- A kidney transplant is surgery to place a healthy kidney from a donor into your body. A donor is a person who has just died or a living person, most often a family member.
- Transplantation is not for everyone. Your health care provider may tell you that you are not healthy enough for surgery or that you have a condition that would make transplantation unlikely to succeed.
- You will have a thorough physical, psychological, and social evaluation at the transplant center, where you will meet members of your transplant team. Your pretransplant evaluation may require several visits to the transplant center over the course of weeks or even months.
- Your transplant team has many members, including your
- surgeon
- nephrologist
- transplant coordinator
- social worker
- dietitian
- If your medical evaluation shows you are a good candidate for a transplant, your transplant center will submit your name to be placed on the national waiting list for a kidney from a deceased donor.
- If you have a living donor, you do not need to be placed on the waiting list and can schedule the surgery when it is convenient for you and your donor.
- While you are on the waiting list, notify the transplant center of changes in your health. Also, let the transplant center know if you move or change phone numbers. The center will need to find you immediately when a kidney becomes available.
- If you are on a waiting list for a deceased donor kidney, you must go to the hospital as soon as you receive notification that a kidney is available.
- You will receive general anesthesia to make you sleep during the operation. The surgery usually takes 3 or 4 hours.
- You will typically need to stay in the hospital for several days to recover from surgery, and longer if you have any complications. You will have regular follow-up visits after leaving the hospital.
- Your immune system will sense that your new kidney is foreign. To keep your body from rejecting it, you will have to take medicines, called immunosuppressants, that turn off, or suppress, your immune system response. Be sure you understand the instructions for taking your medicines before you leave the hospital.
- Often, rejection begins before any signs appear. The signs of rejection include high blood pressure or swelling because your kidney is not getting rid of extra salt and fluid in your body.
- Even if you do everything you should, your body may still reject the new kidney, and you may need to go on dialysis.
- Blood tests help you know that your new kidney is working. Your blood tests may show that your kidney is not removing wastes from your blood as well as it should. You may have other signs that your body is rejecting your new kidney. If these problems occur, your transplant surgeon or nephrologist may order a kidney biopsy.
- Immunosuppressants weaken your immune system, which can lead to infections. In some people, over long periods of time, a weakened immune system can increase their risk of developing cancer. Some immunosuppressants cause cataracts, diabetes, extra stomach acid, high blood pressure, and bone disease. When used over time, these medicines may also cause liver or kidney damage in some people. Your transplant team will order regular tests to monitor the levels of immunosuppressants in your blood and to measure your liver and kidney function.
- Your social worker can help you locate resources for financial help.
- Through patient-assistance programs, prescription drug companies give discounts to people who can show they cannot afford the cost of their prescribed medicines. Social workers can help patients complete applications to these programs.
- Your transplant center’s dietitian can help you understand the reasons for dietary limits, recognize foods you should avoid, and plan healthy and tasty meals.
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