Kidney Transplantation Kidney Transplantation

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If your health allows, your nephrologistrefers you to a transplant program.

The transplant program evaluates you tosee if they agree that you are a good kidneytransplant candidate. Over weeks tomonths, you will have tests to determinewhether it is safe for you to have the kidneytransplant surgery and whether you will dowell after the kidney transplant. You may receive a kidney from a generousfamily member or friend. These living donortransplants are the best kidney transplants:they are available sooner, and last longer.The transplant center will also evaluate yourdonor to make sure that you are a match,and that it is safe for the donor to give akidney.

You will be placed on a transplant waitinglist to await a kidney from a deceaseddonor. You may have to wait several years. Youmay have to be on dialysis during this time.

What Is The Process? Kidney Transplantation Has 3 Steps:

You do not have to do dialysis You will feel healthier and have more energythan if you were on dialysis You will have fewer fluid and diet restrictionsthan if you were on dialysis You can work full time without having toworry about a dialysis schedule or side effectsYou will have fewer visits to see yournephrologist

If You Have a Successful Kidney Transplant:

If you get a kidney transplant, you likely will havea better quality of life, live longer, and behospitalized less often than if you are on dialysis.If you plan far enough in advance and have aliving donor, you may be able to avoid everstarting dialysis.

Why Would You Want a Transplant?

If Your Health Allows it, most people with kidneydisease see a kidney transplant as the best kidneyfailure treatment. The transplant takes a healthykidney from one person and puts it into someonewhose kidneys have failed. Although many peoplelive happy and productive lives on dialysis,transplant can make those lives longer and better.

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Kidney Transplant

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How Long Do You Have to Wait onthe Kidney Transplant List? If you have a family member orfriend willing to donate a kidney,you can have a kidney transplant asquickly as six months, once yourlabs show you are truly in kidneyfailure.

If you are on a deceased donorkidney transplant wait list, your waitcan be months or years. Theaverage wait varies by region but istypically 3-5 years.

While you are waiting for a kidneytransplant, you may need to startdialysis. The best thing you can dowhile you wait is to stay healthy,follow your doctors’ orders, protectyour kidneys, and avoid bloodtransfusions.

If you have a kidney donor, ahighly trained transplant surgeonwill remove the kidney from thedonor’s body and put the healthykidney in your abdominal cavity. The transplanted kidney maystart working right away or it maytake a few weeks to make urine. Your old kidneys are left in placeunless they are causing infectionor uncontrollable high bloodpressure. The average hospital stay is 5-10days after the transplant.

What About the Transplant Surgery?

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As a person not on dialysis, you usuallyneed to find a living donor to get atransplant before being on dialysis.You may have to wait a long time beforeyou get a kidney transplant if you do nothave a living donor.You will require surgery to get a kidneytransplant.You will have to take kidney transplantmedications every day for as long as youhave the kidney so that it will continue towork properly You may experience side effects fromthe kidney transplant medications. Your kidney transplant medications canbe expensive. Your kidney transplant may not last alifetime. Your body could reject the kidney. You will need to receive dialysistreatments if your body rejects thekidney.

In Our Opinion,If you receive a kidney transplant, you willbe most likely to live the life you want tolive. If you are interested in a kidneytransplant, let us know and talk to yournephrologist.

Since it is a time-consuming process, theearlier you start, the more opportunitiesyou have. If you do not have a donor andcannot get a transplant before startingdialysis, getting on the list before startingdialysis should allow you to get a transplantsooner.

What Are Common Challenges of aKidney Transplant?

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