Navigating Life after a Kidney Transplant
Table of Contents A Number I Was Not Expecting to See Understanding My Rising Fasting Glucose Trend Why Fasting Glucose Matters After Kidney Transplant Looking Honestly at What Had Changed The Hidden Role of Stress and Cortisol When Sleep Quietly Goes Off Track The Month I Stopped Walking Small Dietary Changes That Added Up From … Read more
Table of Contents Introduction Looking Back, My Body Was Warning Me for Years Why Kidney Failure Is Often Missed Until It Becomes Severe The Signs I Ignored Before My ESRD Diagnosis The Psychological Changes Nobody Warned Me About When Chronic Kidney Disease Progresses Toward Kidney Failure Symptoms That Usually Become More Noticeable in Advanced Kidney … Read more
Table of Contents The Phase Most Patients Never Fully Expect Some Patients Have Time — Others Enter the Process in Shock Why Kidney Transplant Evaluation Exists Protecting the Recipient Protecting the Donor The Emotional Reality of Starting Pre-Transplant Workup The Medical Testing Process Before Kidney Transplant Blood Group Matching: The First Question Everyone Asks HLA … Read more
Table of Contents The Strange Reality of Keeping an AV Fistula After Transplant How My AV Fistula Was Created During the ESRD Crisis The Emergency Decisions That Changed My Left Arm Why My Wrist AVF Was Never Created What Is an Arteriovenous Fistula (AVF)? Living With the AV Fistula After Kidney Transplant The Physical Symptoms … Read more
Table of Contents The Decision That Changes Life Very Quickly Understanding Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis What Is Hemodialysis? What Is Peritoneal Dialysis? Why I Entered Hemodialysis Without Fully Understanding My Options The AV Fistula Decision That Affected Me Long After Transplant What Hemodialysis Really Felt Like The Physical Burden The Psychological Burden The Loss of … Read more
Introduction 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 … Read more
Introduction 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 … Read more
Medical Disclaimer I am a kidney transplant recipient and a veterinarian, not a nephrologist. This article is based on my personal experience, my analysis of published research, and my study of renal physiology. It is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your transplant team before starting any … Read more
Table of Contents Why Kidney Transplant Medications Matter What Medications Are Commonly Used After a Kidney Transplant? The Main Classes of Immunosuppressants Calcineurin Inhibitors Antimetabolites Corticosteroids mTOR Inhibitors Costimulation Blockers and Other Biologic Therapies Induction vs. Maintenance Immunosuppression Why Your Medication Regimen May Be Different From Mine Other Medicines Commonly Used After Kidney Transplant How … Read more