Most of us know little about transplantation when we become involved either as a patient or a family member. We all have many questions and will be asked questions by others. Where do we get the answers?

The best single source of information is your transplant team. Don’t be shy about asking anything and everything you want to know. In our experience, these medical teams encourage questions and do their best to answer clearly and honestly. But you may find it useful to get information from more than one source, and research may actually help you formulate additional questions. There are some excellent publications available, some of which are listed below. As you will quickly see, there are a variety of publications.

One important fact to keep in mind when reading anything about transplantation is that the field is moving forward quickly. You should be sure that what you are reading is fairly current. One TRIO member reports that she picked up a medical book in a bookstore shortly after finding out that her husband needed a liver transplant. She quickly flipped to the page that discussed the topic and read that liver transplants can extend life "for up to 6 months or more." The book was over 10 years old at the time, and the reader aged at least that much in the few seconds it took to check the publication date. We suggest you start by checking the publication date.

Note: Another thing to keep in mind is that transplantation is not exactly a mainstream subject. When books are first published, they are generally available in bookstores, but since they don’t tend to be best-sellers, they quickly get relegated to warehouses and bargain book outlets. Your local library is a good resource, as are medical bookstores such as those located at Georgetown and George Washington Universities. Fairfax County (Virginia) libraries have many of the books listed below. Check your local library. Finally, when available, we have provided information you can use to order directly from a supplier. We suggest verifying any prices before ordering.