Kidney Transplantation

Important Facts About Kidney Transplantation

Kidney transplantation is a beautiful experience that can prolong and improve lives of patients with kidney failure, in comparison to their outlook if remaining on dialysis forever.

Kidney transplantation can give patients a better quality of life by allowing them to regain their freedom to do many of the things that they used to do or enjoy before developing kidney failure and needing dialysis. 

Indeed, kidney transplantation is not free of potential complications or side-effects of the anti-rejection medications; but despite that, the majority of patients undergoing a kidney transplant live longer and fuller lives than if remaining on dialysis.

Kidney donation is regarded as a gift of health and requires courage and conviction, and it is an admirable act of love; because kidney donation is not free of complications either…but most donors do well through the rest of their lives. 

When discussing kidney donation and transplantation, it is commonly mentioned that donation is a ‘sacrifice’ from the donor to benefit the recipient, so the recipient can do better. However, it is more than that, and seeing kidney transplantation and donation in one-way perspective gives patients extra worries, feeling too obliged to the donor and thinking that might not be fair to put the donor through such risks for their own benefit.

It is indeed a sort of sacrifice for love and care as it is a big thing having your kidney removed, but not only the recipient benefits from it but also the donor and the entire family.

For instance, a husband donating to his wife will have a wife for longer, who will be then able to take care of his children for longer, to give love and care to the entire family for longer, to contribute to the family chores and finances for longer; and not only longer but also better. Furthermore, their children will have a complete family and likely a happier family and less stressed family for longer. Her brothers will have a sister for longer, her parents will have a daughter for longer, her parents-in-law will have a daughter-in-law for longer and a happier son and grandchildren for longer, and so on. The society and the work-force also can have an active and functional member for longer.

The same applies if the donor is the brother or the sister or the mother or the BFF of the recipient. Thus, from living kidney donation, everyone in the family or close to the recipient, irrespective of who the recipient is and who the donor is, will benefit through a huge act of love from the donor.  

That is why Dr Francisco is an active promoter of living kidney donation, as he wishes the best possible health for his patients and the best possible health and happiness to their families. 

On top of this, living donor kidney transplant, especially from family members, provides other benefits in comparison to transplantation from deceased donors due to many factors including:

– The degree of organ compatibility is greater, therefore fewer chances for rejection and higher chances for a more prolonged life of the kidney transplant.

– Since the organ compatibility is greater, fewer chances for needing higher doses medications to prevent rejection, and less need to use rescue anti-rejection medications, which are more toxic; therefore, fewer chances for side-effects.

– The quality of the donated kidney is higher as it comes from a healthy family member, with more chances to function for longer.

– The kidney transplant can be performed promptly without the need to remain for years on a waiting list for a kidney from a deceased donor. During those years on a waiting list, many complications can occur that can lead to patient’s loss of health and loss of fitness to undergo kidney transplantation in the future, or even worse things. 

– These benefits can be even greater if kidney transplantation is performed before undergoing dialysis, what is called pre-emptive transplantation, or as soon as possible after starting dialysis; which avoids the side-effects that undergoing kidney failure and partially effective dialytic therapies have.

Dr Francisco Salcido-Ochoa is not only a kidney doctor in Singapore, a transplant physician and a transplant immunologist, but he is also a philanthropic and empathic doctor, who appreciates your struggles and worries when living with kidney failure and simply wishes the best for you, and transplantation appears to offer you the best chances for rehabilitation and a happier family life.

Thus, Dr Francisco shall feel happy and honoured to offer you more information and advice on kidney transplantation and other kidney-related issues, and assess whether kidney transplantation is suitable and feasible for you, or whether donation is safe and reasonable for your donor; taking into account immunological (compatibility) and other medical and social aspects, as well as your family dynamics.

Get in touch with Dr Francisco, our kidney doctor, to discuss kidney transplantation further.

Click here to to discover more critical information on kidney transplantation.