A lot has happened to me since November 5th 2003.

After the operation the first thing I remembered was being terribly thirsty, the nurses eventually gave me some ice to put in my mouth. The next day they put me back onto the transplant ward. While being in the ICU i do not remember much about it but what I do remember is that the staff who work there were incredibly attentive and looked after each patient on a one to one basis. Their devotion was second to none.

After the operation it was very frightening, and I was still on my permanent oxygen supply. Over the next few days I began to feel and notice a difference in myself. I found I could talk and breathe at the same time. It made Steve my husband laugh because I couldn't stop talking, Steve said that they should have removed my tongue while I was down in theatre!

Within days of the operation I was on an exercise bike gradually putting back some strength into my legs. Then they came and took away my oxygen supply - this was a real challenge to me because after so long I could not believe that my lungs would work for themselves. However, I had nothing to worry about. The nurses monitored me constantly and confirmed that my stats were stable and everything was working as it should be.

When my visitors arrived to see me no one seemed to notice anything different about me at first. Eventually I asked them if they could see anything that had changed - and then it hit them. The nose tubes they had been so used to seeing were gone. I was taken to physio every day whilst at Papworth, which helps to get the body active again and ready for life on the outside. After 3 weeks in the hospital I was declared well enough to come home.

From then on there was no holding me back. On December 8th I turned up at Mill Farm for the Breathe Easy Christmas dinner. No one within the group could believe the difference in me as a person. I had started to put on some weight and everything was getting a little easier for me day by day.

As time went by after the operation I was lucky and had no signs of rejection from the transplant, and eventually the time span between my checkup visits to Papworth got longer and longer. I joined the gym on January 1st to keep up the good work I had already started. At first I was unable to do any of the upper body exercises because my ribs were still healing, but slowly and surely by March 1st I was ready and able to do most of the machines.

Soon I was looking forward to my holidays. In June I went to Scotland, and it was great to be able to go for long walks without having any contraptions to bring with me. I was free to go where I wanted when I wanted. After speaking to various doctors about a break abroad in August I returned to France where I had previously holidayed until I had become to ill. This time was a different story. While my husband and son played golf I walked the sites, settled down to some sketching and took in everything around me.

The break away rejuvenated me and I now found it hard not doing anything constructive with my time so taking on board advice from my doctors I took up a part time job in my local supermarket. This gives me something to do for me and also keeps me occupied and meeting lots of people.

Life at the moment is great. I spent bonfire night at home this year, in a way I felt it was wrong to celebrate too much and my thoughts went to the kindness of the person who was caring enough to donate the organs that have changed my life. I hope this message will get across to others and make them think about what will happen when their times comes, and maybe they too will want to help others like me benefit by their donations. To end on a happy note, life is great. Live every day to the full and enjoy the time left however long or short it may be.

If anyone would like to speak to me about the operation please feel free to ask. To anyone considering the possibility of having this operation my feelings and experiences say go for it. Not everyone can say they have been given a second chance to live - I am one of the lucky ones.

Gina Brittain
No. 110 Double Lung Transplant Patient Papworth Hospital

To Get Back to the Breathe Easy Bulletin Click Here!