Recovery Tips for Kidney Transplant Patients

After returning home, you want to resume ‘normal living’. If you feel like going for a movie, or any social occasion, DO IT! If you’d like to have friends visit you at home, that’s OK too! Try as much as possible to return to your normal routine.

However, the key is moderation and measuring your limits. Initially, you might have less energy but with time your body will heal and adjust to your new medications. There are also many things you should consider in your life after kidney transplant surgery that involve taking care of your new kidney.

Diet and exercise

If you were on dialysis before your transplant, you will notice a difference in what you can eat and drink once your new kidney has been transplanted. You will still need to eat foods low in salt and fat to prevent high blood pressure, and if you have diabetes, you need to watch your blood sugar. Exercise can help improve your heart and lung health, prevent weight gain, etc.

Anxiety, depression and mental health

Getting a kidney transplant isn’t a cakewalk, it’s normal to undergo all kinds of emotions afterward. If you’re experiencing feelings of anxiety, depression or guilt, please don’t consider yourself alone, many transplant patients experience these feelings at first, for many reasons.

• Mood changes may be a side effect of the immunosuppressant medicines you are taking.
• You may also feel stressed or anxious about your new lifestyle.
• Your family members may also have emotional changes as they also have to adjust to your new lifestyle.

Returning to work

If you are planning on going back to work, your transplant team may advise you to wait three to six weeks after your surgery. You will also be given certain limits on what you should do.

Keeping your new kidney healthy

To keep yourself healthy, and to make sure your new kidney works well, follow the below points:

• Take your immunosuppressant and other medicines exactly how your doctor will advise you.
• Know the signs of infection and contact your kidney transplant doctor immediately.
• Avoid being around people who are sick.
• Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated.
• Consume foods that are low in salt, fat and cholesterol.

Consult at NU Hospitals because it offers one of the best kidney transplant surgeries in Bangalore.

7 Early Warning Signs of Kidney Disease

While the only way to know if you have kidney disease is to get tested, but here are 7 possible signs that prove that you may have kidney disease. If you’re at risk for kidney disease due to high blood pressure, diabetes, a family history of kidney failure or if you’re older than age 60, it’s important to get kidney treatment at regular intervals. Be sure to mention any symptoms of kidney failure to your doctor.

• You’re more tired, have less energy or are having trouble concentrating

A severe decrease in kidney function can lead to a buildup of toxins and impurities in the blood. This can cause people to feel tired and weak. Another complication of kidney disease is anemia, which can cause weakness and fatigue.

• You’re having trouble sleeping

When the kidneys aren’t filtering properly, toxins stay in the blood rather than leaving the body through the urine. This can cause difficulty in sleeping. There is also a link between obesity and chronic kidney disease. So it’s important to keep a check of your weight.

• You have dry and itchy skin

Healthy kidneys do many important jobs. They help in removing wastes and extra fluid from your body. Dry and itchy skin can be a sign of the mineral and bone disease that often accompanies advanced kidney disease, when the kidneys are no longer able to keep the right balance of minerals and nutrients in your blood.

• You feel the need to urinate more often

If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this can be a sign of kidney disease. When the kidney filters are damaged, it can cause an increase in the urge to urinate.

• You spot blood in your urine

Healthy kidneys typically keep the blood cells in the body when filtering wastes from the blood to create urine, but when the kidney’s filters have been damaged, these blood cells can start to leak out into the urine.

• Your ankles and feet are swollen

Decreased kidney function can lead to sodium retention, causing swelling in your feet and ankles.

• You have a poor appetite

This can be a general symptom but a buildup of toxins resulting from reduced kidney function can be one of the causes.

Equipped with some of the finest kidney specialists and world-class amenities, NU Hospitals has positioned itself as one of the best kidney hospitals in India.

Important Facts to know About Kidney Transplant Surgery

When your kidneys aren’t working the way they should, waste and extra fluids build up in your body. Dialysis is one way to treat this problem, but kidney transplant surgery is also a choice. Still, it might be a complex surgery. Here’s what you should know before you decide if it’s right for you.

How do I get a Donor Kidney?

If your surgeon thinks a kidney transplant Treatment is an option for you, he’ll have to undergo certain exams, X-rays, and scans to make sure you’re healthy enough to go through the transplant process. There are two different ways you can get a healthy kidney. The first is through what’s known as a ‘living donor’. This might be a family member or close friend who is willing to give you one of their kidneys. Or, it could be a stranger who’s willing to give you one of theirs. The second way you could get a kidney is from a deceased organ donor.

What happens during a surgery?

You’ll be given anesthesia so you stay asleep the whole time. Then, the surgeon will make an opening in your abdomen. Your own kidneys won’t be removed unless they’re infected or causing pain, but the donor kidney will be put in. Its blood vessels will be attached. The opening will be closed with stitches. A small drain may be put into your abdomen to get rid of any extra fluid that’s built up during the surgery.

What the recovery like?

You may be able to get out of bed and walk around the day after your kidney transplant. Although you should start to feel much better in about two weeks, you won’t be able to lift any heavy objects for about a month. You’ll recover faster if you stay active. Giving up smoking and alcohol are key to staying healthy.

Consult at NU Hospitals for a premium kidney transplant treatment for it is known to be one of the best kidney transplant hospitals in India.

Courses of Treatment for Head and Neck Cancer

The first step in treating head and neck cancer is to determine the stage of cancer. Stage I and II cancers are usually small and have not spread from their original location. These are usually curable. Stage III and IV cancers have usually spread to nearby lymph nodes and are large tumors. Usually, they require more complicated treatment and have a smaller chance of cure, but most are potentially curable.

The three main courses of treatment for head and neck cancers are radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy.

Surgery: Surgeons may remove the tumor and a margin of surrounding tissue. Lymph nodes in the neck and may also be removed if it is suspected that the cancer has spread.

Surgery on the head and neck areas may alter the patient’s ability to chew, talk and swallow. For this, the patient might need speech therapy as well.

Radiation therapy: This involves the use of high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. This may be done by placing radioactive materials into the body near the cancer cells.

Radiation therapy can have side effects, such as sores or irritation in the treated area, difficulty in swallowing or tasting, loss of saliva, decreased appetite.

Chemotherapy: This treatment involves the use of anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. It is more commonly used for advanced stage head and neck cancers.

Side effects include sores in the mouth, loss of appetite, vomiting, dizziness, joint pain and hair loss. Patients should consult with a physician about how to treat these side effects.

NU Hospitals has the best set of head and neck surgeons in Bangalore and it is also known to be one of the finest head and neck surgery hospitals in India.

Do You Need a Surgery for Removal of Kidney Stones?

Stones usually pass from the kidneys, and finally through the urethra on their own without causing any pain. They develop primarily when you do not feel the urge to urinate often. Both the genders can develop stones in their lifetime- the common age group being 35-60+.

Let us take some of the queries related to removal of kidney stones:

Does one need kidney stone surgery for removal of stone?

This entirely depends on the location, size of the stone and the damage it is causing to our kidneys. A small stone of around the size of 6mm or less, which is in the urinary tube not causing much of swelling of the kidney, can be managed medically. You won’t be requiring surgery but you have to be under medical supervision. On the contrary, larger stones in the ureter causing swelling of the kidney or infection require immediate removal by ureteroscopy and Holmium LASER. Small obstructing stones in the kidney also require removal either by shock waves that is crushing the stones from outside. Though this method is not as effective. Large kidney stones can be removed by a small hole through the skin. This method is called Per Cutaneous Nephro Lithotripsy (PCNL).

Will one get kidney stones again?

There is high probability that one gets the stone again in his life time. Almost 40% patients can develop second stone in their lifetime. Therefore, it’s better if one undergoes a regular check up with the doctor.

Will they damage the kidneys?

Stones which block the kidney, whether they are in kidney or ureter and cause swelling of the kidney can gradually damage the kidney function. Stones can also cause recurrent infection in urinary tract which can further damage the renal function. 

Equipped with matchless technologies and a set of well-learned surgeons making NU Hospitals one of the best to provide kidney stone treatments in Bangalore.

Prevention of Bladder stones

Bladder stones are caused when minerals build up in the bladder and form into small ‘stones’. Mostly affecting older males, bladder stones can be uncomfortable. Basically, the leftover urine becomes concentrated and minerals within the liquid turn into crystals. Sometimes, these stones will be passed while they are very small. Other times, bladder stones can get stuck to the wall of the bladder or ureter.

Symptoms:

• Discomfort or pain in the penis for males
• More frequent urination or a stop-start flow
• Pain in the lower stomach area
• Presence of blood in the urine
• Pain and discomfort while urinating

Prevention:

As bladder stones are caused by a range of medical illnesses, there are no specific ways to prevent them. However, if an individual experiences any odd urinary symptoms- pain, discoloration, blood- getting an earlier medical opinion is advised. Some of the techniques include:

• Increase fluid intake to lower urine concentration (2-3 liters a day)
• Regular emptying of the bladder
• Double voiding to increase emptying of urine from the bladder
• Using laxatives to avoid constipation

These techniques are often beneficial and help to stop the formation of Kidney stones with minimal adverse effects on the individual.

Backed by a set of erudite surgeons and world-class facilities, NU Hospitals has proven itself to provide one of the best bladder and renal stones treatments in India.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF KIDNEY FAILURE?

Our kidneys are responsible for a variety of critical tasks, including blood filtration, regulation of blood pressure and hemoglobin levels. Kidney failure, also known as Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), implies permanent damage which is both progressive and irreversible, to the kidneys. This disease impairs all the functions of the kidneys. This aggravates various other conditions such as blood pressure, anemia and bone disease.

What leads to kidney failure?

These common risk factors are:

• Diabetes: The foremost risk factor for CKD is diabetes. More often than not, diabetes is detected during the later stages, by which time other organs like the kidneys will have been affected.
• Hypertension: When uncontrolled, is a very high risk factor for kidney failure.
• Family History: A family history of renal dysfunction increases the risk of getting affected by chronic kidney disease.
• Infections: Recurrent urinary or kidney infection are also red flags for this disease.
• Over-the-counter medications: Popping pills without a qualified doctor’s supervision can not only wreak havoc with the kidneys, but also cause many other harmful side-effects.
• Glomerular disease: The presence of proteins in the urine is a tell-tale sign of an impending kidney damage, and if undetected and untreated, even kidney failure.

SYMPTOMS OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE

The common signs and symptoms include:

• Unexplained anemia
• Weakness
• Tiredness
• Problems getting sleep
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of appetite
• Changes in urine
• Swelling of feet and the face
• Recurrent vomiting
• Nausea
• Unexplained weight loss

By the time the symptoms manifest themselves, it is usually too late and the kidneys are already severely damaged.  Therefore, it is vital not to wait for the symptoms to appear before a kidney checkup.

Kidney Failure Treatment Options

The treatment for CKD depends on the stage of the disease. The first three stages are early onset stages where the underlying cause must be treated and no specific medicines for kidney failure is administered. Quitting smoking is a very important step. Any instances of kidney or urinary infections must be looked into at the earliest.

In the advanced stages, the kidney function may be reduced by as much as 60-70%. In these cases, there should be more emphasis on controlling the blood pressure and things which are harmful to the kidneys.

There are certain medications such as Angiostein-Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and Angiostein Receptor Blockers which are proven to prevent further progression.

In stage 5, where the kidney damage exceeds 80-90%, medications do not have any effect and the only solutions are either dialysis, or, if the patient is fit enough, a kidney transplant.

Regular physical activity can help control the blood pressure, sugar levels, keeps the weight under control, all of which help in preventing further progression of this disease. Moderate exercises like walking, cycling etc. is definitely beneficial in the early stages.

As the kidney disease worsens beyond stage 4, the prospect of kidney failure becomes very real and it needs to be controlled with specific medications and certain dietary changes such as reduced salt and fluid intake and checking for any signs of heart problems. When the kidney fails, the only treatment options are kidney dialysis and transplant.

In the unfortunate eventuality of requiring a dialysis or transplant, a modern, well-equipped hospital makes a world of difference. NU Hospitals is a state-of-the-art kidney care hospital that has the all the necessary facilities and experienced specialists to successfully manage the most complex renal conditions.