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Message |
Transplant
Member
Username: Transplanthell
Post Number: 159
Registered: 01-2008
| | Posted on Friday, February 19, 2010 - 04:35 pm: | 
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What have you all heard from doctors or read about the benefits of having a perfect 6/6 antigen match from a LIVING donor? |
golferguitarguy
Member
Username: Golferguitarguy
Post Number: 9
Registered: 11-2009
| | Posted on Saturday, February 20, 2010 - 07:07 am: |
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No anti rejection drugs maybe.........Hope you are that perfect match.......... |
Transplant
Member
Username: Transplanthell
Post Number: 160
Registered: 01-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, February 20, 2010 - 08:54 am: |
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LOL......I WISH!! Of course you still need those drugs. |
Cora
Member
Username: Cora
Post Number: 103
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, February 20, 2010 - 01:12 pm: |
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From what I understand, the closer the match, the lower the chance of rejection and typically the longer it takes for the organ to eventually fail. It is still an inexact science though. My cousin and I were a 1/6 match (half cousins actually) and I am 7 1/2 years out with so far no episodes of rejection (knock on wood). My creatinine baseline is still fairly close to what it was at the 1 year post transplant mark.
Cora
Dx with T1 in 1966
Kidney tx in Minneapolis 2002
Pancreas tx in 2008 |
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kathy
Member
Username: Kathyjenkins
Post Number: 7
Registered: 12-2009
| | Posted on Saturday, February 20, 2010 - 01:48 pm: |
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Cora,
Your post was very encouraging, I had a live paired donation, although I don't think it was a particularly good match. Would you mind telling me what meds and dosage you're on?
Thanks,
Kathy
| My name is Kathy, I had a live (paired donation) kidney transplant at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK on 30th June 2009. |
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Cora
Member
Username: Cora
Post Number: 104
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, February 20, 2010 - 05:32 pm: |
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Hi Kathy. I'm on 540 mg of myfortic (equivalent to 750 mg cellcept) twice per day and 4mg of rapamune. I am on a slightly higher dose of rapa than when I was just a kidney tx (I now have a pancreas too). I was on prograf and rapa originally but the prograf was damaging my kidney. For the pancreas transplant they put me back on the rapa but it started doing a number again on the kidney, so I am back to my original combo. I have never been on prednisone for any length of time.
Cora
Dx with T1 in 1966
Kidney tx in Minneapolis 2002
Pancreas tx in 2008 |
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kathy
Member
Username: Kathyjenkins
Post Number: 8
Registered: 12-2009
| | Posted on Saturday, February 20, 2010 - 10:49 pm: |
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Hi Cora,
Amazing to think you've had a separate kidney and pancreas transplant. Did you ever have any side effects from the rapamune as I'm feeling rotten on it, been taking it for 2 months now, ok at first until the trough level rose above 9, must be highly sensitized to it as I was with Prograf.
Worries me that I'll never find an anti rej med to suit me.
How is your winter in Minneapolis? Been very cold here with more snow than usual, but nothing like you get in the States!
Kathy
| My name is Kathy, I had a live (paired donation) kidney transplant at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK on 30th June 2009. |
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andrea
Member
Username: Andrea
Post Number: 10
Registered: 05-2009
| | Posted on Sunday, February 21, 2010 - 10:43 pm: |
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My brother and I were a 6/6 antigen match and i have no rejection episodes, it was 6 months 2-17-10. My medication dosage has been cut in over half, now i am on cellcept 250mg 3 in the am and 3 at bedtime, prograf 1 mg 2 in the am and 1 at bedtime. multivitamin, lopressor 50 mg am and pm and diovan 80 mg in am. i have been trying to do everything the drs tell me so i think in combination with the meds, exercise and following the rules has helped. I hope everything works for you. God Bless |
kristi
Member
Username: Kristi
Post Number: 42
Registered: 02-2010
| | Posted on Monday, February 22, 2010 - 12:52 am: |
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Instead of focusing on the negative things like taking a few meds think of the positive benefits of a transplant like being alive. |
Aussie Ian
Member
Username: Aussie_ian
Post Number: 12
Registered: 10-2008
| | Posted on Monday, February 22, 2010 - 07:49 am: |
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Hi kristi
What a change to hear a positive statement!!!
My thoughts are very similar to yours. I was on Haemodialysis for just on 2 years, the last 15 months at home. I had to work, I have a wife, teenage daughter dog & mortgage - the bills don't stop. Life was pretty rotten, but there was always a light at the end of the tunnel
My thought is simple - every day I wake up, thank God for the gift from my deceased donor, get out of bed, and live a relatively normal life.
I have a lot of the side effects of prednisone and cellcept at one time or another, fine motor skills with my hands are gone (peripheral neuropathy), I have total lack of balance (little toes removed due to infections), I see out of one eye (cataract & 4th muscle eye palsy - diabetes related) - BUT - I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER!!!
How ungrateful would I be to complain. I hear a lot of people say 'Why did this happen to me? Why not ask 'What can I do today to benefit from what has been given to me?
Life is good - much better than the alternative. If I had been born in 90% of the countries in the world I would probably have been dead 20 years ago.
Don't take me wrong, I understand that things are difficult, and the cost of meds can be prohibitive, and the side effects can be debilitating, - but - I think it was best summed up by Monty Python
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPOzQzk9Qo
Ian
PS - I must apologise for number of cliches in this post |
Orange
Member
Username: Dynamite_orange
Post Number: 11
Registered: 04-2009
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 01:22 am: |
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Aussie Ian & Kristi,
Great posts. I have been feeling a bit down and your posts cheered me up. Way to go!
On topic: Me and my cousin are 1/6 match, I am now on my 6th month and everything is doing well.
I have read a study (but I can't find the link) about antigen matching and life expectancy of transplanted organs. Based on what I can recall, the study showed that those with 6/6 antigen match has the longet organ life expectancy, while 5/6, 4/6, 3/6, 2/6, 1/6 have almost the same results, only minimally lower than the perfect match and 0/6 has the shortest organ life expectancy among the group. The same study has been confirmed to me by my doctor that's why when my cousin and I got 1/6 antigen matching we still proceeded with the surgery with high expectations. 
~Orange~
Kidney Transplant - 22 August 2009
Received Gift of 2nd life from my Cousin
Remain forever grateful and life will have a whole new set of meaning.
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Rita
Member
Username: Rita
Post Number: 25
Registered: 06-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 04:51 pm: |
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I think we are blessed to have a transplant and every day is a blessing. I never asked what my match was over 14 years ago I was just so happy to be given this loving and giving gift from someone I never met. It was difficult being on dialysis although I have to say I was happy to be a live at that time being I had a four year old to take care of and a husband. I dont care that I have gained weight or the other minor issues that come with taking the meds--- I AM HERE AND LOVING EACH DAY. I get to work and teach and be a mother, wife, friend and ..... so much more. All i can say is thank you thank you thank you for this gift. Rita
Rita
Kidney Transplant 9/95
New York City |
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