Kidney Transplant: Know How To Prepare Yourself

Being a life-changing decision, kidney transplant is nothing less than a miracle. But it alone cannot assure the success here, it becomes very imperative to take precautionary measures and stay alert in order to experience the maximum benefits and come back to your normal life. Kidney transplant in India has become quite common and due to the sea change in the technology, most of the transplants are successful today. However, the long term success of the transplant depends on several factors.

3 things on which you need to keep a close eye post-kidney transplant:

Don’t let your body reject your new kidney

Being one of the most common complications, rejection may occur after receiving a transplant. It is very often that your body does not accept your transplanted kidney as it considers as a foreign element. Rejection is quite common after any transplant surgery. 

Rejection can be classified into two different types:

•          Acute Rejection 

This occurs anytime during the first year after transplant and can usually be treated successfully.

• Chronic Rejection

It can be more serious and occurs slowly over a long period of time. Here the causes are unknown and treatment is often not successful.

Is anti-rejection medicines a cure?

These medications decrease the body’s natural immune response to a “foreign” substance i.e. Your transplanted kidney. They lowered the immune system and leads to preventing your body from rejecting the transplanted kidney. 

Why need anti-rejection medicine?

Hard to be diagnosed in its early stages rejection is often not reversible once it starts. It may be very risky to stop an anti-rejection medication no matter how good you feel and even if you think your transplanted kidney is working well. 

Are there any side effects of anti-rejection medicines?

Side effects of anti-rejection medicine should not at all be surprising. As these can be managed by the patients. Blood levels of anti-rejection medications will be checked regularly to prevent rejection and lessen side-effects. This includes include high blood pressure, and weight gain, an increased chance of having infections, and increased risk of some forms of cancer.

Stay alert from the infections

Why is infection a concern after kidney transplant?

Due to consuming anti-rejection medications, this lowers down your immune system which makes you prone to infections. 

Prevention is better than cure

The best way to is to treat the infections as early as possible. Exposure to diseases such as the flu or pneumonia can be very risky. It is also important to keeps your hands and body clean or uses an antimicrobial gel during cold and flu season.

3 tips to avoid infection:

1. Wash your hands regularly
2. Maintain good hygiene habits especially around pets
3. Avoid close contact with people who have contagious illnesses

Be careful while taking vaccines

Vaccines help your body protect you from infection. Some vaccines are not good for you when you have a transplant. For example, you should avoid all “live vaccines.” It is very important to consult the transplant team of the nephrologist in Delhi before receiving any vaccines or boosters.

 Live vaccines include: 

1. Smallpox
2. Intranasal influenza
3. Live oral typhoid Ty21a and other newer vaccines
4. Measles (except during an outbreak)
5. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)
6. Mumps
7. Rubella
8. Varicella-zoster
9. Oral polio
10. Live Japanese B encephalitis vaccine

 So, above are some complication which is as serious as they are common and never should be overlooked post- kidney transplant. It is very important that your kidney transplant should be done in the best hospital in India to avoid these further complications and if happened should be rectified down.