Quality of Life after Kidney Transplant.

Thank you for the encouragement @ellakoch.
You are right, as I have already notice things getting better over time and expect that they will continue to do so. I am enjoying life as best as I can and anticipate that I will be able to enjoy it even more, as more and more of the early post transplant restrictions are lifted...as meds continue to be reduced...and as blood draws and appointments become less frequent. Thanks, again, for the encouragement and the advice. @ellakoch, you are a great inspiration!

@gingerw, like your husband and like @ellakoch, I too, am here and enjoying an improved life thanks to my deceased donor who left here way too soon, and the kindness and generosity of their family. And I am so grateful to them. It truly is "the gift of life."

Question....if you have ever had cancer, you can't get a transplant?

@susangail53, my understanding is that it depends on the type of cancer, how long ago the person had it, and the organ to be transplanted. So having had cancer does not automatically disqualify someone from receiving a transplant. Those are just some of the many factors that are considered, including the overall health of the person and their ability to survive the operation and follow the required protocols post transplant. That would be a question for the transplant team that would be performing the evaluation to answer. Hope that helps.

My spouse received his kidney transplant on east coast USA over 6 yrs ago from polycystic kidney disease at age 59 and never was on dialysis. I am his long time wife and we have no family around, so I do it all and am glad I have the ability to do so with a loving heart. My husband's quality of life is worse after his kidney transplant mainly due to negative side effects of the antirejection medications. We feel the wait list committee did not explain that some people their body's do not handle the medications. His meds have been changed in type of medication and/or doseage without success. Side effects he's had nonstop daily are: body tremors 24/7, fatigue, depression, mood swings that are negative, flat emotions, diabetes is very difficult to manage and he's on 2 different insulins 4 X a day (prior to transplant one insulin before bedtime and managed his diabetes very well due to meals and activities). THese are a few issues, but his quality of life was better at 13% GFR before transplant happened. THe first 14 mos involved serious kidney issues including rejection of organ (resolved), hemoglobin problems for 8 mos I gave him shots 3X a week, and CMV then late Jan 2020 he had his first good blood labs and 6 wks later covid19 arrived which has caused our lives even more isolated. RIght this minute since 11/22/24 he is dealing with a new problem , frequent urinary tract infections, 4 of them in less than 2 months. He was in the hospital 5 day on IV antibiotic Christmas week and we both came out with covid19 despite masking while in the hospital but caregivers would not wear a mask when asked the first 7 hrs in ER (that's another issue). My point is, talk indepth to the people making decisions if you can obtain a kidney on true stories and do your own research with medical articles/research being done on this horrific big decision you need to make. Many people have superb lives after this transplant, but we feel it was the wrong choice and no way we'd know ahead of time. All my best.

I'm sorry this happened to you. This is a real problem. I wish I had help for you. I am pre-transplant and I think about the effects of anti-rejection drugs all the time.

I wish transplant medical clinics would expose all the issues recipients have minor,moderate, and minor and percentage for years. It's a difficult journey. Now my spot has UTI number4 in less than 2 mos. Meds cause this. Do your research now

How would you do this research? Transplant centers just paint a rosy picture. Could ask wha anti rejection drugs they will use but really is there a choice if you don’t know if you will have a reaction or not. All of the drugs will have side effects.

I use my web browser and put in questions about kidney transplant and i.my is up press and medication problems, or frequency of UTI after kidney transplant. You would be amazed at the many medical research articles, journals that appear from US and abroad. It's tattle years of doing this post transplant to learn medical details I wnt to learn. At the end is a conclusion that often summarizes the study done. Easy. I Google search words new to me. I have no medical education, but I was a diet therapist in military with over 800 hrs classroom and in commercial kitchen work and know about a proper specific diet pre and post surgery.

There is a correlation between using a lower eplet mismatch percentage and less graft rejection. Thus hopefully lower amounts of rejection drugs. You could ask whether your center uses eplet mismatch technology. For more information, go to National Kidney Registry. http://www.kidneyregistry.org