Dr. Salman
When I came home after my kidney transplant, I was mentally prepared for pain, physical weakness, and a slow recovery. That part felt logical to me because surgery is a major physiological event, and the body needs time to heal. What I was not prepared for, at least not in the way I experienced it, … Read more
When I was discharged after my kidney transplant, I walked out of the hospital with a sense of relief that is difficult to describe unless you have lived through that moment yourself. The surgery was done, the new kidney had started functioning, and for the first time in a long while, there was a feeling … Read more
There is a phase after transplant that people don’t talk about enough. Not the surgery. Not the first few weeks. Not even the medication adjustment phase. It’s what comes after things start to feel “normal.” That’s when infection risk becomes part of your daily thinking—not as fear, but as a quiet, constant awareness in the … Read more
One of the most common questions after a kidney transplant is, “How long will recovery take?” I asked the same question before my transplant in August 2023, hoping for a simple answer that would tell me when life would feel normal again. What I eventually learned was that recovery does not follow a fixed schedule, … Read more
Early recovery after a kidney transplant is often measured through blood tests, urine output, medications, and follow-up appointments. But patients experience recovery through smaller milestones too. One of those milestones is the removal of the temporary devices placed during transplant surgery—particularly the surgical drain and the ureteric stent. If you are searching for why a … Read more
Table of Contents What My Vitamin D Deficiency Taught Me After Transplant The Short Answer Why Vitamin D Matters After Kidney Transplant Persistent Hyperparathyroidism After Kidney Transplant What the Evidence Says About Vitamin D After Kidney Transplant What My Own Vitamin D Results Taught Me Why Vitamin D Levels Can Fall Again A Practical Framework … Read more
Table of Contents A Ramadan I Won’t Forget Can a Kidney Transplant Patient Fast During Ramadan? What the Research Shows — And What It Doesn’t Why Fasting Can Be More Complicated After Kidney Transplant Who Should Be Especially Cautious About Ramadan Fasting? What My Symptoms Clearly Told Me Why Laboratory Trends Matter More Than One … Read more
After a kidney transplant, food often becomes less restrictive than it was during dialysis—but that does not mean nutrition stops mattering. A functioning transplanted kidney can give you much greater dietary freedom, while your eating habits still influence blood pressure, blood sugar, body weight, cholesterol and cardiovascular health. Immunosuppressive medicines can also affect appetite, glucose … Read more
Physical recovery after a kidney transplant follows numbers you can measure. Creatinine stabilizes, tacrolimus levels are adjusted, surgical wounds heal, and follow-up visits gradually become less frequent. Mental recovery is different. A patient can have a functioning transplanted kidney and reassuring laboratory results while still experiencing anxiety, fear, guilt, depression, or emotional exhaustion from everything … Read more
Table of Contents The Uninvited Guests Immunosuppressant Side Effects — A Practical Overview Why the Same Side Effect Can Feel Different Common Physical Side Effects of Immunosuppressants The Emotional Intruders — When the Mind Is Affected The Body’s Adjustment — Weight, Skin, and Sleep Living With the Reality — Practical Patient Strategies When to Seek … Read more