Kidney Transplant Post-Op Care and Recovery

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 35.5 million Americans are living with chronic kidney disease. If your kidneys are no longer working well or you need dialysis to clean and filter your blood, a kidney transplant may help you live longer and feel better.

Since 1988, surgeons at UPMC have done more than 4,200 kidney transplants. Our experts provide care before, during, and after your transplant, guiding you through the entire process.

What Is Kidney Transplant Post-Op Care and Recovery?

After you receive a kidney transplant, your body needs time to adjust to your new kidney. You will also need to take steps to keep yourself healthy and follow your doctor’s instructions for kidney transplant post-op care and recovery. This will give you the best chance of having a successful transplant and avoiding complications.

What Kidney Transplant Post-Op Conditions Do We Treat?

In addition to helping you recover and regain your strength after your kidney transplant, your care team can help to manage post-op concerns, including:

• Bleeding — which can sometimes require a blood transfusion.
• Delayed graft function — which happens when your new kidney doesn’t start working right away.
• Infection — which can happen at your surgical site.
• Irregular blood sugar — which can happen in diabetic patients.
• Kidney rejection — which happens when your immune system attacks foreign proteins in your new kidney.

Who’s Eligible for Kidney Transplant Post-Op Care?

We provide post-op and recovery care for people who have had a kidney transplant, as well as long-term follow-up care.

What Services Do We Offer?

 After your transplant, UPMC’s world-renowned nephrologists will help you:

Manage your new medications

Antirejection drugs — or immunosuppressants — decrease the chance of your body rejecting the new kidney. However, these medications can weaken your immune system, making infections and cancers, such as skin cancer, more likely. They may also make you more prone to certain diseases, such as heart disease and bone disease. Side effects can occur with antirejection medications. Your transplant team can work with you to address side effects if they arise post-transplant. 

Protect your new kidney

Organ rejection can happen at any time after a transplant. The most common cause is people not taking their antirejection drugs. Based on the type and severity of your organ rejection, your transplant team may be able to address it.

You must take your antirejection medications as prescribed, get lab work as recommended, and follow up in the clinic when scheduled to prevent organ rejection.

Schedule follow-up care

Like all medical procedures, kidney transplant procedures come with some post-surgical risks. You'll need periodic checks from your doctor for problems, as they often can occur without warning.

What Can I Expect?

After a kidney transplant:

• You may spend up to a week in the hospital healing.
• You may need temporary dialysis while you wait for your new kidney to start functioning.
• You will need to come to the post-transplant clinic for follow-up care as directed by your transplant team. This often entails frequent visits for the first few weeks after your transplant.
• You will need to take antirejection medicine for the rest of your life.

How long does it take to heal after kidney transplant?

After your kidney transplant, you can expect the recovery period to last about six months. Your transplant team may require you to stay near the hospital for several months after the transplant in case a sudden complication occurs.

How can I reduce the risk of complications after a kidney transplant?

Many transplant recipients feel much healthier after their surgery. But to fully heal and get back to a “new normal," you'll need to follow your doctor's instructions carefully.

After you've returned home from the hospital, we recommend that you:

Avoid sick people

If you have contact with someone who has respiratory viral illness (flu, COVID-19, or RSV) or pneumonia, then you could get very sick. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly, use antimicrobial soap and hand sanitizer, and wear a mask when going out during cold and flu season.

Avoid people who have had live vaccines

Avoid children or others who've had live vaccines for polio, measles, mumps, and nasal flu. Post-transplant, there are some vaccines you shouldn't get. Talk to your doctor about which vaccines you should and shouldn't receive.

Eat healthy

You should eat foods low in salt and sugar to help control your blood pressure. A diet rich in whole grains, lean protein, and fresh fruits and veggies will also help you maintain a healthy weight.

Exercise

It's important to stay active after your transplant. Your transplant team will urge you to walk as much as you can soon after surgery. After you're home, staying active is vital to keeping your weight and blood pressure healthy. Your transplant team will tailor your workouts to your needs and may suggest moderate biking, walking, swimming, or yoga.

Get emotional support

Having a kidney transplant can impact your mental health. You may even struggle with conflicting feelings in the weeks after surgery.

For instance, you may:

• Feel guilty for having a transplant while others are still waiting for a kidney.
• Be sad that your new kidney came from someone who died.
• Feel unsure or anxious about your newfound life.

Talking with family and friends can help with feelings of sadness, anxiety, or guilt. You can also contact your transplant team at UPMC for guidance or about support groups post-kidney transplant.

Keep your medical appointments

Even if you're feeling better, only your doctor can tell if your anti-rejection medications are working by checking your lab results. The closer you follow your doctor's instructions, the more likely you are to have a healthy, successful recovery after a kidney transplant.

Take your antirejection medications

You'll need to take antirejection drugs after your transplant and most likely for the rest of your life. You'll also need to keep taking medications for any other health conditions you have. It is important to continue to follow up with your primary care provider and your other health care providers regularly after transplant. 

Talk to your transplant team if you have any questions about the medicines you take.

Can you live a normal life after a kidney transplant?

Many patients live normal lives and resume everyday activities after a kidney transplant.

Why Choose UPMC for Kidney Transplant Post-Op Care and Recovery?

When you choose UPMC for kidney transplant post-op care and recovery, you will receive:

• Access to world-class nephrology expertise — Our world-renowned experts treat the full spectrum of kidney transplant complications using the latest diagnostic and treatment techniques.
• A full range of treatment options — We'll work with you to develop a treatment plan that reduces your risk of complications and improves your quality of life.
• Multidisciplinary care — If you need treatment for kidney failure, we partner with special dialysis clinics, experts in supportive care, and kidney transplant surgeons.

By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-04-24 by Rajesh Govindasamy, MD.