How is the quality of life after a kidney transplant?

A kidney transplant is a procedure to replace an unhealthy kidney with one that is functional, from a donor mainly. The donor could be alive or deceased. Before beginning the treatment, the doctor will assess whether you are a successful candidate for a transplant or not. Family members or others are a good match for a transplant. This type of transplant is called a living transplant. Even after donating one kidney, one can live healthily without any consequences. All you need is to take good care of your health with a healthy diet plan and take measures if needed.

 

Only in a rare condition, a person may require both of his kidneys to maintain health. This happens in the case when one of the kidneys is not functional already, and the second also fails to work. The diseased kidneys are left in their place, while the transplanted kidney is placed in the lower belly on the front side of the body.

A transplant procedure is widely accepted as means to get rid of kidney failure. While the procedure is efficient in itself, it has some drawbacks linked to it:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Blockage of the blood vessels in the new kidney
• Blockage of urine in the ureter
• Lack of function of the new kidney

Depending upon the immunity, your body may reject or accept the new organ. Rejection is the reaction of the body against foreign substances such as tissues. When a transplant procedure is done, the immune system takes it as a threat and begins to attack the new organ. After the transplantation process, medicines may be needed to prevent the immune system from attacking the transplanted organ and avert the rejection process.

However, the medicines used to prevent rejection have ill effects on the mind too. Depending upon an individual, a person may have different morbidities linked to different medicines that are taken.

You may not be eligible if you have:

• Current or recurring infection
• Cancer has spread to the entire body
• Heart or other health problems that make it unsafe to have a transplant surgery
• Serious conditions that would not get better after transplantation
• Dementia or poorly controlled mental illness
• Not following the treatment plan accordingly
• Advanced stage
• Alcohol or drug abuse

You may be at risk of health issues after the transplant process. Consult your doctor about the same, if you have any serious health condition causing you problems, such as:

• Fever and chills, which may indicate rejection or infection.
• Redness, inflammation, swelling, or bleeding at the incision site.
• Increase in pain around the incision site or around the kidneys, which may be a sign of rejection or infection.

The quality of life

You may be on medications for the entire life after a transplant procedure which makes it difficult to endure the procedure. It is important to take care of your health with a special diet chart and avoid unhealthy practices such as smoking or alcohol.

You cannot drive until your doctor says so. Any activity that can create pressure on the new kidney should be avoided, and this stretches to any activity, even exercise or cycling or swimming.

For patients who have gone through a transplant procedure need to check their blood pressure and weight regularly. Gaining weight will affect your heart and kidney function. Also, high blood pressure will lead to impaired function in the transplanted kidney.

For the initial times, you may need to visit your doctor for a regular checkup. Some people may recover within six months, while others may take a little more time to heal.

Is there any alternative approach to transplant?

Transplant procedures can be avoided if you take Ayurvedic treatment for kidney failure. Ayurveda is an old remedial science that has the capacity to heal the damaged cells and tissues within the kidneys. So, you don’t need any surgical procedure like dialysis and transplant to manage life.

If you are looking for a completely natural treatment for your kidneys, consult us at Karma Ayurveda.