Lungs
Should medical treatment hinge on vaccination status?
I just read a story about a woman who is waiting for a transplant at the same transplant center I go to who is extremely high up on the list and may lose her spot entirely due to her vaccination status and not being covid vaccinated. I understand both sides. transplant centers have an obligation to make sure a patient has the best possible odds for surviving long term, and of course covid is highly contagious and going into a major surgery, and in her case a lung transplant, the last thing anyone wants is a disease that affects the lungs in such a big way. But I also understand her not wanting to take that risk and get vaccinated when her health is already in such a fragile state. Because while i haven't read of any stories of people dying directly from the vaccine, she is right in that there could be adverse side effects, like there could be from any vaccine or medical treatment.
I feel like covid, and all this weight put on being vaccinated or not being vaccinated and life saving medical procedures hinging on it could end very badly, and have longer lasting effects than the actual virus itself. Thoughts?
(Linking to the article if you want to read it: https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/an-ultimatum-albertan-claims-her-vaccine-status-is-getting-in-the-way-of-needed-lung-transplant-1.5703235)
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To recieve a TP you must be compliant. If the TP center says get a vaccine and you don't you have shown that you are not compliant and why should you get an organ when through your noncompliance you may die when the many others in line who will benefit and be compliant so the organ has not been wasted. It's very simple. Get the vaccine or lose your place in line.
I don't understand a waitlisted individual's objection to taking a COVID vaccine. My comment is specifically regarding organ transplant, not medical treatment in general. Lot of hoop jumping (rightfully so) just to get waitlisted. Agreeing to accept a medically scientific remedy of organ transplant means us also accepting the responsibility of maintaining our transplant to the best of our ability given what we know, medically & scientifically - not based on how we personally feel about the situation. Universally (in organ transplantation), that means taking a COVID vaccine.
@Showtime & @DonnyC
They both made very good points and I couldn’t agree more with them. The vaccine is a part of compliance and having a successful outcome.
Transplant Patient
@ChefAmanda @DonnyC @Showtime I feel like it’s become more of a blanket statement rather than what is best for each individual. I don’t know her specific situation but I also don’t believe in blind compliance. She should be able to make an informed decision, which I feel like is not something we have in the transplant world regarding these vaccines right now.
@AliEm14 I understand what your saying. She is entitled to her own informed decision but based on the article her claims why she doesn’t want it aren’t factual.
Transplant Patient
@ChefAmanda this is also true. the article itself doesn't give much information on her reasons why she doesn't want the vaccine. I am making some assumptions there based on my knowledge of the transplant center and the political climate currently in our province. In general here there are a lot of blanket statements being made without the individualized healthcare we need and deserve.
I do know people who have had adverse reactions to the vaccine, as adverse reactions can come from any vaccine or medial procedure, and I do feel that is not being taken into consideration, or given equal weight when it comes to the vaccine discussion.
The precept of blind compliance is definitely not one that I agree with - so I'm with @AliEm14 on that. On several occasions in my own transplant experience, I've made a care decision that conflicted with my transplant team's opinion - but always supported by medical data. And, yes, each vaccine in public use can cause adverse reactions but typically in a small enough number to be considered safe for general population use. Each individual absolutely has the right to make an informed decision regarding healthcare decisions. If she presented any medical data that supported her fear that there was a better than not chance that the vaccine would injure her lungs or if she had prior adverse reactions to other vaccines, I didn't read that in the article.
Transplant Patient
@DonnyC yes, the article didn’t touch on that. It’s not clear if she has medical reason to think the vaccine could be harmful for her. While they are considered safe for the general population, I always keep in mind that I’m usually the 1 that gets adverse affects. It did play a big role in me making a choice in my vaccination status.