Post Transplant Life

After the organ transplantation, you should take medication to suppress your immune system everyday so that your body does not reject the transplanted organ.
Several patients are nervous while departing from this environment, but the suggestions given below will help to create and maintain a safe environment at home.

Your medication

Your physicians and nurses will inform you on how to use your medication. You should take your medication regularly. If you have trouble in maintaining regular medication intake, you should receive support from family members in this regard.

Controls

You should pay control visits 3 times a week nice you are discharged from hospital. You should come to control examination without taking your medication before as your medication levels will be observed.
The frequency of your control examinations in the long term will be stated to you by your physician.

Home Environment
Living flowers and plants should not be put into patient room as these can be source of infection.
Pets should be avoided after transplantation. You can talk to your cat or dog with a distance in between. But you should by no means allow your pet to contact and lick you or sleep together with you.

Personal Contact

Close contact (hugging, kissing, hand shaking) should be avoided in order to reduce the probability to exposure to bacteria and other agents that could cause infections.
Persons who are not suffering from any infectious disease or upper respiratory tract infection can visit you after they wash their hands. The best protection is to avoid crowded places in the initial days.
You should avoid contact with persons suffering from upper respiratory tract infection (such as flu). Live vaccine should be avoided.

Daily Cleaning

Taking showers or bathing frequently are good for you. You can use a mild soap particularly in the event of a rash. You should avoid using soap with strong scent.
You should check your skin. Immediately inform your physician or nurse in case of a redness, puffiness or itchiness on your skin.
Always use your own towel and clothes. Do not use such belongings used by others and do not allow anyone else use what has been used by you.

Sea and Swimming Pool

Do not swim in lakes or public swimming pools as your immune system will have been suppressed. Do not engage in activities such as swimming without consulting to your physician.

Daily Exercise

Regular exercising is an important part of recovery process. Restoring your muscular strength and motion with exercise will make you feel good not only in physical but also in emotional terms.

You will feel that your resistance to activity or exercise has dropped down after you are discharged. Daily routine exercises can be very difficult at the outset as your energy level can be low or you might not feel good. Planning both resting and exercising periods together can help.

Sexual Life

Sexual activity subsequent to transplantation depends on how you feel yourself. Both male and female patients should inform a physician or nurse in the event of a discharge, skin lesion, chap or rash in the genital area. Sexual intercourse should be avoided until full recovery in the event of an active infection in your partner.

Nonetheless, birth control is of major importance. Transplantation team will inform you on the birth control options available.

Fever

If your fever reaches up to 38 degrees celsius and does not go down to normal level in 2 hours, you should call your nurse or physician.
Circumstances in which you should inform your transplantation team:
• Fever above 38 degrees celsius
• any bleeding from the palate, nose, rectum or bladder
• Cough, nasal congestion or shortness of breath,
• Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea,
• Skin rash or redness (check on a daily basis while in the bathroom),
• Any problem, pain, swelling, redness or discharge in the surgery site
• Mouth sores or rectal pain
• Genital scars, vaginal bleeding, discharge or odor.
• Frequent urination, pain or burning during urination,
• Yellow color on your skin or the white parts of your eyes
• Itchy skin

Smoking/Alcohol/Medication

We suggest you not to smoke after transplantation. Additionally, you should not allow anyone smoke near you and avoid from environments where tobacco is smoked.

Alcohol intake after transplantation should be avoided as well. It is not recommended as alcohol intake while taking medication on a regular basis should be avoided.

If you need to use any medication for a reason, consult with your physician or nurse. The medication given to you might not be compliant to the medication that suppresses your immune system, so you can change the expected effect.

Nutrition

As your immune system is suppressed, a great risk is posed in respect to the infections spreading with food.

The majority of food includes certain types of bacteria which are usually harmless for anyone who has a full-functioning immune system. This being said, food which includes high level of bacteria can be harmful to certain people and these food types can be a source of infection.

This section sets out information on considerations about selecting, buying, preparing and storing food in the post-transplant period.

Considerations about preparing and storing food are as follows:

• • Start with cleaning your fridge and make sure the temperature is set below 5 °C.

• • You should buy new food for your first arrival at home from the hospital. Discard or move away open cans or packages for a while.

• • Remember to wash your hands frequently.

• • Keep all the areas you prepare food in a clean and dry condition.

• • Wash plates with hot water and soap, and set them aside as soon as they dry up.

• • Be careful while handling kitchenware and hold them from their grips or edges.

• • Keep your fingers off food.

• • Put on gloves while preparing food with any injury or open wound in your hands.

• • Make sure not to cough or sneeze near food or plates.

• • Check the expiration date of all products.

• • Cook all types of meat and eggs well.

• • Keep meat and prepared food in the fridge only once. Keep all the food in the fridge in containers with closed lids.

• • Leftover food should be served after it is re-cooked.

• • Leftover food should be eaten within 24 hours or packaged and frozen.