Life After Transplant

After your surgery, you will immediately begin the road to recovery with a program of medication, rehabilitation and follow-up testing, both at home and at the hospital, to monitor your progress and avoid organ rejection or infection.

Going home following your transplant can be exciting as well as frightening. While you will have multiple follow-up office visits and laboratory tests with the Kidney Transplant Team up to a year after your transplant surgery, your life should return to normal reasonably quickly.

After the first year, unless unexpected complications occur, you will return to the care of your primary care provider. It’s important to attend all appointments to make sure that you are recovering appropriately and to contact the Transplant Team with any questions or concerns you may have during your recovery.

We will help you with the entire transition. Before you are released from the hospital, you will participate in a Discharge Planning Class led by your Transplant Coordinator who will thoroughly explain your medications and your follow-on care as well as guidelines for exercising and returning to day-to-day activities.

Getting Back to Your Life

During the period following transplantation, you will focus on getting back to your normal routine of activities, work and hobbies. How long this will take varies with each individual. Some patients will get better quickly, while others will take longer to heal—depending on your healing process, the nature of your underlying illness and what condition you were in before your transplant. It will definitely help to have a positive attitude, healthy diet, regular sleep routine and daily exercise.

When you return home you may need professional help such as a Visiting Nurse or Non-medical Caregiver. You may also find it helpful to have a family member or friend to take care of you for a period of time. There are a number of medical and non-medical caregiving resources in most communities.

Again, if you have questions about life after transplant, please don’t hesitate to contact your Transplant Coordinator. Every step of the way, your Transplant Coordinator will be available by telephone to answer any questions—and there is no such thing as a "silly" or "dumb" question. Please feel free to ask any questions, at any time, for any reason. We are here to help you