Post Transplant Questions

I'm no transplant doctor, but you could weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace what you lost with an electrolyte drink (e.g. gatorade) and otherwise stick with water so you don't become a fatty (like me). I assume you are not on any diuretics (lasix) that would make your creatinine go up. I usually drink about a bottle (24 oz) per hour of exercise but everybody's different. BTW, does BYU at the end of your name mean anything (like you went to BYU)?

Thanks for the info on measuring weight before and after. I'll give it try. Sorry, but now BYU alum here. The name comes from a small bayou near my home when I was a child that kept me in trouble with my Mom all summer long! - White Oak Bayou in Houston.

Hi Whtokbyu - I am into my 13th year with a Kidney transplant. I swim 4-5 days a week and have had MANY discussions with my transplant clinic over the years about this issue. It is a most important issue for US. Since my transplant in Jan., 1996 I have blood work done EVERY two months. I only formally visit my clinic twice a year, but the more frequent visits (for bloodwork only) can pinpoint a problem, especially one that you do not know could be developing. As you know, there have been transplanted kidneys "lost" from dehydration. There have been times that I have continued to feel great, but my creatinine was slightly up from being dehydrated from swimming. And, I have had to force fluids for a week and then have more bloodwork. What I have found over the years, at least for me, is that I "over hydrate". I drink at least 2 16oz bottles of fluid everytime I swim - sometimes 2 16oz waters. Most often, 1 diluted bottle of gatorade and 1 bottle of water. Also, I try to drink between 100oz and 128 oz of fluid a day, excluding coffee. I drink coffee, I just don't count it. Weighing after you swim is also a good idea to get to know yourself. Lastly, be certain to have a discussion with your clinic and see if they have any specific recommendations for you. Congratulations and have a great day. Dave

Hi Whtokbyu - I am into my 13th year with a Kidney transplant. I swim 4-5 days a week and have had MANY discussions with my transplant clinic over the years about this issue. It is a most important issue for US. Since my transplant in Jan., 1996 I have blood work done EVERY two months. I only formally visit my clinic twice a year, but the more frequent visits (for bloodwork only) can pinpoint a problem, especially one that you do not know could be developing. As you know, there have been transplanted kidneys "lost" from dehydration. There have been times that I have continued to feel great, but my creatinine was slightly up from being dehydrated from swimming. And, I have had to force fluids for a week and then have more bloodwork. What I have found over the years, at least for me, is that I "over hydrate". I drink at least 2 16oz bottles of fluid everytime I swim - sometimes 2 16oz waters. Most often, 1 diluted bottle of gatorade and 1 bottle of water. Also, I try to drink between 100oz and 128 oz of fluid a day, excluding coffee. I drink coffee, I just don't count it. Weighing after you swim is also a good idea to get to know yourself. Lastly, be certain to have a discussion with your clinic and see if they have any specific recommendations for you. Congratulations and have a great day. Dave

Hi Again - Thanks for acknowledging. FYI, my clinic tells me that any creatinine level .3 or higher from the last reading is "clinically significant". This means that there is a potential problem. It could, of course, be a lab error. But that is the simple solution. They would probably repeat the test and have you come in for blood work more frequently than what you were previously until the issue was resolved. Obviously, any reading lower from the previous level would be considered good. It has NOT been my experience that my creatinine has "fluctuated" by +/- .5 from test to test, even at the beginning. I'm sure your clinic is monitoring this vigilantly. When I first left the Hospital my creatinine continued to drop until it "stabilized" at essentially the level that it remains today. Be certain your clinic knows ALL your activities as precisely as possible, particularly your swimming. This will help both you and them monitor your situation as appropriately as necessary. Again, best wishes and good luck. Dave

What great information. The clinic has been on to me to keep pushing the fluids and I am. I have a question for you relative to your creatinine level. Being only a few months out, I think the kidney is still seeking a normal level. Has it been your experience that the creatinene level varies within +/- 0.5 points from test to test. I am still on twice a week blood testing and this variability seems normal to me; but I won't see the Doc for another month to ask the question.

Thanks again for the information. I will be discussing all this with the Doc's on the 13th of next month.

0.5 fluctuation between consecutive blood draws is significant. I am an RN in a radiology department, and, as I'm sure you know, the contrast we use is not very kidney friendly. A creat of 1.0 is normal. We wouldn't give you contrast with a creat of 1.5 (unless you are a dialysis patient, but that is different, as we cannot hurt kidneys that already don't work). 1.3 and below is usually our cutoff point for injectable contrast.

The swing in my creatinine varies from week to week; but not by +/- .5 from test to test. The variance from test to test is much smaller more in the order of .05 from test to test. The biggest swing was from 1.71 to 2.08 which coincides with the my return to the pool. My creatinine levels has been as low as 1.6 and as high as 2.08 since finding a stable level around 1.7 In any case, I was able to get the distance up to 2000 yds yesterday, with lots of water and no soreness in my shoulders this morning. But that first 300 yd was a challenge from a stamina viewpoint. All is well! :cool:

This is actually my first visit to this site and was very happy when I found this thread. I was a living kidney donor in December of 2007 and am planning to get back into the pool tomorrow! I am not sure how it will go, but I will plan to take pleanty of water with me to stay hydrated. I have an appointment with my general practioner on Wednesday to re-evaluate my baseline levels. Hope you are doing well post transplant.