Kidney transplant Dos and Don'ts for recipients

Lot of prominent personalities in India from various fields (cinema, politics) have undergone kidney transplantation surgery in the last few years.

- Dr.Vinod Kumar

A very famous senior politician from Bihar has recently undergone kidney transplantation in Singapore with daughter being the donor. Since then, there is a lot of discussion and hype in the social media and main stream media about the pros and cons of kidney transplantation.

No doubt, kidney transplantation is the better modality of treatment for patients suffering from end stage kidney disease (permanent form of kidney failure). Alternative option is dialysis which has its pros and cons. However, kidney transplantation is also not devoid of all problems. Even though the quality of life is much better after kidney transplantation when compared to dialysis, the recipient has to be more careful, cautious and responsible after transplantation. To answer that, I am mentioning the dos and don’ts after kidney transplantation surgery.

• Do’s: 

• Take plenty of oral fluids. During the initial days after transplantation, 3 to 5 litres of fluid intake is recommended.

• Take anti-rejection medications (immunosuppressive drugs) at appropriate dose and at appropriate time as prescribed by the doctor. Keep alarms or reminders in the mobile phone so that you will not skip any dose.