A kidney transplant is a major medical procedure. There are numerous issues to consider before undergoing this procedure.
The following are some strategies to prepare for kidney transplant:
- Joining a kidney transplant waiting list: Once your nephrologist deems it necessary that you need and are fit for a transplant, you should begin the process by getting on the national waiting list for kidney transplant. You can choose a transplant centre or get a referral from your doctor.
Choose the transplant center carefully. Find out number and type of transplants conducted yearly by the center and its survival rates for the procedure. Ascertain costs to be born before, during and after the transplant. You must find out kidney transplant cost in India.
Schedule a meeting with the transplant centre and ask them important questions. Your transplant center will put you on the waiting list. If your transplant team fails to contact you, consult the transplant coordinator.
- Evaluation: After choosing transplant center, an evaluation will be done to check whether you are eligible for transplant. The team at the centre will evaluate whether you can withstand surgery as well as the lifelong medications after transplant. Also it will check if any of your current medication will interfere with the process. Evaluation includes: thorough physical exam, blood tests, imaging scans (MRI, CT scan, and X-ray), urine tests and even a psychological test, all of which will determine whether you are eligible for transplant by the center. More tests may be necessary as per your condition and the doctor’s wish. But because waiting time for kidneys may take months to years, these tests will have to be repeated regularly to keep your health status up to date.
- Staying on the list:
After you have been diagnosed as candidate for kidney transplant, you must do everything to stay on the waiting list lest the kidney is passed on to the next person on the list. Keep transplant coordinator informed when: you have got a blood transfusion; your treatment plan and dialysis centre have been changed; you are hospitalized with an infection; you have lost or gained weight; your address or telephone number has changed; your insurance details have been changed; or you are planning to travel elsewhere.
- Preparations for the transplant:
Give a list of contact numbers to the transplant team, where you can be reached 24 hours daily. This is because the team will need to contact you the instant when a donor organ is available. You may need to carry your cell phone wherever you go.
Make a list of items you may need in hospital and pack in advance since you may not have any time when the donor organ is available.
Plan early on how you will travel to the hospital. Make arrangements for someone to drive you to the hospital. If you need an airplane ride to get to the transplant centre, consult your transplant coordinator.
You must pack comfortable clothing, list of current medication, list of allergies, Insurance card etc. Keep cash and valuables at home.
You also need to be ready financially. Your transplant team will help you contact professionals who know about kidney transplant surgery cost in india.
Knowing what to expect will make you ready for the procedure. So feel free to ask plenty of questions to your transplant team. Read up extensively on the surgery. Get the support of family and friends to help you through the procedure.