Life after a kidney transplant can be an exciting and anxious time for your child and your family. The improvement of your child’s health after transplant will be noticeable, but the first 3 months are still quite intense. Eventually, however, your child will feel better, and you’ll no longer need to focus on the same health problems faced before surgery.
Follow-up doctor visits and labs
During the initial recovery period, your child will have frequent blood tests to measure the new kidney’s health. Your visits will decrease in frequency as you move further from the date of surgery. The frequency of your checkups depends on your child’s progress. The transplant team will discuss progress with you at each visit.
Essential post-transplant medications
The success of your child’s kidney transplant doesn’t end with a successful procedure — the medications prescribed by your transplant team are crucial to your child’s full recovery. Your transplant team will help educate you on the importance of these medications, as well as provide you with support and advice on the best ways to make them a part of your life.
Types of post-transplant medications
Anti-rejection (immunosuppressant) medications: Anti-rejection medications protect the transplanted organ from rejection by lowering immune response. The transplant recipient will take anti-rejection medications as long as the transplanted organ is functioning.
Medications to prevent and treat infections (anti-viral/anti-fungal): People who take anti-rejection medications are more susceptible to infection. We use anti-viral or anti-fungal medications to help prevent some of the most common infections.
Blood pressure medications: High blood pressure may be a side effect of anti-rejection drugs and steroids. It will be important to monitor blood pressure frequently after transplant because there may not be any symptoms of high blood pressure.
Vitamins and supplements/other medications: Some anti-rejection medicine can cause abnormal electrolyte levels. Blood tests can be done to check these levels. If low, supplements may be needed.
