Transplant Institute
The Transplant Institute, part of the Department of Surgery, offers nationally recognized patient care, research programs, and education and training opportunities.
How to Prepare for Kidney Transplant
Take important steps to be ready
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You’re on the Kidney Transplant Waitlist, What’s Next?
After you go through your eligibility evaluation and you get on the kidney transplant list, there’s a lot to do in preparation for kidney transplant. It’s likely all new to you, of course. But at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), we’re experts in the pre-kidney-transplant process. We guide you through everything, beginning to end. From monitoring your health to helping you make positive lifestyle changes, we’re here for you.
The Kidney Match Process
The New England Donor Services is the organ procurement group for BIDMC. They coordinate the sharing of available organs through the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). UNOS maintains the national kidney waitlist and matches donor kidneys with potential kidney transplant recipients.
Once you get on the list, nearly everyone has the same question: How long is the wait for a kidney transplant? The answer isn’t clearcut. The average wait time for a deceased donor kidney in New England is about five to seven years. If you have blood type O or B the wait tends to be longer. The wait is usually shorter if you have blood type A or AB. You also have to remember, there’s no guarantee you’ll get a kidney. Your doctor can provide more information based on your blood type and other factors.
When a donor is identified UNOS matches the kidneys to the patients that are highest on the list. If you are matched to a deceased donor kidney, the transplant team will review the donor information. If we deem that the organ is suitable for you, a nurse coordinator will call you to discuss it with you.
While You Wait for Your Transplant
While you’re waiting, we stay in close contact with you and offer pre-transplant care. This includes encouraging you to identify a health care proxy and keep contact and insurance information up to date.
During your wait, it may be necessary to begin dialysis. If you’re already on dialysis, it will continue.
During your visits to the Transplant Institute, we check your physical and emotional health. You typically get blood work once a year, although if you have certain medical conditions, we may draw blood more often. Also, your local kidney doctor and/or dialysis center will test your blood on a more regular basis.
You can help keep your body and mind healthy during your wait:
- Consider joining a support group of pre- and post-transplant patients
- Exercise to the best of your ability
- Follow a healthy diet recommended by your doctor
- See your doctor regularly
- Take your medications as directed
Be sure to update us with Pap smears, annual mammograms and stress tests, if told to do so by your nurse coordinator. Also, keep a record of any hospitalizations, infections or blood transfusions to report at each scheduled visit.
Our social workers and psychologists are available to provide behavioral health services and support if waiting is difficult for you and you could use an emotional boost.
When We Have an Organ for You
When an organ is available for you, it will be an exciting day! Learn what happens when you get the call.
More About Kidney Transplant Preparation
Living Kidney Donation
Because it can take years to get a deceased donor kidney, it’s worthwhile to consider living kidney donation. Living kidney donation can mean less time on dialysis and may lead you to a longer life and a better quality of life. A living donor kidney also may:
- Be scheduled at a time that’s convenient for you and your donor.
- Last longer than a deceased donor organ.
- Start working right away (much sooner than a deceased donor).
- Work better than a deceased donor kidney.
Transplants that occur before you even start dialysis are known as preemptive transplants. You get these transplants when your health is generally good, which can improve new kidney function and enhance overall health. Nearly all preemptive transplants come from live donors. This is because kidneys from deceased donors are distributed in this region (UNOS Region 1, which includes Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut and Vermont) by a number of considerations — with wait time on the transplant list as one of the most important.
Having a live donor is the most common and best way to get transplanted before starting dialysis. However, no matter how long you’ve been on dialysis, a transplant from a live donor is preferable to a deceased donor.
Preemptive transplant is especially beneficial if you have Type 1 diabetes and need both a kidney transplant and a subsequent deceased donor pancreas transplant.
Who Can Be a Living Donor?
A living donor can be a spouse, adult child, parent, sibling or other family member. But the donor doesn’t have to be a blood relative. Your donor could be a friend, coworker or good Samaritan (a compassionate stranger).
Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, may prevent someone from being a donor. However, we’ll consider any healthy person 18 years of age and older with a similar blood type. Members of the transplant team (who are not involved in your care) will evaluate possible donors for you.
Information for Living Kidney Donors
More information for people considering donating a kidney is available on our Living Kidney Donation webpage. You’ll find helpful details about eligibility, decision-making considerations and the donation process.
Finding a Living Kidney Donor
You may be reluctant to talk with those close to you about living kidney donation. Common concerns and questions we hear from people waiting for a kidney include:
- How could I possibly thank someone enough for donating a kidney to me?
- How will my relationship with the donor change after surgery?
- I don’t want to burden others. Would donation affect their family life, work or leisure activities?
- What if donating a kidney causes health problems for my loved one?
- What if the donated kidney doesn’t work?
- What if those who volunteered to donate a kidney weren’t really serious?
- Why should I rely on others to help me with my illness when I have managed things on my own all of my life?
Sometimes, family members or friends offer to give you a kidney even without being asked. But if they don’t, it’s important to know that many people are willing to consider living donation. We can help you develop a plan to talk with relatives and friends about this option.
How do I ask someone to consider living kidney donation?
Again, we’re here to help you come up with a plan. You might consider some of these approaches that others found helpful:
- Bring family members and friends together for a single meeting at your home. At this meeting, tell everyone about your kidney disease, why the doctors feel that a kidney transplant is your best option, and why your doctors are recommending a living donor kidney transplant. The advantage of this approach is that you can talk to everyone at the same time. You may like this idea but find the group format too difficult or intimidating.
- Ask family members, friends or others one at a time — individually — to consider donating a kidney. For instance, you might say:
“I have kidney disease, and my doctors have told me that I need a kidney transplant to live longer and to improve my quality of life. The doctors said that a kidney from a living person is better than one from someone who has died. I know that this is a very difficult thing to ask, but would you consider donating a kidney to me? I don’t need an answer right now, but it would be great if you would consider it. No matter what you decide, it’s important for you to know that our relationship won’t change, no matter what you decide.”
- Give your loved ones a brochure that we will provide to you. The brochure has information about being a living donor, the evaluation process, and what past living donors have said about the experience.
- Write an email or letter, and send it to all family members and friends. You can describe your kidney disease and need for a transplant, while also mentioning that you would benefit from a living kidney donor. Our social worker or psychologist can help you write this letter.
- Find an “ambassador” who is willing to talk to others for you. It can be a family member, friend, pastor or other important person in your life.
- Ask friends and family members to help you “spread the word” that you need a kidney donor. Many transplant candidates find it easier to ask for help informing others of their need for a transplant rather than asking individual people if they can be a donor.
What if someone expresses an interest in being a donor?
Ask them to call our living donor nurse coordinator at 617-632-9700 and ask them to complete a Living Kidney Donor Intake Form. The nurse will take it from there. First comes a brief telephone interview when they can ask the nurse any questions they might have. If they’re eligible to be assessed further and they are still interested in donating, we will schedule an evaluation. We do a thorough evaluation to be sure the donor is in good health and completely understands the donation process.
What if I don’t hear back from anyone?
It’s common to go a while without hearing from those you contacted. Being evaluated as a possible living donor is a decision that should be made after careful consideration — and after discussing it with loved ones.
After a few weeks or so, we recommend that you ask the people you spoke to whether they have considered being a living donor. If they say, “No, I haven’t really thought about it yet,” or “I just can’t do it,” thank them for their thoughtful consideration and then move on to others.
Please understand that there are many reasons why someone might not want to be a living donor. Deciding not to be a donor doesn’t mean they don’t care for you or don’t love you. Reassure them that you don’t think of them any differently and that your relationship is still very important to you. They will feel thankful that you did not pressure them to donate.
Using Social Media to Spread the Word
You also might wish to consider using social media sites, such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and other ways to get your story out about your kidney disease and your need for a living kidney donor. We’ve developed an information sheet about using social media to help you.
