Post kidney transplant issues

@ca426 How frustrating to hear this about your new kidney, right? How are you feeling about it all? Did you have any symptoms that you would care to share with us? Did the Dr's put you on any restrictions until the procedure? Sorry for all the questions, I haven't heard of this condition before. I hope you will come back and tell us what happens.
Ginger

@ca426, Charlie, is this an outpatient procedure?

My husband had a kidney transplant July 2nd. He has no energy, all he does is sleep most of the day. He keeps getting diarrhea. The doctors keep changing his meds. His red and white blood counts are low. My question is: is this normal and has anyone else had problems?

@lindajo, welcome to Connect. You'll notice that I moved your message to this discussion that @ca426 Charlie started about issues after kidney transplant. I'd also like to bring in fellow recipients @shiteh @scottb32 @rosemarya @kathleenla into this discussion so they can share their experiences with fatigue, low blood counts and/or diarrhea post transplant.

Members have talked about fatigue post transplant in these discussions that you may also wish to review:
- Post liver transplant fatigue https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/post-liver-transplant-fatigue/

Linda, are his doctors concerned with his fatigue or are they saying that this is normal recovery?

The doctors are saying that what he’s going through is normal and that it could take up to 8 months before he gets back to himself. My husband is so depressed, he said if he knew he was going to feel like this he would of stayed on dialysis. But we know it’s just the depression talking. The doctors are concerned about how he’s feeling but haven’t had any suggestions on what they should do.

@lindajo
I would tire very quickly after kidney transplant. Mayo had me take Vitron C which is an over the counter Iron supplement because my hemoglobin was so low which can make your oxygen low. Maybe ask if it is ok for him to take. Once he is stronger physical therapy might help too, it's a tough process to go through everything he has had to endure. Meanwhile how are you doing? Are you resting and taking care of yourself?

Hi, try to stay positive i guess we all expect a certain outcome and if it doesn't meet our expatations we do get depressed. My wasn't a kidney but a heart but i think somethings pretty much are the same. Our bodies went thru a pretty big surgery and try to be patient. I'm 1.5 years post transplant and ive had a lots of ups and downs. My overall strength was like i was an 90 year old. I remember once just a few weeks after transplant i tried to kneel on the floor and luckily there was a hand hold nearby or i would still be there. But honestly it definitely gets better. The first few months were tough but by month 6 i was seeing improvement. I got to start going for longer walks and short hikes. That was a great feeling. Now im back up to about 3 miles a day and light workouts in the gym. Im playing golf again well i did that at 6 months but now 9 holes ia a breeze and as soon as this Arizona heat gets back down in the 80s maybe 18 holes will be a possibility. Also realize that your condition prior to transplant means a lot so you may progress faster. I was basically bedridden for 2 months prior to transplant which did a job on my muscle tone. So hang in there i know my Drs at Mayo were awesome letting me know every step how i was doing.

Thank you for the reply. My big concern is that by him laying around all day he’s losing muscle tone. I’ve noticed that he gets out of breath just walking a few feet. I keep telling him that he has to force himself to get up and move around.

Thank you for the reply. They took blood on Friday to have his iron checked, haven’t heard back about it. I am his caregiver and I was for his sister also. She was his donor but the day of surgery they did a swap. His sister is doing good. As for me.... I’m a survivor 😊. Thank you for asking.

@lindajo I am 8 months post transplant (liver) and am just starting to feel less lethargic. The first 6 months I was very fatigued and my mood was low. At times I felt no better than my pre transplant self. My last minor surgery (I had 4 post transplant surgeries due to blocked bile ducts) was June 3rd this summer. That set me back a few months but I'm slowly bouncing back. It will take time to start to feel "normal" again. Everyone is different and the amount of time is different person to person.