March 2003 at UW Madison. I found this to be the best resource in print. It is a sort of enyclopedia covering all aspects of lung transplantation: medications, complications, surgical aspects, etc. It covers technical material, but is easy to read and is written for lay persons. I would highly recommend reading it before you have a transplant in order to understand what you're really getting into. I constantly referred to it when I was recovering, and it answered many of my questions, or clarified things my doctors/nurses had said.

The one major drawback to this book is that there is no index and it covers far too briefly the emotional aspects of having a lung transplant. However, I still have no hesitation recommending this excellent resource, and I am glad that I had it next to me on my journey of recovery.

This comprehensive guide leads the lung trasnplant patient through the transplant process and addresses every questions from pre transplant evaluation through post transplant recovery and pulmonary rehabilitaion. Included are quotes from transplant recipients in which they share their experience regarding a particular part of the transplant process which makes me feel like I am not in this alone. I referred to this guide every step of my transplant journey and have recommended it to hundreds of transplant patients. This book is the definative guide for all my transplant questions. I wouldn't be without it.

Tom Archer
President
Second Wind Lung Transplant Association, Inc

Once a person passes the denial stage and makes the decision to become a transplant candidate, they go through the work up process with their eyes wide open hoping the medical professionals will provide information in an understandable format that will reassure them that they made the correct decision. This is unfortunately not always what happens. What this book does is fill in a lot of information gaps that are created during the process of becoming a lung transplant candidate. There are lots of "feel good" books in print, but this is the first book I found that supplied straight talk. I would recommend this book to all caregivers and to any transplant candidate who can handle the realities of lung transplantation. Some statistical information is outdated but expected considering progress being made in this area of medicine.

There is nothing easy about this process, but this handbook takes some of the fear out of it and offers valuable resources for assistance.

If your purpose is to help a particular group of people, that fact will
provide focus for your plans. Karen Couture did extensive research before
and after she underwent a double-lung transplantation
operation. She then wrote The Lung Transplantation
Handbook: A Guide for Patients [ISBN 1552125041]
to share her encyclopedic knowledge with others who
would be receiving transplants, their families and the
caregivers. Since sharing knowledge was her prime
purpose (not `making money' or `becoming famous
by being on Oprah'), Karen chose to link up with transplant recipients
groups, such as Second Wind [...], to publicize the book
to all hospitals and specialists who perform the operation. Proceeds from
sales go in part to the groups. The result? The Lung Transplantation
Handbook is the world's top selling book on that subject, and is widely
considered a `must-have' for all prospective lung transplant recipients
and their families.

Karen Couture's book has also encouraged the publishing of other
books for that niche audience, including Taking Flight: Inspirational
Stories of Lung Transplantation, complied by Joanne M. Schum [isbn
1553696840] and I Call My New Lung Tina: Inspiration from a Transplant
Survivor, by Shirley Jewett [isbn 1553952707].

Considering Karen's purpose of educating people, her marketing
has been a fantastic success. Her goal pointed directly to the optimal
marketing strategy: enlisting the active support of transplant recipient
groups and their networks around the world (a partnership). In effect,
she recruited a huge team working on personal sales to reach prospective
transplant recipients, family and caregivers (her targeted public).
-- the above story is an excerpt from Book Marketing DeMystified: Enjoy Discovering the Optimal Way to Sell Your Self-Published Book, Practical advice from the inventor of print-on-demand (POD) publishing

I ordered this product for my Mom and family as she is in the process of being listed for a lung transplant and when I found this book and read the previous reviews, I just knew I had to have it. Best purchase I have made in a LONG time! This book will be used by my family for years to come. There is nothing this book doesn't tell you regarding what a lung transplant candidate and/or recepient can expect! Kudos to the author and thank you for the wonderful resource!!

This book has sooooo much information. Excellent source for anything and everything you need to know if you are waiting on a lung transplant as I am. I will continue to use this book even after my transplant.