My Heart Transplant Journey

By Phil Liaboe

My Heart Transplant Journey: #20 – Life With an ICD (Pre-Transplant)

By Phil Liaboe The acronym ICD stands for Implanted Cardiac Device. The term ICD encompasses a broad range of cardiac devices including pacemakers, defibrillators, and other cardiac assist implants. Some… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #19 – Cardio Allograft Vasculopathy (CAV)

By Phil Liaboe At about 1 year post-transplant I had a left heart catheterization (LHC). This procedure is routinely part of heart transplant protocol at my medical center. This is… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #18 – Houston, We Have a Problem

By Phil Liaboe A Not so Slight Complication My heart transplant had one unusual complication and it was very rare. Once a complication happens on this road there is a… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #17 – Cardiac Sarcoidosis

Cardiac Sarcoidosis By Phil Liaboe The root cause of all my heart failure and the disease that so severely affected my native heart is called Cardiac Sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis can appear… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #16 – Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac Rehabilitation By Phil Liaboe I was skeptical when it was explained to me that two or three months after my heart transplant I would be prescribed by the transplant… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: – #15 Interview With A Caregiver

By Phil Liaboe Interview With a Caregiver It’s not enough to state that the person who assumes the role of caregiver to a heart transplant patient is important. It is… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #14 – Changes Related to Food

By Phil Liaboe FOOD PRECAUTIONS On arriving home from the medical center there were several adjustments that we needed to make to our humble abode. And by “we”, I mean… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #13 -Coming Home

By Phil Liaboe Coming Home After 13 days I was finally going home with my donated heart. I was elated. 13 days is a short stay for a heart transplant… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #12 – Medications Part 2

By Phil Liaboe Managing Meds – Part 2 I realize this is not the most exciting topic. It deserves 2 separate posts because of it’s importance. At discharge the pharmacy… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #11 – Medications Part 1

By Phil Liaboe Medication Concepts A good friend of mine who was also a heart transplant recipient once told me, “A heart transplant is not cure. It is more like… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #10 – Getting Stronger

By Phil Liaboe The metaphor I adopted and used from the start was borrowed from the Wizard of Oz. I was determined to Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Just like… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #9 – Removing the Chest Tubes

By Phil Liaboe Removing the Chest Tubes About 3 or 4 days after the transplant surgery a fit, sturdy man with short hair the color of steel wool wearing sky… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #8 – Right Heart Catheterization & Heart Biopsy

By Phil Liaboe 12 Times over 18 months – After Transplant This is an invasive procedure that for the heart transplant patient serves several purposes. First it measures pressures, fluids… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #7 – Early Recovery

By Phil Liaboe Early Recovery A major, historic nor’easter was forecasted to hit Boston on February 12th and 13th of 2024 but at the last minute it veered south and… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #6 – Clambering Back

By Phil Liaboe Part of the benefit of writing this for me is discovering in review and digging a little deeper into the experience to understand it better. I had… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #5 The Transplant Operation

By Phil Liaboe THE CALL I got the call at 3 am February 8, 2024. I answered the ringing iPhone, snatching it off the bedside charger. Phone calls at 3… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #4 – My Heart Donor

By Phil Liaboe THE DONOR From day one I have been very emotional anytime I think about the person’s heart I now have and their family. At first, I thought… Read more ⇢
My Heart Transplant Journey: #3 – Time on the Transplant List

By Phil Liaboe The allocation of hearts for transplant is a bit mysterious for the patient. There are many variables and some subjective analysis by surgeons that goes into the… Read more ⇢
My Transplant Journey: #2 – Getting on the Transplant List

By Phil Liaboe I DID IT TWICE I am fairly familiar with the process for getting on the transplant list. I did it twice. Once at Tufts Medical Center and… Read more ⇢
A Heart Transplant Journey: #1 – The Introduction

By Phil Liaboe March 2026 On February 8th of 2024 I received a heart transplant. The goal of this site is to describe and explain various aspects of having this… Read more ⇢