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What's a reasonable distance for traveling for a kidney transplant?
Transplants | Last Active: Sep 23, 2018 | Replies (33)Comment receiving replies
@mlmcg Recently I met a kidney recipient, who has had his new kidney over 40 years! It just recently started to fail, which we felt was right, as the gifted kidney is 99 yrs old!! So, he is going to go back on dialysis soon, and try for another kidney. We know my husband's donor was a male in mid-30s, so about 25 yrs younger than him. We don't know the circumstances, but we are honoring the life of the donor everyday.
Ginger
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Ninety-nine years old? I had a transplant doc tell me about a patient he had that had his kidney for over 40 years and he received it when he was about 10 years old. It can happen, 40 years ago transplants were in their baby stage. Doctors have learned so much, most to the time it from their patients. Most people are on dialysis 6 months after they have been diagnosed with end-stage-kidney failure, not 3 years. I figured the only way I could help my resident kidneys was by what I put in my mouth. Animal protein destroy kidneys, especially beef, so I went on a vegetarian diet. My doctor was so surprised, then he had most of his new patients try the vegetarian diet. Once I was on dialysis I had to eat animal protein, even today I do not eat beef, my body does not like it. I like my veggies. It was harder for me to go back to animal protein than giving it up.
If someone can live with the same kidney for 40 years he could be put at the top of the list to get another kidney.
mlmcg