20. Follow-up Appointments

Agenda

Our team will give you an appointment schedule. You will meet us weekly at first, then bi-weekly, and gradually more sporadically. Some care will be dictated by the type of transplant you receive, for example, if you are transplanted because of a tumor, you will have to undergo scans to be sure that the tumor has not recurred. A customized plan of care will be developed and discussed with you before discharge from the hospital.

Scheduling Conflicts

We’ll try to work the appointments around your schedule. We appreciate your compliance with these arranged meeting times. If for any reason you cannot make it to an appointment, please give us a call as early as possible so we may make new arrangements. We also appreciate having your latest contact information; let us know if your address or phone number changes.

Women

• Have an annual pap-smear and mammogram.
• Perform a breast self-examination once a month to check for breast cancer. The recommended time to do this is 1 week after your period.
• If you are over 50, you may need to have a colonoscopy with your doctor.

Men

• If you are over 40 years of age, have a physical examination once per year, and ask to be screened for prostate cancer.
• If you are over 50 years old, talk to your doctor about having a colonoscopy performed.
• Perform a testicular self-examination once a month to check for lumps.

Primary Care Physician

Your primary care physician should continue your routine physical check-ups. Make sure he or she is aware that you’ve had a kidney transplant so that any drugs that are prescribed don’t interfere with your immunosuppressants.

Dermatologist

Your anti-rejection medications also increase the likelihood of getting skin cancer, so we recommend you see a dermatologist once a year. This rule should be observed even if you never had skin problems before the transplant.

Dentist

Make sure you maintain good dental hygiene to avoid getting a mouth infection; brush your teeth after every meal, floss carefully once a day, and visit your dentist once every 6 months. As with other physicians, tell your dentist which anti-rejection medications you’re taking before going through any dental work. You will also need to take antibiotics before having any dental work done.