How to manage 3 organ transplant risks

How to manage 3 organ transplant risks helps you understand the problems you will go through if you need a new organ and a healthy lifestyle to help you cope with post-surgery trauma

What is organ transplantation? It’s the surgical removal of a healthy organ, such as the pancreas, liver, lung, or intestine, from a person and transplanted into another person whose organ has failed or been injured.  While organ transplantation is often lifesaving, it is also a major surgery that carries risks and problems. So read below how to manage three organ transplant risks and why you need to adopt a healthy lifestyle after the surgery.

Organ rejection

After an organ transplant, organ rejection is a constant threat, so you will need to take immunosuppressant (anti-rejection) drugs. These drugs help prevent your immune system from attacking or rejecting the new organ. Typically, they must be taken for the lifetime of your transplanted organ.

You will take other medications to help the anti-rejection drugs do their job or control their side effects. And you may need to take medicine for other health conditions.

If your doctor identifies a rejection, he or she will try to reverse it by adjusting your medications. For example, you may need to:

• Switch to a new drug
• Add another drug
• Take a larger or smaller dose of your medications

Medication side effects

After an organ transplant, you may experience short-term medication side effects such as:

• Hair growth or hair loss
• Acne
• Mood swings
• Round face
• Enlarged gums
• Weight gain

These side effects may let up as your initial high dose of medication is tapered down.

You also may experience other side effects such as:

• Diarrhea
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Elevated blood sugars
• Infection

If you notice any side effects, don’t stop taking the drugs on your own. First, let your doctor know. He or she can adjust your prescriptions to minimize side effects without increasing your risk of organ rejection.

Health problems

Organ transplants can still lead to other medical problems. This is usually because of the medicines you need to suppress your immune system.

These problems range from the annoying to the life-threatening. Here’s a rundown of some of them.

• Diabetes.

• High cholesterol. High cholesterol can clog up your blood vessels, possibly damage your new organ, and eventually lead to heart disease. It’s a fairly common side effect of some of the medications used to control your immune system response after a transplant.

• High blood pressure. Again, the medicines you need can worsen or cause high blood pressure. While it can be a serious condition, it may get better as you ease off your medication.

• Gastrointestinal problems. This is a fairly common side effect of steroids. Your healthcare professional may prescribe medication to help. But do what you can to settle your stomach. Take medication with meals to reduce irritation. And cut down on alcohol and drinks with caffeine.

• Gout. A buildup of uric acid in the blood can cause a painful inflammation of some joints. It can be caused or worsened by some of the post-transplant medications used to suppress your immune system. You may switch some of your medications to control the condition.

• Anxiety and depression. It’s not surprising that many people who have received a transplant develop chronic anxiety and depression. Medications can make them worse and cause mood swings. Get help. Talk to your organ transplant team. There’s no reason for you to suffer.

• Sexual problems. Some people who have a transplant develop decreased sex drive or loss of function. Get help from your healthcare provider. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.

• Unwanted hair growth. The solution to this problem is the obvious: try shaving, waxing, or using drugstore products that remove hair.

Healthy lifestyle a must

A healthy lifestyle is very crucial after an organ transplant. Poor lifestyle habits, such as smoking and excessive drinking, can increase the risk of organ rejection. So, instead embrace healthy behaviors such as:

• A nutritious diet
• Exercise
• Stress management

A nutritious diet

• Eat high-fiber foods such as raw fruits and vegetables.
• Increase calcium by eating low-fat dairy products, green leafy vegetables, or taking calcium supplements (if directed by your doctor).
• Eat less salt, processed food, and snacks.
• Drink plenty of water (unless you are told to limit fluids).
• Eat high-protein foods such as lean meat, chicken (without the skin), fish, eggs, unsalted nuts, and beans.
• Instead of frying your food, try baking, broiling, grilling, boiling, or steaming.

Exercise

You can start their exercise programme with a low-impact activity such as walking. And then gradually increase your workout intensity with aerobic activities such as:

• Bicycling
• Jogging
• Swimming

You can also add resistance exercise with weights to prevent bone loss, and stretching for muscle tone and flexibility.

Stress management

Another way how to manage three avoidable organ transplant risks is avoiding stress. You can do this by engaging in proper rest and exercise.

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