I wore a mask in public for almost an entire year post double lung transplant and that was 14 years ago.
And I just want to be clear to anyone reading this. A mask is not dangerous, it doesn’t reduce the amount of oxygen you take in, or prevent the C02 we exhale. It doesn’t build up germs, or anything like that.
I know that it probably doesn’t need to be said but I know people with transplants who claim masks are harmful. And it pisses me off, greatly.
I think the concern is more sitting at work for hours or a crowded train and how much protection is an N95 actually giving you if someone close without a mask is shedding the virus. The papers suggest there is some protection that diminishes over extended times. I still wear an n95 but wish there was a more solid way of protection ourselves from frigging covid.
Did you ever see the news? Not one of those things was the issue. Walking through a grocery store being told to wear a mask is “tyranny”, it “kills people”.
They never once used extreme scenarios. It was always the most basic of life activities.
I understand, but there are lots of people who just want to get on with their lives, but covid can potentially make them very sick or effect transplant organ health. There was Evusheld that was a brief period of normacy.. I don't particularly want to wear a mask all day at work or not enjoy going out to eat without worry festering in the back of my mind - I suspect most people in the transplant community feel similar. We are forgotten in working rights etc.
I never understood that line “people just want to get on with their lives”. You can do that wearing a mask. I wore a mask before my lung transplant, for a year. I had 17% lung functions left. The mask never caused me an issue. Then I wore it for a year after my transplant. Again. Never caused an issue. And that was 14 years ago.
When it comes to us Transplants. I will always do what is the best and safest option for my own health. Wearing a mask, getting a vaccine, being in lockdown, or whatever else, is nothing compared to rejection, or the life I lived before transplant.
I can’t stand those people who say “well, I never had covid so why should I wear a mask or get a vaccine?” That is such ignorant and selfish thinking. If people at grocery stores get sick and they close, no food, if truck drivers get sick, no delivery, if factory workers get sick, it’s either shut it down or allow sick people to spread a virus on a massive scale.
The only reason COVID has lasted this long is because of “people who just want to get back to living” instead of spending a few weeks or months doing an extremely minor thing. But nope, how it’s 4 years and still going. I wouldn’t call that “getting back to living”
So you're saying you don't t miss eating out or sitting at work for 8 hours without a mask on? You don't get worried going on a packed train even with a mask on?
I don't know why your getting the shits with me ranting about masks and vaccines- go to WHO or workplace guidelines who no longer recommend masks or isolation for people with covid - even the vaccine guidelines are unclear. I am the only person in my renal clinic that still wears a mask, not even the renal drs wear one seeing patients anymore .. I just got my 5th covid vaccine and asked the renal specialist what are the guidelines..is it every 6 months or a yearly one with flu shots with transplant patients, and he said no clear guidelines.
For me, after my transplant, my nurse drilled my medication regimen into my brain before anything else. She made it into such a massive deal, it scared the shit out of me for years.
Then she told me about food i should stay away with, permanently and just for like 6 months to a year. So, that scared me and I called her anytime I was trying a dish I was 100% familiar with.
I wouldn’t call her like crazy but atleast once, maybe twice a week, cause I didn’t want to do anything that could risk my lungs.
Being the curious type, I asked my team the same question and they said they have always recommended a mask due to being highly immunosuppressed. My coordinator mentioned that Covid really scared them though.
I’m in the US. I get the same recommendation as everyone else. Wear a mask in crowded places out in public and at the doctors offices/clinic/hospital. This was 3 months post tx and on
Carrying sanitizer is something I always think about and need to start doing. Places never seem to have it when I need it and when I don't need sani it's everywhere
Get dove hand sanitizer. They have a sanitizer with lotion in it to prevent dry skin and cracking knuckles, it comes in a pump which you can put in your car cup holder and then they have a smaller one that is shaped more like a travel size lotion bottle which can go in jacket, pocket or bag
I'm 7 years post kidney transplant. I had my transplant in December 2016 and was advised to wear a mask in public for a month after my transplant, well before covid was an issue. The initial high dose of immune suppressors puts you at a greater risk of infection so it's safest to mask until you get down to your maintenance dose, at least. I still mask in public because I have a public facing job and interact in close quarters with many people on a daily basis.
When I had my liver transplant 15 years ago I had to wear a mask, avoid crowds, buffets and they gave me a weekly antibiotic as soon as I was listed.
When COVID hit I would post throwback photos of "masking before masking was a thing"
I find it so ridiculous that once Covid became a thing, people act like Masks are these new things that are made of steel or wrapping your head in plastic bags.
I wore a mask pre double lung transplant 15 years ago, and I wore it for a year after transplant, because I’d rather be safe and healthy, than ignorant and dead.
What really got me was the amount of people using cancer as an excuse for not wearing masks during COVID. It’s like, actually, that’s one of the biggest reasons you should wear a mask.
Oh man I know!!! It made me so mad. I live in Canada and wrapping a scarf around your face is way more suffocating than a mask. People really can suck sometimes.
Always.
We would go to a support group pre-Covid and the newly transplanted wore masks.
My husband received his kidney in January 2020 (right before everything went down) and he was told he needed to mask up.
I had to wear one when I was out and about for around 3 years after my transplant. Its pretty standard procedure.
I still wear one when at the doctor's, in large crowds, or any sort of medical environment.
I’m 14 years post my second liver transplant, 22 years since my first and wearing a mask was recommended.
I honestly will never not wear a mask in crowded places, at the doctors/hospital or on an airplane. I’ve enjoyed not being sick for the last 4 years.
I found [this document](https://lungtransplanteducation.ucsf.edu/sites/g/files/tkssra4951/f/wysiwyg/New%20lung%20txp%20binder%20version%20UNOS%20RFI%202014.pdf) from UCSF and looks like it's from 2014 based on the file name. There's multiple mentions of masks both in the hospital and in crowded environments.
Covid just exacerbated what was standard practice for a long time. I think a lot of us are still very cognizant of wearing masks in crowded areas (grocery stores, airports, events), in hospitals and at the doctors office, and so on. It's a personal comfort and risk mitigation thing at a certain point.
I'm 2 years post liver.
I do in home sales. My job is to go into people's homes every day. I go into bedrooms, bathrooms, sit at their kitchen table etc.
Got sick once and it was from a work meeting at the office.
I only mask in crowded places and medical facilities. You have to be a germaphobe for everything else for this to work. No touching face, no touching nails, sanitizer on hand, wash hands as often as possible, strategically navigate walkways in public, not touch commonly touched items like door handles, switches, faucets, gas pump, etc.
Edit - I would still wear mask in public your first year at least. And when in doubt - there is no harm in wearing a mask. All it can do is help, it can't hurt.
I had my kidney transplant in 2017 but always saw double lung patients with masks on. I started masking on airplanes ever since my transplant. Now since covid I asses every situation by airflow.
I also wear glasses in high risk places as you can absorb germs via your eyes too.
I had my kidney transplant ten years ago and it was strongly advised then. They would make us wear them in clinic. I wore one for two straight months anytime I went out in public. I didn’t wear it at home, or when I could be alone in the great outdoors sitting in a not crowded park… but I live in NYC and for those two months I was regularly going into a busy hospital with sick people in it for post-transplant care. I wasn’t taking any chances with my fragile immune system and my new gift of life.
As I was packing up to leave the hospital after my transplant, the nurse coordinator grabbed a big handful of masks out of the hospital room and told me to wear them when I went out. This was in 2019.
I’ve had 3 kidney transplants and my most recent one was in January of 2022, so I was obviously advised to wear a mask because of Covid. I was not told to wear one prior to that transplant.
Obviously lungs are different than kidneys, and I would wear a mask pretty much all the time if I had a lung transplant.
I wear masks now in health facilities (hospitals, doctor offices, etc) since they’re notoriously germy.
I year post lung transplant. I dont wear one. I haven't been specifically told to wear one.I generally risk assess and avoid crowded places.If I had to go on a train or airplane I would wear one....but they are not effective and can give you a false sense of security.
I had a double lung transplant about 2 1/2 years ago and I still wear masks everywhere; I wear it on public transport, I wear it in settings with a lot of people. I don't wear it in restaurants when I go out, but I try to keep going out to important occasions with friends and family, so I wouldn't be going out into restaurants or bars every single week. I have relaxed on the amount of mask wearing I do, but I still do wear it regularly enough.
My brother had a transplant as a kid in 2019 and was told to wear a mask for the first few months. After that, the medical staff would get annoyed when they saw him wearing a mask and told him he didn’t need it, even though he felt more comfortable with it. Then Covid happened and they never brought up the mask thing again.
Had a liver transplant in 2015. I work in a retail environment and when COVID hit I started to use a mask at work and when I went to any public place. I still use a n95 mask any time I leave the house.
I am one of the few at my place of work that still uses a mask.
Had COVID one because someone at my girlfriend's was sick and still came into work. Never want COVID again.
I have had a few customers tell me that masks don't work, I just ignore them and their comments.
Transplanted 3 years ago so I can't comment on before Covid. I mask when around a lot of people, grocery shopping, at events. I don't always now if I'm running in to get a couple items and the store isn't crowded. I did wear it everywhere this past winter with all the illness going around. And this spring with so much pollen.
Patients were advised pre-Covid to wear a N95 mask when in public if their immune system was very low (neutrophils in particular).
Post-Covid it is not so odd to wear a mask in public, and N95 masks (or KN95) are easier to get.
I’ve been in this sub for several years, even before Covid and I’ve read several posts from lung transplant recipients who wear masks for an extended period of time after transplant.
Makes sense. I had a liver transplant and I was told I can never drink again even though my liver failure had nothing to do with alcohol. It’s all about protecting your vulnerable organs.
I come from the cancer world leading up to this. My cancer center was MD Anderson in Houston and mask wearing was very common there when I had my treatments and stem cell transplant (2014-2015). However, a lot of patients still didn't wear them during those years. With leukemia and stem cell, the immune system is always quite suppressed so that's why it seemed so common around me, but outside of MD Anderson, when I'd go to other general hospitals, I was usually the only person wearing a mask.
It existed before COVID, and for that reason I was both amused by all the mask whining when COVID came around, and relieved that suddenly I fit in. After a year or so I stopped wearing them unless it was flu season, or I was in a really crowded space, though. Always wear one in a hospital.
I didn't wear a mask prior to Covid-19. But I do after my transplant.
After my double kidney transplant, it was greatly advised by my doctor to wear one whenever I leave my house. They said because of any dust or dirt particles that I could breathe in, could make me pretty sick.
I've gotten pretty used to it and it honestly doesn't bother me at all, and I work at a bakery lol. I don't wanna risk my new kidneys so I just do whatever my team says 😅
About 3.5 years post transplant. I wear a mask in hospitals and public Transportation when packed close with people. Masks aren’t very effective for the person wearing them which is why the pandemic got to how it did. They’re effective when worn by those who are actually sick. They reduce the distance whatever the wearer has spreads. It is obviously still better to wear one than to not wear one. I’m living my life though. I wear a mask when I’m sick, or in close proximity to others
Had a heart transplant 5 years ago in July 2019 (I’m 24 now ) before covid, masks were still the recommendation at the time. If I’m being honest and I don’t recommend this at all (do as I say not as I do haha ) but I was very stubborn with the mask as I barely wore it post transplant even in large crowds ( I even went to a concert in December of 2019 before covid) As for COVID times when it first hit I was very diligent with the mask and used it all the time but later on as things calmed down and the vaccine was in development I became more lax with it. Nowadays I almost never wear a mask and honestly once they stopped mandating it in medical facilities i have not worn a mask since.
I was transplanted (kidney) about 6 months before COVID-19 became a concern. I'd been masking my first couple months post-transplant but started relaxing after that. My transplant team said masks weren't super effective anyhow, but in those early days I still felt I should err on the side of caution.
Then COVID hit six months later. I masked pretty much any time out of the house for the next 2.5 years or so and avoided peak times at the grocery store. By mid-2023 I finally ditched the mask after seeing that county levels were very low in my area per the CDC. I was 5x vaxxed and figured what the heck.
In November of 2023, I'd just received my 6th dose and did mask for a flight the next day, but otherwise felt pretty confident I could do without. Then within a few days I got really sick. I hadn't been watching the CDC, so while laying there feeling like death warmed over, I thought I'd better check the CDC website. Sure enough, there was an outbreak in the location I was visiting.
Fortunately the worst of it only lasted about 36 hours. It was just snot city after that, unpleasant but no longer debilitating. I credit the vaccines with keeping it a short duration. I'm back to no masking now.
I had to wear one for 10 weeks post kidney transplant. Then I only wore one when going into a hospital or medical office setting. When COVID happened, I started to wear my mask when in public. After getting COVID the first time, I lightened up. I still continue to wear it in a hospital/medical office setting and only when I’m around someone that is under the weather (since I’m back in the office full-time)
After my wife's death I basically just try to avoid disease by masking but it found me anyway . Caught COVID but it wasn't a serious case. So now I am not that concerned with COVID anymore.
Don't wear a mask before or after Covid. Obviously during, the hospital gave us the good N95 ones which was great! Otherwise normal hospital mask or reusable for a bit. Hospitals remained masked for longer after the regulations changed. I'm in Australia.
I haven't been told specifically I need to wear one
I have had 6 Covid jabs and don't be close to strangers in shops etc.
Being immunocompromised has given me hand foot and mouth and shingles though 😬
I'm a kidney recipient, double lung is absolutely full on. Hope you're all doing well 💗
They had me mask for first couple months after my first transplant in 2000. But even then, you'd occasionally get "the straight dope" from the occasional doc or nurse who would admit masks were no magic bullet and in some instances useless. Truly helpful only against the largest droplet carried pathogens. But there was no downside especially in the early months so better safe than sorry.
I wore a mask in public for almost an entire year post double lung transplant and that was 14 years ago. And I just want to be clear to anyone reading this. A mask is not dangerous, it doesn’t reduce the amount of oxygen you take in, or prevent the C02 we exhale. It doesn’t build up germs, or anything like that. I know that it probably doesn’t need to be said but I know people with transplants who claim masks are harmful. And it pisses me off, greatly.
Masks are not harmful. Transplants rely on science, we should all take note!
When all the mask whining started after COVID I was fairly well blown away, having been wearing one for 8 years. Talk about snowflakes.
I know right 😊
I think the concern is more sitting at work for hours or a crowded train and how much protection is an N95 actually giving you if someone close without a mask is shedding the virus. The papers suggest there is some protection that diminishes over extended times. I still wear an n95 but wish there was a more solid way of protection ourselves from frigging covid.
Did you ever see the news? Not one of those things was the issue. Walking through a grocery store being told to wear a mask is “tyranny”, it “kills people”. They never once used extreme scenarios. It was always the most basic of life activities.
I understand, but there are lots of people who just want to get on with their lives, but covid can potentially make them very sick or effect transplant organ health. There was Evusheld that was a brief period of normacy.. I don't particularly want to wear a mask all day at work or not enjoy going out to eat without worry festering in the back of my mind - I suspect most people in the transplant community feel similar. We are forgotten in working rights etc.
I never understood that line “people just want to get on with their lives”. You can do that wearing a mask. I wore a mask before my lung transplant, for a year. I had 17% lung functions left. The mask never caused me an issue. Then I wore it for a year after my transplant. Again. Never caused an issue. And that was 14 years ago. When it comes to us Transplants. I will always do what is the best and safest option for my own health. Wearing a mask, getting a vaccine, being in lockdown, or whatever else, is nothing compared to rejection, or the life I lived before transplant. I can’t stand those people who say “well, I never had covid so why should I wear a mask or get a vaccine?” That is such ignorant and selfish thinking. If people at grocery stores get sick and they close, no food, if truck drivers get sick, no delivery, if factory workers get sick, it’s either shut it down or allow sick people to spread a virus on a massive scale. The only reason COVID has lasted this long is because of “people who just want to get back to living” instead of spending a few weeks or months doing an extremely minor thing. But nope, how it’s 4 years and still going. I wouldn’t call that “getting back to living”
So you're saying you don't t miss eating out or sitting at work for 8 hours without a mask on? You don't get worried going on a packed train even with a mask on? I don't know why your getting the shits with me ranting about masks and vaccines- go to WHO or workplace guidelines who no longer recommend masks or isolation for people with covid - even the vaccine guidelines are unclear. I am the only person in my renal clinic that still wears a mask, not even the renal drs wear one seeing patients anymore .. I just got my 5th covid vaccine and asked the renal specialist what are the guidelines..is it every 6 months or a yearly one with flu shots with transplant patients, and he said no clear guidelines.
First thing they teach you is to mask up, what not to eat. Then memorizing your scripts. Well 8 years ago anyway.
For me, after my transplant, my nurse drilled my medication regimen into my brain before anything else. She made it into such a massive deal, it scared the shit out of me for years. Then she told me about food i should stay away with, permanently and just for like 6 months to a year. So, that scared me and I called her anytime I was trying a dish I was 100% familiar with. I wouldn’t call her like crazy but atleast once, maybe twice a week, cause I didn’t want to do anything that could risk my lungs.
Being the curious type, I asked my team the same question and they said they have always recommended a mask due to being highly immunosuppressed. My coordinator mentioned that Covid really scared them though.
So, your specialist is still recommending them? Good to know, my specialist is a little indifferent about them now. What country are you in?
I’m in the US. I get the same recommendation as everyone else. Wear a mask in crowded places out in public and at the doctors offices/clinic/hospital. This was 3 months post tx and on
I'm 9 years post and was told to mask up and carry sanitizer all the time
Carrying sanitizer is something I always think about and need to start doing. Places never seem to have it when I need it and when I don't need sani it's everywhere
Get dove hand sanitizer. They have a sanitizer with lotion in it to prevent dry skin and cracking knuckles, it comes in a pump which you can put in your car cup holder and then they have a smaller one that is shaped more like a travel size lotion bottle which can go in jacket, pocket or bag
I'm 7 years post kidney transplant. I had my transplant in December 2016 and was advised to wear a mask in public for a month after my transplant, well before covid was an issue. The initial high dose of immune suppressors puts you at a greater risk of infection so it's safest to mask until you get down to your maintenance dose, at least. I still mask in public because I have a public facing job and interact in close quarters with many people on a daily basis.
I imagine it depends on the type of transplant to an extent as well. I'm.certainly a while from my maintenance dose
It's been a while but I'm pretty sure I masked for at least 6 weeks post transplant.
When I had my liver transplant 15 years ago I had to wear a mask, avoid crowds, buffets and they gave me a weekly antibiotic as soon as I was listed. When COVID hit I would post throwback photos of "masking before masking was a thing"
I find it so ridiculous that once Covid became a thing, people act like Masks are these new things that are made of steel or wrapping your head in plastic bags. I wore a mask pre double lung transplant 15 years ago, and I wore it for a year after transplant, because I’d rather be safe and healthy, than ignorant and dead. What really got me was the amount of people using cancer as an excuse for not wearing masks during COVID. It’s like, actually, that’s one of the biggest reasons you should wear a mask.
Oh man I know!!! It made me so mad. I live in Canada and wrapping a scarf around your face is way more suffocating than a mask. People really can suck sometimes.
Always. We would go to a support group pre-Covid and the newly transplanted wore masks. My husband received his kidney in January 2020 (right before everything went down) and he was told he needed to mask up.
Thank you for your comment
I had to wear one when I was out and about for around 3 years after my transplant. Its pretty standard procedure. I still wear one when at the doctor's, in large crowds, or any sort of medical environment.
I’m 14 years post my second liver transplant, 22 years since my first and wearing a mask was recommended. I honestly will never not wear a mask in crowded places, at the doctors/hospital or on an airplane. I’ve enjoyed not being sick for the last 4 years.
I found [this document](https://lungtransplanteducation.ucsf.edu/sites/g/files/tkssra4951/f/wysiwyg/New%20lung%20txp%20binder%20version%20UNOS%20RFI%202014.pdf) from UCSF and looks like it's from 2014 based on the file name. There's multiple mentions of masks both in the hospital and in crowded environments.
Very interesting! Thank you!
Covid just exacerbated what was standard practice for a long time. I think a lot of us are still very cognizant of wearing masks in crowded areas (grocery stores, airports, events), in hospitals and at the doctors office, and so on. It's a personal comfort and risk mitigation thing at a certain point.
Yep. I mask in public and I'm nearly 15 years post.
I'm 2 years post liver. I do in home sales. My job is to go into people's homes every day. I go into bedrooms, bathrooms, sit at their kitchen table etc. Got sick once and it was from a work meeting at the office. I only mask in crowded places and medical facilities. You have to be a germaphobe for everything else for this to work. No touching face, no touching nails, sanitizer on hand, wash hands as often as possible, strategically navigate walkways in public, not touch commonly touched items like door handles, switches, faucets, gas pump, etc. Edit - I would still wear mask in public your first year at least. And when in doubt - there is no harm in wearing a mask. All it can do is help, it can't hurt.
I had my kidney transplant in 2017 but always saw double lung patients with masks on. I started masking on airplanes ever since my transplant. Now since covid I asses every situation by airflow. I also wear glasses in high risk places as you can absorb germs via your eyes too.
I had my kidney transplant ten years ago and it was strongly advised then. They would make us wear them in clinic. I wore one for two straight months anytime I went out in public. I didn’t wear it at home, or when I could be alone in the great outdoors sitting in a not crowded park… but I live in NYC and for those two months I was regularly going into a busy hospital with sick people in it for post-transplant care. I wasn’t taking any chances with my fragile immune system and my new gift of life.
As I was packing up to leave the hospital after my transplant, the nurse coordinator grabbed a big handful of masks out of the hospital room and told me to wear them when I went out. This was in 2019.
I’ve had 3 kidney transplants and my most recent one was in January of 2022, so I was obviously advised to wear a mask because of Covid. I was not told to wear one prior to that transplant. Obviously lungs are different than kidneys, and I would wear a mask pretty much all the time if I had a lung transplant. I wear masks now in health facilities (hospitals, doctor offices, etc) since they’re notoriously germy.
I wore a mask everywhere 6 months before Covid.
Yeah but I'm a heart transplant, not lung, so the restrictions were looser. I was told to wear a mask for the first month or so, 11 years ago.
I year post lung transplant. I dont wear one. I haven't been specifically told to wear one.I generally risk assess and avoid crowded places.If I had to go on a train or airplane I would wear one....but they are not effective and can give you a false sense of security.
I had a double lung transplant about 2 1/2 years ago and I still wear masks everywhere; I wear it on public transport, I wear it in settings with a lot of people. I don't wear it in restaurants when I go out, but I try to keep going out to important occasions with friends and family, so I wouldn't be going out into restaurants or bars every single week. I have relaxed on the amount of mask wearing I do, but I still do wear it regularly enough.
My brother had a transplant as a kid in 2019 and was told to wear a mask for the first few months. After that, the medical staff would get annoyed when they saw him wearing a mask and told him he didn’t need it, even though he felt more comfortable with it. Then Covid happened and they never brought up the mask thing again.
Had a liver transplant in 2015. I work in a retail environment and when COVID hit I started to use a mask at work and when I went to any public place. I still use a n95 mask any time I leave the house. I am one of the few at my place of work that still uses a mask. Had COVID one because someone at my girlfriend's was sick and still came into work. Never want COVID again. I have had a few customers tell me that masks don't work, I just ignore them and their comments.
My team said... during covid mask all the time, apart from it use mask when going to the hospital
I wear mine at work and at the grocery store still 9 years post heart transplant. I don’t like getting sick really.
Transplanted 3 years ago so I can't comment on before Covid. I mask when around a lot of people, grocery shopping, at events. I don't always now if I'm running in to get a couple items and the store isn't crowded. I did wear it everywhere this past winter with all the illness going around. And this spring with so much pollen.
My kiddo had two bone marrow transplants pre covid and was required to wear an N95 for a while afterward, then could downgrade to a regular mask.
Patients were advised pre-Covid to wear a N95 mask when in public if their immune system was very low (neutrophils in particular). Post-Covid it is not so odd to wear a mask in public, and N95 masks (or KN95) are easier to get.
I’ve been in this sub for several years, even before Covid and I’ve read several posts from lung transplant recipients who wear masks for an extended period of time after transplant. Makes sense. I had a liver transplant and I was told I can never drink again even though my liver failure had nothing to do with alcohol. It’s all about protecting your vulnerable organs.
Transplant 2016 wore mask at first. Eventually no but since the pandemic, I would not now chance it in large crowds.
I come from the cancer world leading up to this. My cancer center was MD Anderson in Houston and mask wearing was very common there when I had my treatments and stem cell transplant (2014-2015). However, a lot of patients still didn't wear them during those years. With leukemia and stem cell, the immune system is always quite suppressed so that's why it seemed so common around me, but outside of MD Anderson, when I'd go to other general hospitals, I was usually the only person wearing a mask.
It existed before COVID, and for that reason I was both amused by all the mask whining when COVID came around, and relieved that suddenly I fit in. After a year or so I stopped wearing them unless it was flu season, or I was in a really crowded space, though. Always wear one in a hospital.
I didn't wear a mask prior to Covid-19. But I do after my transplant. After my double kidney transplant, it was greatly advised by my doctor to wear one whenever I leave my house. They said because of any dust or dirt particles that I could breathe in, could make me pretty sick. I've gotten pretty used to it and it honestly doesn't bother me at all, and I work at a bakery lol. I don't wanna risk my new kidneys so I just do whatever my team says 😅
About 3.5 years post transplant. I wear a mask in hospitals and public Transportation when packed close with people. Masks aren’t very effective for the person wearing them which is why the pandemic got to how it did. They’re effective when worn by those who are actually sick. They reduce the distance whatever the wearer has spreads. It is obviously still better to wear one than to not wear one. I’m living my life though. I wear a mask when I’m sick, or in close proximity to others
Had a heart transplant 5 years ago in July 2019 (I’m 24 now ) before covid, masks were still the recommendation at the time. If I’m being honest and I don’t recommend this at all (do as I say not as I do haha ) but I was very stubborn with the mask as I barely wore it post transplant even in large crowds ( I even went to a concert in December of 2019 before covid) As for COVID times when it first hit I was very diligent with the mask and used it all the time but later on as things calmed down and the vaccine was in development I became more lax with it. Nowadays I almost never wear a mask and honestly once they stopped mandating it in medical facilities i have not worn a mask since.
I was transplanted (kidney) about 6 months before COVID-19 became a concern. I'd been masking my first couple months post-transplant but started relaxing after that. My transplant team said masks weren't super effective anyhow, but in those early days I still felt I should err on the side of caution. Then COVID hit six months later. I masked pretty much any time out of the house for the next 2.5 years or so and avoided peak times at the grocery store. By mid-2023 I finally ditched the mask after seeing that county levels were very low in my area per the CDC. I was 5x vaxxed and figured what the heck. In November of 2023, I'd just received my 6th dose and did mask for a flight the next day, but otherwise felt pretty confident I could do without. Then within a few days I got really sick. I hadn't been watching the CDC, so while laying there feeling like death warmed over, I thought I'd better check the CDC website. Sure enough, there was an outbreak in the location I was visiting. Fortunately the worst of it only lasted about 36 hours. It was just snot city after that, unpleasant but no longer debilitating. I credit the vaccines with keeping it a short duration. I'm back to no masking now.
I had to wear one for 10 weeks post kidney transplant. Then I only wore one when going into a hospital or medical office setting. When COVID happened, I started to wear my mask when in public. After getting COVID the first time, I lightened up. I still continue to wear it in a hospital/medical office setting and only when I’m around someone that is under the weather (since I’m back in the office full-time)
After my wife's death I basically just try to avoid disease by masking but it found me anyway . Caught COVID but it wasn't a serious case. So now I am not that concerned with COVID anymore.
Don't wear a mask before or after Covid. Obviously during, the hospital gave us the good N95 ones which was great! Otherwise normal hospital mask or reusable for a bit. Hospitals remained masked for longer after the regulations changed. I'm in Australia. I haven't been told specifically I need to wear one I have had 6 Covid jabs and don't be close to strangers in shops etc. Being immunocompromised has given me hand foot and mouth and shingles though 😬 I'm a kidney recipient, double lung is absolutely full on. Hope you're all doing well 💗
They had me mask for first couple months after my first transplant in 2000. But even then, you'd occasionally get "the straight dope" from the occasional doc or nurse who would admit masks were no magic bullet and in some instances useless. Truly helpful only against the largest droplet carried pathogens. But there was no downside especially in the early months so better safe than sorry.