Maintaining a healthy lifestyle after transplantation.
Routine health maintenance.
Doctor visits. A primary care doctor will help you manage your non-transplant problems. Your dentist
will give you cleanings and exams at least twice a year. If you're given antibiotics by your dentist
before your appointment, please let the transplant team know so they can make sure that they will
be OK to take with your new kidney. Eye doctor. Have an exam every year,
which is especially important if you have diabetes or lupus.
How to prevent cancer after transplant. For skin cancer, see a dermatologist yearly and
use sunscreen daily. Depending on your age and gender, your doctor may recommend screening
for the following: cervical cancer, which would be a pap smear yearly; breast cancer,
which would be a mammogram yearly; colon cancer, which would be a colonoscopy screening as
recommended by your doctor; and for prostate cancer, it would be a PSA screening, yearly.
How to prevent getting sick.
Vaccines. Get the flu vaccine yearly and COVID-19 vaccine as recommended.
Avoid LIVE vaccines. Examples of this would be the MMR or chickenpox vaccine. There are some vaccines
for children that can put you at risk for getting sick. Ask your doctor for more information.
For family and friends, ask your close family and friends to get vaccinated.
Ask people who are sick to avoid visiting you. If someone around you gets chickenpox or measles,
you will need to isolate yourself and call the transplant team at 714-456-8441.
Healthy habits. Wash your hands often and especially before preparing food,
after diaper changes, using the bathroom and avoid smoking marijuana because of
the risk of fungal infection. Also, avoid smoking cigarettes.
Pet safety. There are several ways to get sick from animals.
Touching cat litter, which you would need to use a mask and gloves to clean;
if your pet has diarrhea and you touch it; bird droppings and exotic pets.
For gardening, there may be germs in the soil and dirt.
Wait at least three months after your transplant before you start gardening.
While gardening, you must wear a face mask, gloves and practice good hand washing after.
Travel tips.
Travel safety. Do not plan on traveling out of the country for at least six
months after your transplant. Ask your doctor when you may travel.
Traveling with medications. If flying, put your medications in your carry-on bag,
not your checked luggage. Carry your prescriptions in their original pharmacy-labeled bottles.
Ask your pharmacy for extra medication while traveling, if needed.
Storing medications. Keep your medications away from children and animals.
Check your medication labels to see if it needs to be at room temperature or refrigerated.
Store medications in a cool dry place and never above a stove or in a bathroom.
Heat and moisture can physically change your medications and affect their potency.
Physical activity and sports. We encourage you to be physically
active daily. Avoid contact sports such as boxing, martial arts and football.
Returning to your kidney doctor.
Returning to your kidney doctor is one year after your transplant.
We will begin sharing care with the kidney doctor who cared for you when you were on dialysis.
We will take turns seeing you with your local kidney doctor. When you are seeing
your local kidney doctor only, you can still call the transplant team at 714-456-8441
with questions or concerns.
Important numbers to know. For the UCI Health transplant office, the number is 714-456-8441.
Normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. After-hours calls
are for urgent issues only. The UCI Health outpatient pharmacy number is 714-456-3699.
The pharmacy is open seven days a week. Call for hours, as they may vary depending on the day.
The UCI medical phone number for the medical center is 714-456-7890,
and that number will get you to the operator.