u/Total_Formal2769

i’ve had 2 kidney transplants 2002 and 2007. current transplant is just starting to fail but it’s almost 18 years! both kidneys from friends which may make things easier. i expected it to be wayyyyyy harder than it was. i arranged help at home, private trainers at home, etc didn’t need any of them. oops, sorry but i’m fine. you can expect to wake up feeling great, people telling you you look great. you will have a moonface from all the prednisone in the beginning. you will wake up catheterized which is a huge pain in the ass if you are a woman laying on that pee tube coming out of you. you will have an IV or two where massive fluids are flowing in you to prime your new pump. lot of nurses and aides checking how much you are peeing, lot of blood taking, lots of pills. i was hyper as all hell but they got mad when i stood up first night. next morning i fetched my donor from the nicer floor and we went to the starbucks in the hospital. he put my pee bag on IV pole stand and off we went! because they fill the donor with gas to have room to see what surgeon is doing he was burping and farting and seemed way more uncomfortable than me. i was just so happy and filled with gratitude!! too much blood pressure checking. pubic hair was shaved a bit. no flowers or plants allowed in transplant wing so warn your friends. i don’t remember much pain, probably asked for pain shot or codeine just to sleep in that noisy hospital. no drainage from incision. this was before the covid nonsense so there was no masking. 3rd day 2 people from transplant team came and showed me new drugs to take and with a pill box. prednisone, tacrolimus (prograf) and mycophenolate (celcept.) 3 pills and still those same 3 pills. no grapefruit or grapefruit juice. i’ve been a real juvenile auto-immune diabetic since 1971 so it was a great time to start newer insulins. papers for me to chart weight, blood pressure and blood sugar/dosage at home. went home on 4th day after stopping at the grocery store. friend thought i was nuts. i was hungry. don’t believe the hubbub that prednisone will make you gain weight. yes, it makes you anxious in the beginning just stay away from the fridge. walked around 2 big blocks twice a day. on day 7, back to transplant center for labs. sent back to gym. yayyyyyyyy. no weights heavier than 5 pounds, no upright stationary bike (did it anyway,) no sex for 14 days. (i made it 13.) “yes, chris, even with yourself.” donor went home on day 2 both times so i spent my day walking around hospital, sitting outside, reading newspapers, watching TV, and a lot of yacking on the phone. i’d leave a note on my bed that said, “walking around, call me on my cell phone if you need me. “ found out i wasn’t supposed to leave the floor. whatever. went home on 120 mg of prednisone and still very hyper. i remember after first transplant, maybe 10 days later telling my brother on the phone, “it’s a good thing i’m legally blind because i’d be running with the skater tweakers on sunset all night.” and i was serious. prednisone was dropped quickly. went back to yoga within a few weeks. the urologist puts “stents” in my bladder during transplant and those came out in about 3–4 weeks. that was why i wasn’t supposed to ride upright bike. embarrassing but not uncomfortable. ok, minor problem the first time. never any side effect from drugs. you are supposed to feel shaky from prograf but not look shaky. was still retaining water after first kidney. ankles and feet still puffy, gaining weight. it freaked me out. once i hit 130 pounds i went in front of the nurses station and yelled, “get oprah winfrey’s butt off my body.” i knew that would get them.. it did, nurse gave me one shot of lasix and i peed 9.5 pounds that first nigh!!! catheterized so i slept through it. realized once i got back to my hospital room the IV was the regular person one - with sodium and sugar!!!! straight gatorade. doctor changed that to bags without all that and back to regular weight. less insulin. life was great. have stayed away from salty anything since. (patient's story)