Rejection is when the heart thinks your heart is a germ and tries to get rid of it.  If you have rejection, you come to the hospital quickly and are treated.  When people have rejection they can tell from:   
1.  fever (100.5 or higher)   
2.  shortness of breath   
3.  A feeling that you have to throw up   
4.  Drop in blood pressure (less than 100/60)   
5.  Your heart is beating faster and skipping some beats   
6.  Feeling tired   
7.  Swollen ankles   
8.  Weight gain of two or more pounds in one day   
9.  No feeling ìquite rightî, flu-type aches and pains   

There are several kinds of rejection.  They are common and a lifelong problem.  
Hyperacute:  a severe form of rejection,  happens within minutes or hours of the transplant and the new heart must be taken out.  There is not treatment.  The monthly blood test help prevent this.  
Acute:  the most common type of rejection, usually occurs after the first week and within six months of surgery.  However, it can happen any time.  
Chronic: this can happen any time, even years later.  
The most common rejection is not taking your medicine, skipping days, or taking wrong dose.  The medicine is to lessen the number or severity of rejection but will not completely prevent it.  

Medicine  

Why do you have to take medicine?   
1.  The medicine helps to keep your body form rejecting the new heart.   
2.  The medicines must be taken every day or the heart mill be rejected.   
After a new heart, medicines are important to keep the heart healthy.  Some medicines help prevent rejection other illnesses and infections.   

What happens if you forget a dose of medicine?   
If you forget and skip a dose of medicine take it right away.  If you canít remember if you took one or not just wait for the time for the next dose.  Also, never take more than needed.   

After a heart transplant you will have something done called a Cardiac Biopsy.  It helps determine rejection.  Biopsies are done once a week for the first six to eight weeks and then less frequently.  How it is done is with anesthetic and a small incision (cut) will be made on the side of the neck.  This may feel like a bee sting with some pressure in the neck area.  Someone will put into a neck vein and into the right side of your heart a special catheter (bioptome).  This will take four to five small pieces of heat tissue.  This test usually takes thirty minutes and the test results will be in the same day.