why do some transplant patients still need epo?

[sullidog]

Just curious of why some transplant patients still need epo? I know some take it for the life of the transplant.

[Marina]

Just curious of why some transplant patients still need epo? I know some take it for the life of the transplant.

The  explanation  I got  from  TX  center  was  that   since our  immune  system  is  so  supressed,  it might  prevent  the bone  marrow  from  making  enough red  blood  cells.

[Chris]

When I am hospitalized, sometimes I do get epo shots. So it can be how your body is reacting to something.

[coravh]

There are several reasons. It's just like some folks get off all their bp meds, and some don't. I no longer take any meds for blood pressure (it's actually low) but I've always needed the epo. Some get a full "recovery" and some do not.  Some of the tx drugs also cause anemia, so that could be part of it too.

Cora

[RichardMEL]

Right after my tx my hb dropped to like 72 (7.2 US)  -very low. They gave me a couple of shots of aranesp to "kickstart things"(yes, I thought of our member ) because they claimed sometimes it can take some weeks or months for the body to get back to normal and start producing everything in the right amounts. I only needed a couple of shots, but it still took prob a month before hb got up to normal type levels (stable ever since around 125). Sio that can also be a reason.

[natnnnat]

Gregory is on aranesp every week now because his haemoglobin is low these days.  His 20 year old kidney transplant might not be working as well as it used to.  Creatnine was 220 last time they checked, which is great, down from his normal which is around 260.  Gregory is lying here talking to me as I type and he's noticed all the emoticons.  He's laughing because there's a dancing banana.  Should be a dancing kidney he says. 
 

[tyefly]

After transplant my hemoglobin was 8.4... one shot of epo and a IV iron and a three weeks  and I am not up to 10.1....  feel   way better.....  still shooting for 12 or 13 .....  I want more energy   thank you .......LOL

[renalpenguin]

I got "Ned" the kidney fifteen months ago tomorrow, and at surgery, I had a lot of internal bleeding. My hemoglobin was 5.0 (US- I don't know about anywhere else) with hematicrit at 15. For the first ten days (while I was inpatient), they gave me Aranesp and blood transfusions to help. For the past fifteen months, I've been between 8.0-10.5 hemoglobin... I'm a 19-year-old female, so once I month I lose quite a bit, usually to regain it and lose it again. My kidney is working great, but I just started Aranesp to see if we can get it to a more normal range, since I've never really built back to normal since transplant.

I haven't been on here for a while because I've actually been busy!    Not that I'm not busy anymore, but now that I've finally gotten into the schedule of college (at my local community college) I have time to hang out here! And after fifteen months Ned the kidney is still going strong, against all odds, with no FSGS recurrence!