Transplant Experience: Liver and Kidney Transplantation
Transplant Experience: Liver and Kidney Transplant Transplant Experience, Join Today Pre Kidney and Liver Transplant and Beyond Organ transplant medication and anti rejection drugs Healthy Living being an organ transplant recipient Shared Kidney and Liver transplant experiences Support with your organ transplant experience News and Events for organ transplant recipients Caregivers in the organ transplantation process Transplant Experience: Kidney and Liver Transplant for Children Transplant Experience: Liver and Kidney Transplant
Transplant Experience
Transplant Experience: Kidney and Liver Transplantation
Transplant Experience: Kidney and Liver Transplantation
Caregivers' Suggestions and Advice
First, it's very important that you follow the transplant team's orders. If any part of their instruction is unclear or if you have any questions, pick up the phone and call.

Here are a few guidelines for care after surgery:
  • Talk to your loved one. Conversation is great medicine. Ask questions about your loved one's physical health, and remember to ask about emotional health, too.
  • Make a list and check it twice. Keep an eye on food, fluid, exercise, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar (if appropriate), time awake, time asleep, and complaints of pain—write everything down.
  • Make a wall chart. Write large enough so that you and your loved one can read the categories, and track his or her progress together.
Helping patients get back on their feet
The impact of an organ transplant goes well beyond the bedside. It's a lifetime challenge of monitoring medications, working to prevent rejection, and making sure that your loved one stays happy and healthy.

  • Start a medication schedule. If possible, try to be sure your loved one takes his or her scheduled doses at the same time every day. Also, it's a good idea to connect the new schedule with a schedule that your loved one knows very well, such as always taking pills before brushing teeth, or right after a shower. Remember, some medicines may need to be taken more than once a day.
  • Use a pill box to ensure that every dose of medication is taken every day and fill it weekly.
  • Keep a medication list on the refrigerator and keep a copy with you at all times to ensure that your loved one does not miss a dose. Here is a medication schedule you may want to print and fill out.
  • Watch your loved one's diet. And be sure he or she eats regularly. Healthy eating is very important to long-term health.
  • Be sure to talk to a dietician about your loved one's specific nutritional needs. He or she may be prescribed a high-protein diet if on dialysis, or have to avoid certain foods while taking immunosuppressive medications. Your loved one may also have an increased appetite due to the steroids he or she is taking, resulting in unwanted weight gain. A dietician can help set up a diet plan that takes your loved one's unique needs and challenges into account.
  • Make sure that your loved one gets exactly the amount of exercise the doctor prescribes. And remember, exercise doesn't have to mean a jog around the block. It can be as simple as a long walk, or dancing with friends.
  • Watch the whole patient. There are many ways transplant recipients can tell you of a potential problem, and it's not always with pain. If you think there's a problem, consult your list. Does she have a fever? Is he eating less? Trust the details and your judgment.

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Last modified: September / 2006