your dialysis team after transplant?

[sullidog]

I was just curious how much your dialysis team follows you post transplant? I was told by my transplant team that if my access were to clott my transplant clinic wants to know about it just in case they  decide they wanna reopen it, I was also told to see my regular dialysis neph from time to time. Do any of you still see your dialysis neph? if so what is his roll post tx? I have a post transplant neph but I was told to see him after the first year but at the same time I really don't care for him although I've only met him once, me being visually impaired he kept looking at my mom like she knew all of my answers, then he proceeded to tell his student that I must of been very sick as a little boy and missed a lot of school, what is it his right to judge me like that? I was a very healthy person up until 2009 thank you very much, and problem is he's the only transplant neph at my local transplant center, can I see my other neph instead?

[WishIKnew]

No contact at all.  I found that the teams are very separate.  My PD team had no contact with my hemo team and neither of my dialysis teams know or had anything to do with my transplant team.  Now, post transplant, there is no contact from my dialysis people.  Even my  nephrologist switched.  I really miss my pre=transplant nephrologist - I was with him for almost 30 years...

[willowtreewren]

When Carl got his transplant he was switched immediately to another neph (in the same group) who was a specialist for transplant patients. He is now nearly 2 years post Tx and sees this new neph every 3 months (down from once a month during that first year). He had his two-year transplant clinic follow-up with the transplant team today and will only see them once a year from now on.

Carl doesn't see his dialysis neph at all.

Bottom line, though - if you don't care for the neph you have, do find another. If you liked your dialysis neph, ask him if he would still see you.

And Carl was told that if his fistula clotted off, they would not do anything to save it. I thought that was a bit odd, and sad. It is still humming away, though.

Aleta

[RichardMEL]

Interesting question.

Down here, at least for me, our renal team oversees both D patients (well pre-D also) and tx patients, so it is a related group. However I have not seen my pre-tx neph, who is also the head of dept, since my tx, though it has been discussed over the past year or so on and off that since I was pretty stable that I could consider going back to him, but I'm still being seen in the tx clinic. I'm happy enough with that.

As for the D team.. well I've gone and seen them of my own bat (the nurses and so on) quite a few times since tx - both to see them and some of the patients I know.. not to rub it in that I have a tx, but beause I consider them all friendly.

Last was there in November for the Melbourne Cup (horse race). I joined in the sweep they were running and hung around with them for a bit and chatted and stuff. It was nice. I love my D unit.. but  I love it even more I am now not their patient but their friend And when I sit I can get up again whenever I want!!!

[KarenInWA]

I must have a different set of circumstances. My pre-d and dialysis neph was the same dr I've been seeing since 1999. Once the tx clinic clears you, you then go back to your reg neph, if you wish. I now see the tx clinic once every 3 months, which will be Jan 10th. Then I shall see from there. I had my tx a year ago Nov 23rd, but I'm a special case due to a biopsy-induced injury that happened in early April. I would have been switched back to my reg neph sooner if that hadn't have happened (I only recently started seeing him again).

KarenInWA

[Riki]

Interesting question.

Down here, at least for me, our renal team oversees both D patients (well pre-D also) and tx patients, so it is a related group. However I have not seen my pre-tx neph, who is also the head of dept, since my tx, though it has been discussed over the past year or so on and off that since I was pretty stable that I could consider going back to him, but I'm still being seen in the tx clinic. I'm happy enough with that.

As for the D team.. well I've gone and seen them of my own bat (the nurses and so on) quite a few times since tx - both to see them and some of the patients I know.. not to rub it in that I have a tx, but beause I consider them all friendly.

Last was there in November for the Melbourne Cup (horse race). I joined in the sweep they were running and hung around with them for a bit and chatted and stuff. It was nice. I love my D unit.. but  I love it even more I am now not their patient but their friend And when I sit I can get up again whenever I want!!!

Same here.  The 2 nephs that are here have only been in the province since mid 2009 and they kind of revamped everything.  Before they were here, everything was looked after by a team in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but everything was turned over to Prince Edward Island when they came here.  They look after all the renal patients in the province.  There are also a couple of the hemo nurses that do PD rounds every 2 weeks, on Tuesdays, to check on the PD patients, since they don't come into the unit unless the nurse wasn't able to see them, or they need something specific done that can't be done at home.  Post-tx, you still need to go to the transplant clinic in Halifax, because that is where the transplant is done.  I went once a month for the first 9 months, but that was because I needed a special medication that I couldn't get at home.  If I didn't need that, it would have only been once a month for 3 months.  After that, it was every 3 months, and I still had monthly blood work, but that was my choice.  They would have been fine if it was only done for clinic, but I wanted to stay on top of it.  I'm not sure how often the need to go to the transplant clinic is now, since there are 2 nephs in the province, where there were none before.  They may only need to go to Halifax now if there's an issue

[jeannea]

I've had the same group of nephrologists for over 20 years. They do pre-transplant, post transplant, dialysis, everything. Only difference between dialysis and not is if they see you in the dialysis center or in the office. I don't see the dialysis team for anything medical but I visit them because they're great.

[kit78]

When I got my transplant back in 2001 I lived 2 hrs from the city where the transplant was done. So after I was released, I followed up with my Neph where I lived. If he had any questions he would contact the transplant center.  Back then they only did 3 tests and blood work to get on the list.  Now you have to go through so many...I'm amazed!

[sullidog]

I sure hope I can still see my dialysis neph, I don't take too kindly to a person that's going to asume things.