Kidney transplant

What can I expect after transplant surgery? Recovery after kidney transplant surgery can be different for every person. In general, this is what to expect. Recover in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery Your transplant team will closely watch your recovery while you are in the hospital. It is common to feel some discomfort in the first week after surgery. Your belly area and side may be sore, and you may also feel weak and tired while you are healing. Usually, it is best to get up and start slowly moving around one day after surgery. Your new kidney may start working right away, and you will have more energy. If your new kidney takes a few days to start working, you will need dialysis for a short time until it starts working. Go to follow-up visits with your doctor Before, or soon after you leave the hospital, you will schedule follow-up visits with your doctor. Your transplant center will talk with you about your specific schedule. For example, during the first month after you leave the hospital, you may have doctor visits and lab work 1-2 times a week. Over time, you will have fewer visits and blood draws per week. If you live far from the transplant center, you will need to make a plan to get to your follow-up visits. Talk to your transplant center about resources and programs to help you with travel and lodging. Many doctors offer telehealth (video or telephone) visits as an option. Ask your doctor's office if you can schedule some telehealth visits, instead of in-...

A free self-paced online guide to transplant evaluation and getting on the waitlist. Register Today Considering and Preparing for a Kidney Transplant • • • • • • • • • • Living Kidney Donation • • • • Finding a Living Donor • • • • • After Kidney Transplant • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Other Transplant Information • • •

There are more than 106,000 people on the national If you need a new kidney, consider a living donor kidney transplant. If you want a kidney transplant, you will need to be evaluated by a transplant center first. If you have two healthy kidneys, you may be able to donate one of your kidneys to enhance or save someone else's life. Both you and the recipient of your kidney (the person who got your kidney) can live with just one healthy kidney. How can I be a living kidney donor? If you are interested in • Contact the transplant center where a transplant candidate is registered. • You will need to have an • If you are a match, healthy and willing to donate, you and the recipient can schedule the transplant at a time that works for both of you. • If you are not a match for the intended recipient, but still want to donate your kidney so that the recipient you know can receive a kidney that is a match, paired kidney exchange may be an option for you. Another way to donate a kidney while you are alive is to give a kidney to someone you do not necessarily know. This is called living non-directed donation. If you are interested in donating a kidney to someone you do not know, the transplant center might ask you to donate a kidney when you are a match for someone who is waiting for a kidney in your area, or as part of kidney paired donation. You will never be forced to donate. Another way to donate a kidney while you are alive is to give a kidney to someone you do not necessarily kn...

First, you must have an evaluation by a transplant center to decide if you are ready for the kidney transplant. If the evaluation team decides you are ready, the next step is to find a kidney match. Your transplant team will help you with this. There are other things you will need to prepare for, like paying for your transplant and for the medicines you will take after. You will also need to prepare for the transplant surgery itself. Evaluation for transplant Before you know if you qualify for a kidney transplant , you must have a full health evaluation by a transplant team at a transplant center. The evaluation will help the transplant team decide if you are ready for the kidney transplant. If the transplant team decides you are ready, the next step will be for your transplant team to help you find a kidney match. On the day of the evaluation, you and your family will meet the members of the transplant team. The evaluation may take only one day, or it could take several days. You will need to have several health tests and exams at the transplant center before the transplant team can decide whether the surgery will be safe for you. The tests you may need include: • Blood and tissue type tests • Tests for HIV and hepatitis • Prostate exam (for men) • Mammogram and Pap smear (for women) • Heart and lung exams • Kidney and liver tests • Colon exam (colonoscopy) Since a kidney transplant is a major life change, it is important that you are not only physically ready, but mental...

If the donor's blood type works with your blood type, the donor will take the next blood test (tissue typing). The Rh factor (+ or -) of blood does not matter. The following blood types are compatible: • Donors with blood type A… can donate to recipients with blood types A and AB • Donors with blood type B… can donate to recipients with blood types B and AB • Donors with blood type AB… can donate to recipients with blood type AB only • Donors with blood type O… can donate to recipients with blood types A, B, AB and O (O is the universal donor: donors with O blood are compatible with any other blood type) So, • Recipients with blood type O… can receive a kidney from blood type O only • Recipients with blood type A… can receive a kidney from blood types A and O • Recipients with blood type B… can receive a kidney from blood types B and O • Recipients with blood type AB… can receive a kidney from blood types A, B, AB and O (AB is the universal recipient: recipients with AB blood are compatible with any other blood type) If blood types are not compatible, the donor still may be able to donate directly to you using treatments that lower your blood antibody levels. In addition, the donor may consider donating through a paired exchange program which would allow you to get a kidney from another donor who is not a match for their intended recipient. Talk with your transplant coordinator for more information and additional support. What is Tissue Typing? The first blood test is to d...

Overview A living-donor transplant is a surgical procedure to remove an organ or portion of an organ from a living person and place it in another person whose organ is no longer functioning properly. The popularity of living-organ donation has increased dramatically in recent years as an alternative to deceased-organ donation due to the growing need for organs for transplantation and shortage of available deceased-donor organs. More than 5,700 living-organ donations are reported each year in the United States. Living-kidney donation is the most common type of living-donor transplant. Individuals can donate one of their two kidneys. The remaining kidney is able to perform necessary functions. Living donors can also donate a portion of their livers. The remaining liver regenerates, grows back to nearly its original size and performs its typical functions. Kidney and liver transplants are the most common types of living-donor organ procedures. However, living people may also donate tissues for transplantation — such as skin, bone marrow and blood-forming cells. Start Your Donor Evaluation Begin the process of becoming a living kidney or liver donor by clicking here to complete a health history questionnaire. Living-organ donation types There are two types of living-organ donation. Directed donation This is the most common type of living-donor organ donation. In this type, the donor directs the organ to a specific recipient for transplant. The donor may be: • A first-degree re...

A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure that’s done to treat People whose kidneys have failed usually undergo a treatment called Some people whose kidneys have failed may qualify for a kidney transplant. In this procedure, one or both kidneys are replaced with donor kidneys from a live or deceased person. There are pros and cons to both dialysis and kidney transplants. Undergoing dialysis takes time and is labor-intensive. Dialysis often requires making frequent trips to a dialysis center to receive treatment. At the dialysis center, your blood is cleansed using a dialysis machine. If you’re a candidate to have dialysis in your home, you’ll need to purchase dialysis supplies and learn how to use them. A kidney transplant can free you from a long-term dependence on a dialysis machine and the strict schedule that goes with it. This can allow you to live a more active life. However, kidney transplants aren’t suitable for everyone. This includes people with active infections and those who are severely overweight. During a kidney transplant, your surgeon will take a donated kidney and place it in your body. Even though you’re born with two kidneys, you can lead a healthy life with only one functioning kidney. After the transplant, you’ll have to take immune-suppressing medications to keep your immune system from attacking the new organ. A kidney transplant may be an option if your kidneys have stopped working entirely. This condition is called In addition to putting you on ...

If you have a new organ transplant, you are probably wondering if your diet will differ from the one you followed before your transplant. You can get help in planning your diet after transplant from your doctor and dietitian. Do I need to be on a special diet? Yes. After an organ transplant, your diet still plays a big role. If you were on dialysis and had a kidney transplant, you may find that this diet is easier to follow than the one you were on during dialysis. Will any of my medicine affect my diet? Yes. Your diet may be affected by medicines you need to prevent rejection of your new kidney transplant. Some common anti-rejection medicines that may affect your diet include: • steroids (prednisone) • cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral, Gengraf) • tacrolimus (Prograf) • azathioprine (Imuran) • mycophenolate (CellCept) • Sirolimus (Rapamune) This list will continue to grow as new medicines are developed. These medicines may change the way your body works in different ways. Some of these medicines can cause increases in appetite, blood fats (like cholesterol and triglycerides), blood sugar levels, potassium, and blood pressure. Some may also lower magnesium and other minerals. Your medical team will monitor these changes over time. A free, self-paced online program about what to expect in the first year after transplant and beyond. Sign Up Today Will I gain weight? Many people have a better appetite after they get a transplant, and they gain unwanted weight. It is important ...