My friend need a kidney transplant...

[bandgeek]

She knew it was coming but she has now been told she has been put on the list to have her right kidney transplanted and her left kidney removed. She has febrys {sp?} disease, was just diagnosed as having the diease rather than just being a carrier earlier on this year.

What is involved with a transplant? She has been confiding in me about things but I feel so clueless and useless and I just want to be able to support her better. She is only 18 and gets very down with it all

I have had 2 transplants the first at her age so any questions I am more than happy to answer xx

Thanks noddy. How successful are kidney transplants normally? Her mum and sister can't be tested for a match as they are carriers for Febrys, so it looks like she will need to be put on the list. I think she is quite frightened at the thought of it, but quite excited at the same time as she has been feeling really ill recently. She has missed a lot of uni and can't really go out and enjoy herself.

She hate telling people about her illness as she doesn't want their pity

I had my first in 1985 and it lasted until 1998 tehn I had 2 yrs of dialysis and another transplant in 2000 which is still going strong fingers crossed.It is a difficult age I was the same as her at that age and didn't want people knowing and feeling sorry for me but it is really only natural concern and tbh she will need all teh support she can get so should try and embrace it.The medications have improved hugely in recent years so they are lasting longer and longer.It is difficult but she will fell so much better with it.Where does she live no need to be exact just wondered if I might know the unit HTH

I could only imagine how hard it must be for both of you. Eighteen is such a difficult age anyway without having to deal with all of this. How long does recovery normally take, providing everything goes well?

We are in Fife

The recovery depends on how well the kidney functions.If it works straight away which mine did I was home really fast.I had the op on a friday and went home the following wednesday.I had to go in for blood tests daily for 3 months and then they taper it off depending on how well you do.I am in the south so don't know your area at all.The scar is not huge and the pain is well controlled.Within 3-4 weeks i was back to normal.I hope she gets one soon it is a new life-literally!