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By Janelle E. Gonyea, RD, LD After receiving a new kidney, you naturally look forward to freedom from the restrictive diet you needed to follow while you were waiting for a transplant. There are so many "no nos" while following a diet designed to preserve remaining kidney function and maintain a...

Good health care is always a team effort—especially for transplant recipients. You and your family are the most important members of the transplant care team. You can take an active role in your care by learning all you can and taking part in your treatment plan. Since each member of the health...

Martha Walker, DPT, CSCS Chris L. Wells, PhD, PT, CCS, ATC At the time of your organ transplant, you were placed on a regimen of immunosuppressant medications to prevent your immune system from rejecting the donor organ. There are many different immunosuppressant medications you may have been...

Schedule regular healthcare visits Take all your medications every day and at the same time as instructed Discuss any medication concerns or side effects with your transplant team Eat healthy Get regular exercise Keep a healthy weight Ask how you can lower your chances for high blood pressure,...

What is a nephrectomy? Nephrectomy (nephro = kidney, ectomy = removal) is the surgical removal of a kidney. The procedure is done to treat kidney cancer as well as other kidney diseases and injuries. Nephrectomy is also done to remove a healthy kidney from a donor (either living or deceased) for...

What is a simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant (SKP)? A kidney-pancreas transplant is an operation to place both a kidney and a pancreas — at the same time — into someone who has kidney failure related to type 1 diabetes. In many cases, both transplanted organs may come from one deceased donor....