Kidney transplant best or dialysis pd r hd both.

[khaliq282]

Hi all,wat u think all r kidney transplant best r dialysis aftar a buddy have there both kidnes faild.
bcoz wat i have see here aftar kidney transplant,they have rejection .nd wen they cm on dialysis again they gt more worse health.and also nid to eat lot of pills daily.
but kidney transplant have benifit too ,like freedom of fluid,food nd time..

[jbeany]

khaliq, the answer to what is the best treatment depends on the patient.  I chose a transplant.  I was willing to risk the surgery, the rejection and the possible side effects from the immunosuppressant meds.  I'm much happier with the transplant than I was on dialysis.  I nearly didn't survive the transplant surgery because of all the complications that I had in the weeks that followed it.  It certainly isn't a low-risk option.  Staying on dialysis has risks, too.  Heart problems, bone problems, etc.  The diet and fluid restraints are very hard for some people to live with.  Not everyone does well on dialysis either.  It might keep them alive, but it's not much of a life for some.

You have to find out what you think is going to work for you.  Make a pro and con list for yourself.

[BigSky]

Not all but nearly everyone who has a transplant will have either rejection or failure and be back on dialysis. 

A transplant does give one there life back to an extent.

As far as pills, its really no more than what most on dialysis take.  However its far more important that one takes their medication on time and every single day with a transplant,  all it takes is forgetting one pill and it can put you on the track to a transplant rejecting.

 The bigger problem is the compromised immune system from the transplant medication which puts one at risk from everything from the common cold to cancer.

All in all a transplant seems the better of the two IMO even with the risks of surgery and having a compromised immune system.  However one must face the reality that if the do have a transplant, they need to be prepared that one day they will be back on dialysis.

[paris]

Good explanation, Big Sky.   

[RichardMEL]

That's a good explanation but I think there may also be another angle to this that may relate more to where Khaliq is, as in Pakistan - the ability to obtain the antirejection medication may well be more of an issue. He has already suggested that one D session can cost half a month's average wage, so access to those expensive medication may be the issue. If you can't afford those meds, then maybe transplant is NOT the best option because it's clear that getting access to, and maintaining antirejection medications are critical to survivial of a transplant longer term.

I read last year I think about a guy in India who is walking around with FIVE kidneys - because he's had 3 transplants from family members, but because he simply cannot afford the antirejection medication his transplants have all failed. This is very sad. Perhaps a similar situation occurs in Pakistan and this is, in part, to what Khaliq is referring to. There may also be issues with the actual transplants themselves, as in the standards of the procedures taken out (not to put down Pakistan, but the conditions of the hospitals, quality of doctors, procedures, medication etc probably aren't up to the sort of standards seen in the west).