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Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Transplant Discussion => Topic started by: DialysisGoneFOREVER on June 17, 2016, 06:06:28 PM

Title: How does a transplanted kidney feel when examined?
Post by: DialysisGoneFOREVER on June 17, 2016, 06:06:28 PM
Like when the doctor touches your abdomen is a healthy Tx kidney supposed to feel hard, soft, or inbetween?
Title: Re: How does a transplanted kidney feel when examined?
Post by: SooMK on June 27, 2016, 08:12:11 AM
I don't think it's necessarily either one of these. I thought they were feeling for the kidney and the area around it. What puzzled me was what were they listening for. So I asked. The doc said ideally they would hear nothing. If the kidney is working well nothing is heard.
Title: Re: How does a transplanted kidney feel when examined?
Post by: lainiepop on June 27, 2016, 08:14:03 AM
My consultants always told me it should feel soft. If it feels rock hard they can tell something might be off. This freaked me as i kept trying to feel it myself but they said it doesn't working doing it yourself!
Title: Re: How does a transplanted kidney feel when examined?
Post by: Deanne on June 27, 2016, 09:42:43 AM
I've always been able to feel mine, maybe because I'm a small person and the kidney is large. It feels firm and I can kind of see a protrusion in that area of my abdomen.
Title: Re: How does a transplanted kidney feel when examined?
Post by: DialysisGoneFOREVER on June 27, 2016, 12:14:47 PM
My consultants always told me it should feel soft. If it feels rock hard they can tell something might be off. This freaked me as i kept trying to feel it myself but they said it doesn't working doing it yourself!

That's funny because when my 1st transplant worked great the kidney felt ROCK hard. Then after 5 years it started to fail and it became softer and softer!

Now my 2nd transplant is working great and it's sort of inbetween, not TOO hard but not too soft. I think that's normal. I know that a transplanted kidney is NOT supposed to feel like a healthy liver, pancreas, stomach, intestines, etc.

During the transplant and with all the immunosuppression you get some scar tissue so it doesn't feel completely normal my nephrologist.
Title: Re: How does a transplanted kidney feel when examined?
Post by: DialysisGoneFOREVER on June 27, 2016, 12:17:13 PM
I don't think it's necessarily either one of these. I thought they were feeling for the kidney and the area around it. What puzzled me was what were they listening for. So I asked. The doc said ideally they would hear nothing. If the kidney is working well nothing is heard.

My neph said you can hear if something is blocking the blood flown in the kidney so that's why they listen to it with a stethescope.