POST TRANSPLANT TUMMY??

[lauraf812]

hi everyone,

I'm new to this site and have been reading all your stories. It's really helpful to know other people have been through the same experiences. I was wondering if anyone else had a swollen stomach after their kidney transplant?

I was very lucky to receive a kidney from my mum about 4 and a half weeks ago! Everything is going great with me & my mum - I feel fantastic and my result have all been really positive! I can't believe how lucky I've been. The kidney started working straight away and I never had any swelling at all in my feet, legs etc but my stomach is really swollen. I've spoken to the doctors at the clinic and they dont think it's fluid retention. Some of the consultants say it will just be inflamation from the operation and it will go away in time but I've also been told that it is the actual kidney making it that shape and it will be like this for as long as my kidney lasts??

It's quite uncomfortable but not sore. I thought if it was my kidney you would probably see it more on my right hand side where my kidney is, but the way my tummy is just now, the whole lower part of my stomach is swollen. The best way to describe how it looks is that when you look at it side on I actually look quite heavily pregnant!

I dont want to sound like im moaning about such a small problem when things could be so much worse. Even if it does stay as it is just now, it's such a small price to pay for how lucky i've been and how much better i feel, but I was just wondering if anyone else had this problem? If so, did the swelling reduce and how long did it take?

Thanks very much
Laura

[jenjen]

Congrats on the new kidney

Did you have your tx at Edinburgh? Mine was there too! If so I have had exactly the same side effects, and maybe we're on a similar drug combination.

The main causes of my pregnant look were
1. Swelling after the operation
2. Side effects of steroids, including fluid retention, a crazy appetite, slower metabolism and the fact that Pred makes you put weight on around your middle rather than anywhere else.
3. Side effects of Cellcept/MMF which makes me bloated after eating (it can give you GI side effects)

Because of all this I had many a person ask me "when's it due"!!! Including a doctor

However, I have had my transplant over 4 months now and still have a bit of a tum, although it is definitely getting better as the docs are slowly reducing my does: MMF now 1500mg, pred now 7.5mg. The operation swelling has gone, and also the scar tissue from surgery is all healing over which does help reduce the swollen look. If you are on prednisolone, the reduction of those doses takes a while to show up in reduced side effects- in my case about a month.

Also, I think they put a load of gas in your to swell the cavity up where they're inserting the kidney, which doesn't help either!

Now I have more energy (I was anaemic for a long time) and no more pain from surgery I am also moving more, running and exercising, which is all helping to get rid of the weight round my stomach I put on on steroids!!

I also want to tone my stomach muscles up, but I *hate* sit-ups

[lauraf812]

Thanks Jen,

Congratulations to you too!

It's good to here I'm not the only one. I'd never heard anyone mention this before so I wasn't sure if it was normal or not!

I had my transplant in the Western in Glasgow and I can't believe how much better I'm feeling already!

It sounds like I'm on the same drugs as you which probably helps to explain the swelling (that along with my constant eating!). Maybe in a few weeks I'll be able to do a bit more exercise but for now i'm quite happy to have an excuse not to!!

Thanks again
Laura

[Sue]

Hi Laura, congratulations on your kidney and glad mum is okay too, brave and wonderful lady.

I had my tx 13 weeks ago yesterday! Got a big belly but I have never been Kate Moss anyway so not much I can do. I do get bloated when I eat and blame most of the weight gain to the steroids. I am down from 30mg a day to 15mg a day so hope this helps soon.

I have the best moon face ever, horrid thing! I am 4 kgs off my original dry weight but I think that 4 kgs is sitting on my belly!

Hope your body decides to sort itself out soon

Take care

Sue

[AmitChouhan]

I believe the same is true for blokes

My tummy area is HUGE, I'd never be a kate moss and at least 17 months pregnant, as well as that - got the moon face as well, as well as extra facial hair - sort of michellin man, crossed with chewbacca - may be need to consider wearing a burka or mask soon

BTW - congrats on the kidney, hope all is well

[Sue]

Amit I "forgot" (yeah right) to mention my lovely side burns, of very blond, almost white downy hair! Had my facial cheeks waxed and nearly died of shock, I am used to waxing and have never had a problem but frikken heck my cheeks!! Horrendously painful

My neck is hairy too, OMG I am painting a lovely picture here, and I now have hairs on my arms, never had hair on arms before, luckily they are very blond and fine.

Anyway from the Yeti in the Channel Isles I bid you all a good evening.

(just off to get a strimmer for my face from B & Q!) Likely to be single for the rest of my life lol Lucky I have my cats! I kinda look like them now.

I think maybe I have exaggerated a tad - not really off to B & Q

Sue xx

[helenb]

i too had the tx belly!!! its 7 months on saturday since my tx though and it has gone down alot, as has my moon face i was worried when i woke up and suddenly i had a huge belly that i was sure wasnt there before! a nurse said yeah it will always be like that cos thats where the kidney was. but no its almost gone hope yours goes too, just give it a chance. xx

[Nicky]

After my transplant back in '92 I had a very round belly! But 6 months later, having gone swimming every day in preparation for the transplant games, it had disappeared. Time and exercise will help!
I also had excessive hair growth on my arms and face - I cannot remember how long it took to go - but eventually my body must have become accustomed to the cyclosporin/prednisolone combo. because it evenutally got back to normal again.
I also got really bad acne and a puffy face from the steroids but after a year or so it was ok.

In short, after a transplant you don't look great for a year or so - BUT you are not on dialysis, you get to feel fit again and life really is that much better!! I didn't think about death quite so much either...

Roll on my tx no. 2 - I'm sick of dialysis!

[lauraf812]

thanks everyone!

i'm not nearly as worried now that i know its pretty normal and shoud go away in time. its a small price to pay for how good im feeling anyway and over the last week or so the swelling has started to reduce.

sounds like i'll have more side effects to look forward to soon anyway!! my face is getting a bit puffier but its not too bad......yet! And as for the hairieness i dread to think what i'll end up like - i've always had quite thick dark hair so i'll prob end up like a gorilla!

[JMan]

I've found the best thing to tone up my muscles, especially my lazy stomach, is swimming..

If you cant swim, go in the kids pool when it's quiet & paddle up & down & exercise there.

By the way, there's a "cheat" to tone your stomach up without doing situps

Sit in a chair, on the edge of your bed. whatever.

Place your hands on your knees or upper thighs, the Push down, as hard as you can. You;ll notice your stomach muscles tensing.

If you do this a few times a day, it works a treat:)

J

[lauraf812]

Thanks J,

I'm cant wait to get back to swimming! For the few months before my transplant I was swimming quite a bit cos it was about the only exercise i could manage!

I've still got a tiny bit of scabbing on my scar but the docs say as soon as thats gone I can go back to swimming.......hopefully by the end of the week!

[SANJIHABBI]

i had my transplant on 8 th of sep 2016 after 2 weeks it waS showing ABMR (Anti body mediated Rejection )but after 5 session of plasma I was fine and discharged but today i feel like vomiting and shore throat and i feel like swelling around my new kidney area and my creatinine is 1.4 .Please suggest my water intake is 5 ltsr