After the Transplant

After dealing with the effects of long-term illness (lack of energy, shortness of breath), you may feel euphoric when you awake after surgery to find those symptoms gone. Anesthesia often protects you from post-surgical pain for a short time. Follow your team’s pain management instructions to make the overall experience as comfortable as possible.

Transplant is major surgery. It may take time to get back to eating normally, moving around, and managing your own care. Don’t be discouraged. Most recipients report feeling much better just after transplant. Others take longer to feel better, move around, and manage their care. Remember that you now have a functioning organ, which gives you a new lease on life.

After receiving your transplant, you will continue to work closely with your transplant team, who will play an active role in your recovery. Although living with a transplant will give you a new lease on life, caring for a healthy organ involves taking sensible steps to recover fully and return to a normal, active lifestyle.

The following sections will help you and your family learn more about the post-transplant process so that everyone involved is informed and prepared:

• Medications: Protecting Your Transplant
• Pregnancy
• Staying Healthy with Your New Transplant