Hey Grendel...
I'm not certain about EVERYTHING you're asking about -- I would review some of your questions with your transplant team...
It's not that you have to stay away from fresh (uncooked) fruits & vegetables -- it's that you have to wash/treat them appropriately... They need to be cleaned (and sometimes soaked) with an acidic or base solution that will kill most of the bacteria that bothers us... A lot of people use a vinegar or lemon juice solution (a few tablespoons in a pint of water - 1/4 cup in a gallon) to spray or soak fruits or veggies you're going to eat raw... Doing that should probably be for the rest of your life -- actually, it would be healthy for ANYONE, but imperative for immune suppressed folks like us...
If you've lived with pets / animals all of your life -- your system (even though it's going to be suppressed) has probably developed some antibodies to deal with problems those particular animals might cause... You probably shouldn't introduce new animals though... And we're generally advised way-against birds or reptiles...
Similarly -- in your living environment -- if you live on a farm and are constantly exposed to a farm environment -- you probably have an immune system that will deal with those problems better than a city-boy like me... I'm certain that, for the first several months to year, you should be much more vigilant and try to avoid the manure situations and soil situations -- possibly wear a mask when you're in the middle of those situations (and not a simple surgical mask -- more like a "duckbill" mask that seals around your face -- I think they might be "N95" masks)
The first 3-6 months post transplant we are generally the most vulnerable -- our immune suppression levels are at their highest... After 3-6 months, our levels are gradually reduced -- and by 1-2 years post, we will usually run at a lower immune suppression level for most of the rest of our lives -- they may lower it further 5-6 years out or if our kidneys start getting more compromised... However -- all bets are off if we have a bumpy road or deal with common bouts of rejection or other problems -- our immune suppression levels may stay ramped up higher if some of those things happen, and we may stay vulnerable longer...
I'm aware of a number of CF post transplant contacts who were born and raised, and currently live in farm environments -- and they're doing just fine... I'm aware of other friends in the same boat who love horses and have been around them all of their lives -- and they're around them again, months after transplant, without consequence and with their transplant team's blessings...
As of last week -- I'm 14 years post transplant... My limitations are few -- I do wash any fresh fruits & veggies -- I don't eat at salad bars or buffets... I'm VERY active -- though I do watch my environment... If I'm in a dusty, dirty area with obvious airborne contaminants, I leave or wear a mask (and still try to leave...) I think I'd be very nervous being exposed to manure consistently -- but I think soil and gardening might even be more dangerous...
Again -- I believe that you need to review this with your transplant team -- and hopefully you're at a large transplant institution who has patients exposed to many different environments, so they have a strong understanding of many and don't just tell you who hole-up for the next 10 years!!!
Love, Steve
