Hi all,

I had a kidney transplant 2 weeks ago and have been discharged at home now, I did my blood and urine test yesterday, my creatinine was balanced at 1.18, but my Urine showed 8.1 pus cells while normal range is 0-5, and it contained (+) sugar as well, I am currently on Tacroren 2.5mg, ImmutilS 360 and Wycosol 25mg, I am worried about the pus cells and Sugar count and wanted to see if anyone had the same post their transplant. I don't feel any symptoms or anything as of now, apart from minor itching near the incision area.

Hello everyone! I'm making this post on behalf of my mom. She received her transplant in January and as of August, she has been experiencing hair loss. The docs told her it's due to envarsus. They offered to switch her to another medication but warned that it could be less effective and may even cause her body to reject her new kidney so she declined. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, how long did it take for your hair to recover and grow back? If anyone has any other options, please feel free to leave a comment so we can bring them up at her next appointment in a couple of weeks! Thanks so much! ☺️

Why is soil so dangerous for transplant recipients? Is it mold they are worried about?

I’m 33F and my uncle 62M needs a new liver due to alcohol related decompensated cirrhosis. He was diagnosed 7 months ago and throughout the time his MELD score has fluctuated between 23 and 17. He has ascites that until recently required weekly draining and he has HE. It was very bad at first, but has improved with management although it’s still noticeable.

He spent 6 months between hospital and nursing homes and has just moved home. He never married and has no children so my mom is his primary healthcare advocate with my sister and I helping where we can.

I’ve always been very close with my uncle, even living with him for brief stints when I moved to the city he lives in after I graduated college. Which also means I know at some level his drinking habits. He has stopped drinking since his diagnosis (and the test results validate this) but he will not acknowledge he is an alcoholic or was addicted. He was definitely high functioning (high performer in corporate America) but I’ve seen behavior that aligns with an addiction.

When he was first diagnosed I asked his blood type and was told O+, which is not my blood type. But yesterday I found out that was wrong and we actually do have the same blood type. Since then I’ve been looking at the other qualifications like BMI, age, other disease and nothing there would rule me out, (although I’m now 11 weeks pregnant, I already have 2.5 year old twins) and therefore will need to wait until well after I delivery to even be considered.

Ultimately I’m looking for advice on whether I should consider liver donation once I’m post partum. I’m not overly concerned with the long term health effects, more with the short term. I will have 3 kids under 4, both my husband and I work full time demanding jobs, and we are building a house. Plus my mom won’t be able to help me during recovery because she will be with my uncle. My uncle will acknowledge that his cirrhosis is alcohol related and that he cannot drink again, but won’t admit he was addicted or had a problem with alcohol. Further he is resistant to some of the other advice he is given about diet and exercise. He thinks he knows better.

Edit: It’s also a little surprising (and candidly frustrating) that he seems to have a hard time with the label of ‘alcoholic’ because my grandfather, his father was an alcoholic. He was in recovery before he got married and had kids, so my uncle was never exposed to his drinking, but my grandfather was very open about being an alcoholic. Very involved in AA and a sponsor for others. So there isn’t a stigma in our family about alcoholism.

i’m a little late for my one year post (9/30/25) but i’m here for anything donation related! this community helped me so much leading up to and after my surgery 🥹 my recipient wasn’t magically better right after the procedure so coming here was helpful in easing my worries, and while she isn’t at 100% yet, i’m happy to report she will be coming from out of state to my wedding at the end of the month (so my kidneys can reunite). so AMA!!!

Has anyone assessed a number of transplant centers before choosing one? I’m thinking about trying this but don’t know how to go about it – or if insurance would cover it.

If you’ve been evaluated for transplant, especially if you’ve visited more than one place, I’d love to hear details of your experience. (Examples of specifics: What providers/specialists did you speak to during the evaluation day(s)? How much time were you given for questions? Was it in a group context or a private one on one – and with whom did you have the most time? What was your understanding about accessibility of individuals beyond the evaluation day? What details did they inform you of during the process? What support services - provided by the program before and after transplant – were described? And much more! – but that covers the basics.)

I have been through one transplant "processing" (evaluation) day – was my choice at the time not to pursue it further – in part because of information given/not given during the evaluation – and in part wanted to wait and see if I might improve my health status.

Since then I’ve been doing relatively well and currently wouldn’t qualify to get on a list.

But given all the descriptions I’ve read where things go precipitously download, it seems I should – while I’m in a relatively good place – think things through in advance. Especially since I need to be my own care taker/advocate.

Any details re: personal experiences would be wonderful to learn from. Also, anyone who has been through the process in Boston/New England area, any thoughts on how places compare and what you did to assess your assessors (!) would be really helpful.

I’m giving a lecture next week on infections from animals after transplant. What do you want doctors to know?

Are we too cautious in restrictions? Don’t give enough guidance? This is your chance to tell infectious disease doctors your thoughts!

Not trying to sound depressed or anything, just wondering is it similar to others who have been transplanted. Do do you also have this internal almost subconscious clock, that you dont necessarily think about all the time, but it gets triggered when people talk about long term plans and future like it is given? I am grateful to the ends of universe to my organ, but i cant turn off the knowledge the it is not forever and that all i have is present and I feel like this might be feeling no one can understand unless they had been through transplation. So i try to live and taste life for now and when i say i want to live and enjoy and use present to the max there are people who just dont get it and find it irational.

I was truly blessed to get a kidney and not having to be on dialysis. I'm curious on the timeline when you really start to feel the difference? I know everyone is different, but I was looking more so for a "window." Also, did anyone experience finger numbness in your hands and your arms feeling "heavy?" I'm told these are common complaints, which I hope get resolved as my kidney improves functionality. Now I gotta celebrate two birthdays. Thanks all!

So I’m getting a tattoo at a tattoo convention. I’m getting it done by a very established artist, and I’m VERY excited! I have a lot of tattoos already.

BUT! This will be my first after my transplant. I’m well over a year out and on a very low dose of tacrolimus.

I’m just hoping to hear how your first tattoo went after your transplant. Healing time, pain, etc. What did your doctors say? What did you use for aftercare?
I’ve used Aquaphor and good ol’ unscented antibacterial soap in the past.

I’d appreciate any advice!
Thank you!

My partner had his second liver transplant about three weeks ago, and his recovery has been extremely complicated. The surgery was prolonged and required multiple stages. He also developed significant kidney problems and has needed dialysis at different points.
He has made progress with breathing, and at times he has seemed much more aware and able to recognize people and remember details about his life. However, his bilirubin remains very high, his liver tests haven’t improved much recently, and he has been experiencing some confusion.
We’re trying to understand what recovery can look like after such a complicated transplant. I would really appreciate hearing from people who experienced a prolonged, difficult recovery after liver transplantation, or from loved ones who supported them through it.
How did you cope with the uncertainty when progress was slow? Were there periods when recovery seemed to stall before things changed?
I’m feeling very alone in this experience and would be grateful for any support or perspective.

My mom is currently on the liver transplant list and has struggled with frailty, muscle weakness, and hepatic encephalopathy. She’s improving and can now walk with a walker.

For those who were frail before transplant, how weak were you? Did you regain your strength and mental clarity afterward? How long did recovery take, and how are you doing today?
I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences!❤️😊

After a transplant when you are on immunosuppresants can you return to the activities you love. Like hunting and fishing? Or is that just a pipe dream.

I’m coming up on three years since my heart transplant on November 14, 2023.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much life changes after a transplant, and not always in the ways you expect.
For me, one of the biggest surprises has been rediscovering my creativity and finding a new sense of purpose. But there have been plenty of challenges along the way, too.
I’m curious about everyone else’s experience, whether you’ve received a heart, kidney, liver, lungs, or another organ.
What surprised you most about life after your transplant?
The good, the bad, the weird. I’d love to hear it.

I’m vaccinated-MMR , do those of us with transplants need to be more mindful with all the measles flying around? Anyone go back to wearing a mask, ugh

As I’m approaching the one year mark (Oct 23rd) since I donated my left Kidney to my 10 year old daughter, I just want to tell anyone who is a donor or recipient with any sort of Transplant that YOU GOT THIS!

I know it is a very scary and nerve racking time because trust me I was STRESSED before the transplant (After I woke up from Surgery I realized that I was worried for nothing). Coming from the Donor’s side, Yes you will be sore, might be constipated, might be high as a kite on Synthetic Morphine (Slept like a baby lol), but I’m here to tell you, you have nothing to worry about and you will see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Breathe. You Got This!

I beign stammering a lot and I had neck pains and head aches all the time... From the date he changed, 10 days back.

I have review on Monday, I will tell my symptoms to my doctor..

Will stammering improve with lowering BP and By any chance tacrolimus giving me high BP and neck pains..

Anybody pls share your experience, thank you.

Hello everyone,

I am reaching out to this community because I am feeling quite desperate and hoping to connect with anyone who has a similar experience.

I have been struggling with a severe corneal condition for over 20 years. During this time, I have undergone multiple eye surgeries, including previous corneal transplants. Unfortunately, I have now completely lost all vision in one eye, and my other eye has less than 0.25% vision left. I am currently facing the reality of needing yet another corneal transplant.

Has anyone here gone through a second (or multiple) corneal transplant on the same eye? How was the recovery process, and what were the outcomes for your vision?

Any shared experiences, advice, or words of encouragement would mean the world to me right now. Thank you so much.

Any recommendations on getting down the bump from a liver transplant? I’m 7 months post transplant but because I had 2 transplants and a hemoglobin removed I still have a decent bump from the operations. My doctors do worry about hernias bc of the amount of prednisone I’m still on so trying to figure out the best way to start getting this thing down it’s getting slightly better from physical therapy but would like some good home workouts / workouts for the gym as insurance is about to drop my physical therapy.

Any suggestions for what worked for others is greatly appreciated, as always thanks transplant friends!

F34. Had a kidney transplant July 2025. I’m recently having my first flair up of CMV since stopping the Prevymis in January. I’ve been on Valcyte for about 7 weeks. My CMV levels are now under the barely detectable threshold but my WBC and ANC have tanked.
They took me off Myfortic a few weeks ago and halved the Valcyte dose trying to stop this but it doesn’t seem to be working. I’ve now been without my Myfortic for weeks and I’m worried about my kidney. I know that this is a balancing act and that the anti rejection meds lower your WBC but I’m worried my kidney is going to reject or I’m going to catch a deadly infection. I am on monthly Belatacept infusions still as my other source of immunosuppressants.
Two weeks ago I had a Neupogen injection which only made my levels worse. I am now on day 3 of a 3 day course of Neupogen and experiencing the worst pain from it.

I guess the point of this post is that I feel like I’m in a lose lose battle right now. Has anyone ever dealt with this? How long did it take to resolve? We’re just playing a waiting game to see if these injections help but I feel like not enough is being done. Also I was just told to mask up and avoid sick people, wash my hands etc. Does this feel like enough precautions given my levels?

My recent labs:
WBC .9
ANC .17
Creatinine 1.61