Question 1

What is a kidney transplant?

Accepted Answer

Kidney transplant, also known as nephrectomy, is a surgery performed on your kidneys to remove all or part of your swollen kidneys and treat a variety of conditions. The surgery is usually performed by a urologist.

Question 2

Why is a kidney transplant performed?

Accepted Answer

Two most important reasons are:

Damaged kidney

When your kidney/s are damaged, you may need to have part, or all of your kidney/s removed if they aren’t functioning correctly.

Donating a Kidney

This is another reason why surgery is performed on swollen kidneys. Sometimes a person will choose to donate their healthy kidney to a person who needs a new kidney. The healthy donor kidney then replaces the recipient’s damaged kidney, in a surgery called kidney transplants.

Question 3

How long does it take to recover from Kidney Surgery?

Accepted Answer

Recovery after kidney surgery usually takes between three and six weeks. Your doctor may recommend staying in the hospital for up to seven days. Ask your doctor about the success of the surgery and any follow-up treatments you might need.

Question 4

What are the various types of kidney surgeries?

Accepted Answer

Kidney Removal Surgery

Kidney removal or nephrectomy is a surgery that is performed to remove the entire kidney or part of it. It may involve:

Part of one kidney being removed
All of one kidney being removed
Removal of one entire kidney

Question 5

Kidney Transplant ?

Accepted Answer

Kidney transplant surgery normally lasts about three to four hours. During surgery, the transplanted kidney is placed in the pelvis near one of your hip bones. The surgeon connects the blood vessels from the transplanted kidney to the blood vessels in the pelvis. The ureter or urine drainage tube from the transplanted kidney is connected to your bladder so urine can be excreted. A stent is a flexible, narrow tube that is inserted into the ureter, and enters the bladder to keep an open connection.

Question 6

Surgery for Kidney Cancer

Accepted Answer

The surgeon at your kidney specialist hospital will evaluate your condition based on factors such as the size and location of the tumour.

Question 7

What are the risks of kidney removal?

Accepted Answer

The surgical procedure of removal of all or part of a kidney is called Nephrectomy. Most often, a nephrectomy is performed to remove a benign (noncancerous) tumour or to treat kidney cancer. There are risks associated with it as it's a major surgery. Some of them are:

Blood loss
heart attack
stroke
Pulmonary Embolism (Blood clot in legs that moves into the lungs)
Breathing difficulties

Question 8

How do I take care of my kidneys?

Accepted Answer

To preserve normal kidney function, your doctor may recommend that you eat a healthy diet, engage in daily physical activity and attend regular check-ups to monitor your kidney health. If you are awaiting a donated kidney or a transplant surgery is scheduled, you need to be intentional and work towards staying healthy. Be as healthy and active as possible; this will better prepare you for the transplant surgery. It will certainly help to speed up your recovery from the surgery.

Question 9

What are the side effects of living with one kidney?

Accepted Answer

A kidney surgery or Nephrectomy, or organ donation of a kidney can lead to this condition of living with only one kidney. Some people are born with only one kidney. This condition is called Renal Agenesis. Another condition, called Kidney Dysplasia, causes a person to be born with two kidneys, but only one of them works. Most people born with only one working kidney lead a normal, healthy life. Your kidneys are responsible for filtering out waste and extra fluid from your blood. Although a human body has two kidneys, you only need one functioning kidney to live a healthy life. So yes, you can live an active life with one kidney. The measures recommended for a healthy living if you have only one kidney are the same for people with two kidneys

Eat a healthy diet
Exercise Regularly
Maintain a healthy weight
Drink enough water and fluids to stay hydrated.
Maintain a normal blood pressure and blood sugar.
In case of high blood pressure or diabetes, monitor and manage it regularly to keep it in control.

Kidney Surgery: