Forget-me-nots
The Heart Transplant Office’s contact numbers
are: Phone: 866-748-1494 or 615-936-3500;
Fax: 615-936-3829.
Please call us and let us know if there is a change
in your phone number, address, or insurance.
Also, please call us if you can’t keep your clinic
appointment. Remember to do your three month
labs. Remember to wear sunscreen everyday to
protect yourself!
Don’t forget to check out our online support
group at www.health.groups.yahoo.com/
group/vanderbilthearttransplant/.
You can receive support other
recipients, find links to other
websites, and view photos
and resources.
WANT TO HELP OTHER TRANSPLANT
RECIPIENTS?
Would you like to become involved in the lives of other transplant
recipients? Would you like to share your knowledge of living life posttransplant with someone who would like your support? If you are interested in getting involved with the Heart Transplant Support Network,
then please call Anne Schmitt at 615-936-0398 for more information.
If you would like to donate to the Vanderbilt Heart Transplant Program, there are two funds you can support. The Patient Assistance Fund
and The Research & Education Fund both help people who have had or
need transplants. Please mail all donations to the following address:
Vanderbilt Heart Transplant “Patient Assistance Fund” or
“Research & Education Fund”
c/o Yvonne A. Moneypenny
808 Oxford House
Nashville, TN 37232-4745
If you have questions, contact Yvonne Moneypenny at 615-936-0388.
Old Fashioned Blueberry Milkshake
1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt or
low fat ice cream
1 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup fresh or frozen
blueberries
Place all ingredients into
a blender and blend until
smooth. Sprinkle a few extra
blueberries on top, if desired.
908 Oxford House
Nashville, TN 37232-4751
Nutrition facts:
Serving size: 1 cup (recipe
makes 2 servings)
Calories: 255 calories
Protein: 9.3 grams
Fat: 3 grams
Saturated: 1.8 grams
Cholesterol: 18 milligrams
Carbohydrate: 46 grams
Sodium: 215 milligrams
Calcium: 310 milligrams
Modified from
www.recipezaar.com/
Blueberry-Milkshake-214867
Heart Happenings
A Newsletter for Heart Transplant
OCTOBER 2009 • NUMBER 5
The New Heart Society of East Tennessee
Jerry Barnsfield
In May of 1991, a group of transplant
recipients and their families and friends
established The New Heart Society of
East Tennessee. The group formed when
fifteen transplant recipients realized they
each had an experience to share with
each other, with new transplant candidates and their caregivers, and with the
general public. They wanted to promote
organ and tissue donation and to share
their stories.
The New Heart Society was organized
to inform others and share experiences.
The intentions remain the same today as
the group continues to share experiences
and information from different transplant programs. We have members from
transplant programs extending from
Minnesota, through Indiana, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. Each
program contributes information to be
shared among all of the groups.
They formed the support group to inform
new transplant candidates of what to expect and how to cope with the unknown.
The purpose was to ease the apprehension
of the unknown, to help support their
caregivers, and to understand the importance of and the extent of their role in the
success of the surgical procedure.
Please join us! We meet once a month to
eat, socialize, and share experiences. We
are in contact with each other especially
when someone requires help with medical appointments or everyday activities.
We are here to help you and to help each
other before, during, and after the transplant experience. A monthly newsletter
(Heart Sounds) is offered to all who
return our brochure. You can obtain a
brochure from the Vanderbilt Transplant
Social Work Office.
For more information regarding The
New Heart Society of East Tennessee,
please contact Jerry Barnsfield at
newheartsociety@knology.net or via
phone at 865-694-0269 or 865-607-0505.
Transplant Picnic 2009
The hospitalization period is daunting, as
the recipient and caregivers must learn.
As is the medication routine and the
extent to which the patient will require
assistance with daily activities. After
hospital discharge, the patient is required
to remain in proximity of the transplant
center for daily medical attention. The
routine of daily exercise, blood tests, and
medication adjustments can be intimidating, but to know someone has been
there before makes the adjustment easier.
It makes it easier to understand the process of a transplant when one can see the
positive results. With support from other
recipients, the new transplant recipient
can know how others have managed
recovery, regained mobility, and endured
the aches and pains of transplant.
On Saturday September 12, the Vanderbilt Transplant Center hosted the Transplant
Patient Reunion and Health Fair. In celebration of the Transplant Center’s 20th
Anniversary, the center’s first joint program picnic, with heart, lung, kidney, pancreas,
and liver recipients attending, was held. Hundreds of recipients and their loved ones
came and enjoyed food, music, games, and meeting other recipients and their families!
Pictured are the heart transplant recipients and staff members who attended.
H1N1 Flu (Swine flu) Information
The H1N1 flu (Swine Flu) virus is causing illness in people in the United States
and countries around the world. The
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
expects that illnesses may continue for
some time. As a result, you or the people
around you may become ill. If so, you
need to know the symptoms and what to
do if you become sick.
Symptoms
The symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus are
much like symptoms of seasonal flu. The
symptoms include:
• Fever above 101oor 2 to 3 degrees
above your normal body tempurature
• Sore throat
• Fatigue
• Cough
• Headache
• Runny nose
• Chills
• Stuffy nose
• Some people also report diarrhea and
vomiting
If you are having any of the above
symptoms please call your Primary Care
Physician’s office or the Transplant
Center immediately
Avoid Contact with Others
If you are sick, you may be ill for a week
or longer. You should stay home and
keep away from others as much as possible, including avoiding travel and not
going to work or school, for at least 24
hours after your fever is gone, except to
get medical care or for other necessities.
(Your fever should be gone without the
use of fever-reducing medicine. Use only
those medications that have been approved by the Transplant Center or PCP.)
If you leave the house — wear a facemask
and cover your coughs and sneezes with
a tissue. Make sure to throw away the
tissue into the trash when you are done.
With seasonal flu, you may be contagious
from one day before you develop symptoms to up to seven days after you get
sick. People infected with the H1N1 are
likely to have similar patterns of infectiousness as with seasonal flu.
Treatment is
Available for Those
Who Are Seriously Ill
It is expected that most people
will recover without needing
medical care. If you have severe
illness or you are at high risk for
flu complications, contact your
PCP or the Transplant Center.
We will determine whether flu
testing or treatment is needed.
Antiviral drugs can be given to
treat those who become severely
ill with influenza. These antiviral
drugs are prescription medicines
and must be prescribed by a
health care professional.
Emergency Warning
Signs
• If you become ill and experience any of the following
warning signs, seek emergency
medical care.
•Difficulty breathing or
shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or
abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting or flu
like symptoms that improve but return
with fever and worsening cough
Protect Yourself, Your
Family, and Community
• Wash your hands often with soap and
water, especially after you cough or
sneeze. Alcohol-based disinfectant gels
also work well
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and
mouth — this is how germs are spread
• Try to avoid close contact with sick
people
• If you are sick and sharing a common
space with other household members
in your home, wear a facemask, if
available, to help prevent spreading the
virus to others
Vanderbilt Heart Transplant’s
New Staff Members
Tricia L. Grannemann, RN, BSN graduated from Barnes
College of Nursing
at the University of
Missouri—St. Louis.
She has a Bachelor
of Science in Nursing degree and has
been a nurse for 11
years. She has practiced primarily in
critical care and cardiology. Tricia started
at Vanderbilt in February 2009, after
moving from Missouri. She comes from
a very small town there, where she has
lived for most of her life. She has friends
and family in Tennessee though and
has visited Nashville many times before
moving here. So big city living is a big
change for her. But, she loves the city and
is excited to be working for Vanderbilt.
Heart transplant is her home now and
Tricia is looking forward to meeting each
and every one of you.
Vaccination
At this time the H1N1 (Swine Flu)
vaccine is being tested only in healthy
children and adults. We are unsure if this
vaccine will be safe for those patients
who have decreased immune systems.
The Transplant Center encourages you to
get a regular flu vaccination this year and
every year.
If you have any questions, please call
the Heart Transplant Center at
(615) 936-3500
Reference
www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
“What to Do If You Get Flu-Like
Symptoms” August 2009.
Tara Kalinchak, Data Management
Specialist, has been
with Vanderbilt
Heart Transplant
for about 5 months.
However, she has
worked for Vanderbilt for 3 years. She
is the Data Management Specialist for
Transplant, so she is
the one who answers the phone when you
call. She started in the Pediatric Orthopedics department as a Nurse Tech. She
also worked in Occupational Health, Ob/
GYN and Otolaryngology. She has been
doing office administrative work for over
10 years and is honored to be a part of
the transplant team. She looks forward to
serving your needs in the near future.
Steve Joggerst is the new transplant fellow. He was born
and raised in Saint
Louis, Mo and attended college at
Saint Louis University. From there he
moved to New York
City to attend medical school at Columbia University. He
met his wife in medical school and the
two of them moved to Nashville in 2006
to begin residency at Vanderbilt. He and
his wife have greatly enjoyed their time
in Nashville. They do not have kids but
do have two Labrador Retrievers named
Cash and Carter. Steve will be moving to
Houston, TX in July of 2010 to continue
his Cardiology Training.
Steve Janson, Data Management Specialist, grew up
in Raleigh, North
Carolina. After
high school, Steve
lived and studied in
Scotland for a year
before moving to
Nashville to study
drums/percussion at The Blair
School of Music here at Vanderbilt. After
graduating, he worked at the Occupational Health Clinic as a Patient Service
Representative before moving to the
Heart Transplant program. He has visited
many different countries. He is the drummer for the local band Thief, based out
of Murfreesboro. He encourages you to
come to one of his shows, or to just stop
by his desk sometime and say hello.
Caroline Mauldin, formerly Caroline
Makey, was recently married! Please
be aware of her new name change.
But she’s still our same wonderful Nurse
Practioner.
Getting the
Calcium You
Need
Most of us have heard that we
should drink milk for strong
bones. But most people still have
no idea how much calcium (the
mineral in milk that promotes
bone health) they actually need.
So knowing how much calcium
you need — and then actually
getting that amount, is incredibly
important.
In general, adults ages
19 to 50 need 1000 mg
calcium per day. Adults
older than 50 and women that are postmenopausal should consume
1200 mg calcium per
day. Getting enough
calcium is especially important if
you have had a transplant, since
certain medications taken after
transplant increase your body’s
need for calcium and place you at
higher risk of developing osteoporosis. Adults who have had a
transplant should aim for 1200 to
1500 mg of calcium each day.
Good sources of calcium include
milk (300 mg per cup), yogurt
(200 mg per 4 ounces) , low
fat cheese (102 mg per ounce),
calcium fortified orange juice (350
mg per cup), calcium fortified soy
milk (300 mg per cup), nonfat dry
milk (100 mg per tablespoon),
turnip greens (100 mg per ½ cup
cooked), collard greens (100 mg
per ½ cup cooked), and kale (100
mg per ½ cup cooked). Also, you
can increase the calcium content
of many foods by adding nonfat
dry milk to items like casseroles,
or try substituting plain yogurt for
sour cream in recipes.
Please see back page for a
refreshing recipe.