What are the side effects of the medication you take after
the transplant?
That is a difficult question
to answer for 2 major reasons:
#1 Patients take different medications for their transplant. Some different
medications taken are cyclosporine, imuran, medrol, prograf, & many other
types.
#2 There are no 2 people that have the same side effects. Side-effects vary from
person-to-person.
As for me, I had strong side-effects at the beginning, but as the dosage
strength decreased, the side-effects lessened. After 2 years, I really do not
have any side-effects at all. Some
side-effects can be hair growth, hair loss, weight gain, diarrhea, nausea,
blurred vision, and others.
Have you had any complications?
The only complication I had was 12 days after my transplant I had a minor
rejection, which is normal. There are many complications a person can have after
the transplant including rejections of the organs & infections since the
medication you are taking lowers your immune system
Did you have insurance, and did it pay for most of the cost?
Yes, I was lucky. I had private insurance through my wife's employer. However,
Medicare does cover the kidney & soon will cover the pancreas. For the time
being, the pancreas can be covered through your state Vocational Rehabilitation
program. It is a new program & many local Voc Rehabs are unfamiliar with
this program, yet it does exist.
Do you have any suggestions for us just getting started?
The first thing you need to do is find a Transplant Center near you that
performs the transplant. You do want to check how many they have performed &
their success rate. If you have private insurance, check to see if they use a
particular Transplant Center.
Check with your doctors, particularly your your kidney doctor (nephrologist).
They will get you started with the necessary testing. You cannot get on a
transplant list until you go through the "pre-testing" phase.
And.....
Get started early!!!!!! Try and get started before you get very sick!!!!!
We want to know about your life after the transplant & how you are
feeling now?
Basically I am feeling great, even better that I ever thought I would. However,
I am legally blind from the diabetes still so I have not returned to work yet
since public transportation is poor where I live. I do try to work at home
though. I no longer have diabetes, do not take insulin & I am on no dietary
restrictions.
I can basically do everything I did when I was healthy except things that
require good vision such as driving & particular sports.
How long did you have to wait to get the transplant?
I waited only 15 days. They say the waiting time for this transplant averages
between 3 months to a year, but I have seen most people called within 3 months
Since the transplant do you have any food or fluid restrictions?
I have none, but again that changes from person-to person depending on their
particular health before & after the transplant
How much medication are you taking now?
Currently I am on 4 different medications:
Prograf (Immunosuppresant)
Medrol (Steroid)
Bactrim (prevent lung infection)
Prilosec (protects against stomach ulcers from steroid)
What did they do with your dialysis access after the transplant?
It depends on what type you have. I have a shunt used for hemo-dialysis which
stayed intact. People on Peritoneal Dialysis have the catheter removed during
surgery in most cases.