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Questions regarding donors from abroad and diet

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 7:08 pm
by defiant
Hi guys,
New to the forum. To cut a long story short, i have a close relative who (after being chemically poisoned) 15 years ago, damaged his kidneys. It's now come to the point where he is closing in on dialisys (i could provide u stats and readings from his last report but they don't make great reading).

My question is this...if I manage to find a donor for him abroad (i work abroad a lot and know people in the medical profession esp in Asia) where I'd be able to find him a match and being an NHS patient, I'm assuming this would be frowned upon by the doctors here if we went abroad and got a transplant arranged?

What's the implications? Has anyone ever done it and reported a successful transplant? And i'm assuming the NHS will refuse (?) to support him on his return? Would I need to go private?


And does anyone know any place where I can find a good daily diet suitable for near-dialysis patients? I've been told he's had too much potassium recently (vegetable juice was the culprit). It's like going through a minefield at the moment

Thanks in advance

Jay

Re: Questions regarding donors from abroad and diet

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:44 pm
by MandyV
I would never suggest that your relative goes abroad for a transplant - the chances of complication are high (and can be very serious indeed) and you don't know how much the donor could be exploited. Paying for an organ is illegal in this country.

However what you can do is to be tested yourself to see if you would be a suitable donor - blood match is no longer required as they can do ABO incompatible transplants. You could also encourage his other relatives and even close friends to consider doing it.

Re: Questions regarding donors from abroad and diet

Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 5:53 am
by Stoday
It's not just a matter of a transplant and away you go. There's a lifetime of anti-rejection drugs to consider too.

Click the button against "potassium" on this site to obtain the potassuim content of several hundred different foods Click

Re: Questions regarding donors from abroad and diet

Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:16 am
by Thumps
Is there no family or friend who would be able to help in the UK? It would surely be far preferable to have everything managed here through the NHS rather than leave it to frequently much less controlled circumstances - also as Mandy says you've no idea how much a potential donor elsewhere may have been exploited in order to get the organ.

Re: Questions regarding donors from abroad and diet

Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 8:40 am
by Brain
Hi, I want to also ask if it is great for someone with high blood pressure to do a transplant. My friend used the blood pressure calculator to check his blood pressure today and the result wasn't good at all. Now what I am concerned about is can he still go ahead with the transplant despite having HBP?

Re: Questions regarding donors from abroad and diet

Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 1:54 pm
by wagolynn
Hi Brian,
The transplant team will look at this as they asses the donor.
High BP is not a good idea for the donor's remaining kidney as High BP tends to destroy even healthy kidneys over time.

Re: Questions regarding donors from abroad and diet

Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 2:18 pm
by wagolynn
Hi defiant,

As to your diet question, unless the consultant suggests otherwise, there are no dietary requirements for none dialysis patients.

The dietary changes are required on dialysis because dialysis is not very good at removing Phosphate, and Potassium, most foods have some of both in them. Calcium intake is also reduced as the kidneys are involved in it's control.

Our intake of Phosphate, and Potassium, given a reasonably balanced diet, is normally higher then our daily requirements but healthy kidneys, and liver keep the level under control.

When dietary changes are required, it is usual in the UK to assign a dietician for the patient, until then it is best to move towards five portions of fruit, and veg per day, if not already doing so.
However any changes should be reported to the consultant as they may affect blood results.
Salt, often referred to as Sodium on food labels, needs to be reduced to help to control blood pressure.
In practice, no added salt on food or in the cooking, the product, Lo Salt, and similar cannot be used.

Fruit/vegetable juices do not count as a portion as they are separated from the pulp, and it is the pulp that is important to good nutrition.