time waited for kidney transplant

[gbcweber1958]

Just wondering how long the list is for an available kidney these.  Tell some transplant stories.  Any centers with private    rooms?  

[angieskidney]

skwrd is right. It depends on a number of factors such as location, blood type, etc. I waited for my first kidney transplant only for 2 months (I was in a children's hospital) yet the 2nd time around I waited for over 6 years.  To me it is not a matter of how long you wait but the quality of the kidney you eventually get and how well you are doing on dialysis while you wait.

As for discussions with transplant recipients, I joined this wonderful group called http://www.transplantalliance.org but it is not just kidney recipients but many other organ transplant recipients as well. :) Wonderful group.

[skwrd]

The waiting list depends on several factors. Is the person on dialysis or not is one factor, and what their blood type is another factor. The blood type puts the person into different lists for kidney transplantation. In Nebraska, a person with a blood type A will wait less time than a person with a blood type of O or B. This applies to cataveric transplant recipients. If a person has a living donor, then the waiting time can be a lot less, compared to cataveric.

If you have a person interested in donating a kidney to you, then you have to first be evaluated by the transplant center to see if you are a candidate. If you turn out to be a candidate, then you can have your living donor get tested to see if they can donate. If you do not have a person willing to donate, that is not a problem. You will go on a list based on your blood type. You will accumulate "waiting time" while on the list. This is kind of like waiting your turn to get into the movie theatre. The person who is your blood type, but was approved before you were, is ahead of you to receive a cataveric kidney verses someone who was evaluated after you were, provided they are the same blood type.

I cannot speak for other transplant centers, but the Nebraska Medical Center has a solid organ transplant floor where every room is private. This floor consists of liver and kidney transplant recipients. The heart transplant recipients are on a different floor, and they have a private room, too. Since the person's immunosuppressant levels are significantly lower, due to the medications, private rooms is the standard for transplant recipients at the Nebraska Medical Center. It is probably true of other transplant institutions across the United States, too.

I hope this helps. Take care.