Kidney Care Services

Transplant Care

Comprehensive transplant care that helps you prepare early, navigate the process confidently, and protect your new kidney for the long term.

Understanding your care

What is kidney transplant care?

For many patients with advanced kidney disease, a kidney transplant offers the best long-term treatment option. A successful transplant can restore kidney function, reduce or eliminate the need for dialysis, and help many people return to a life that feels far more normal.

The transplant journey often begins before surgery. Pre-transplant care includes evaluation, testing, helping patients get on the waitlist, and discussing whether a living donor might be possible. When timing allows, our goal is often a preemptive transplant, meaning a transplant before dialysis is ever needed.

After transplant, care does not stop. Transplanted kidneys need close monitoring, precise medication management, and fast attention to any signs of rejection, infection, or medication side effects. Long-term follow-up is one of the most important parts of protecting the gift of a new kidney.

A kidney transplant can give you back a life that feels close to normal — and we will be with you every step of the way. We coordinate closely with transplant centers such as Vanderbilt, Methodist, and other regional programs to keep your care connected.

How we help

A treatment plan built around your life

Our job is to help you prepare for the best treatment option when transplant is right, coordinate closely with transplant centers, and stay involved after surgery to protect your results.

  • Evaluate transplant readiness

    We help determine when transplant should enter the conversation and what testing or referrals are needed to move forward.

  • Pursue preemptive transplant when possible

    If kidney function is declining, we aim to discuss transplant early enough to avoid dialysis whenever the situation allows.

  • Coordinate with transplant centers

    We work alongside centers like Vanderbilt, Methodist, and others to support referrals, waitlist planning, and communication.

  • Manage immunosuppression carefully

    After transplant, anti-rejection medication precision matters. We monitor levels, side effects, infections, and rejection risk closely in coordination with the transplant center.

  • Protect long-term kidney function

    Blood pressure control, diabetes management, lab monitoring, and quick follow-up all help the transplanted kidney last as long as possible.

  • Support you through transitions

    Whether you are preparing for transplant or adjusting after surgery, we help make each next step feel clearer and less overwhelming.

What to expect

A clear path from referral to ongoing care

We keep the process simple, explain what comes next, and stay connected with your primary care doctor and other specialists.
Step 1

Referral and transplant discussion

We review kidney function, overall health, and timing so we can decide when transplant evaluation should begin and whether preemptive transplant may be possible.

Step 2

First transplant-focused visit

At this visit, we explain the evaluation process, discuss waitlist and living donor options, and answer questions about benefits, risks, and timing.

Step 3

Coordinated treatment plan

We help coordinate testing, center referrals, medication changes, and dialysis planning if needed while transplant evaluation is underway.

Step 4

Long-term transplant care

After transplant, we stay involved with medication management, kidney function monitoring, and close communication with your transplant center.

Symptoms and warning signs

Transplant care starts before and continues after surgery

Many transplant decisions are based on kidney function and timing, not symptoms alone. After transplant, the most important warning sign may be a lab change before you feel sick, so routine monitoring is part of protecting your new kidney.

  • Before transplant: worsening fatigue, swelling, nausea, itching, poor appetite, or falling eGFR from advanced CKD
  • After transplant: fever, pain over the transplant, reduced urine, sudden swelling, or fast weight gain
  • Medication side effects such as tremor, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, infections, or stomach upset
  • Lab changes without symptoms, which is why close monitoring protects the transplanted kidney

Causes and risk factors

Who may benefit from transplant planning?

Transplant is considered when kidney disease is advanced enough that dialysis or kidney failure may be ahead. Readiness depends on the whole person: heart health, infection risk, support, medications, and your goals.

  • Advanced CKD, usually when eGFR is approaching kidney failure or dialysis planning is being discussed
  • Diabetes, high blood pressure, inherited kidney disease, autoimmune disease, or repeated kidney injury
  • Heart disease, infection risk, cancer history, tobacco use, or other conditions that affect transplant readiness
  • After transplant, missed anti-rejection medicines, infections, rejection, medication toxicity, and uncontrolled blood pressure can threaten kidney function

How TKE supports diagnosis and monitoring

Clear timing, careful follow-up

Kidney function and timing

We follow eGFR, symptoms, urine protein, and CKD complications to decide when transplant evaluation should start and whether dialysis can be avoided.

Transplant evaluation support

Transplant centers perform detailed testing for heart health, infection risk, cancer screening, blood type, tissue matching, and overall readiness. We help you understand each step.

Post-transplant monitoring

After surgery, labs track creatinine, medication levels, electrolytes, blood counts, urine findings, and signs of infection or rejection.

Prevention and living well

Protecting the gift of a kidney takes teamwork

Good transplant care is steady, organized, and personal. Before transplant, that means preparing early. After transplant, it means medication consistency, lab monitoring, and quick communication when something changes. Related support includes CKD management, dialysis planning, our FAQ, and clinic information on our locations page.

  • Start transplant conversations early, before kidney failure becomes an emergency.
  • Keep vaccines, cancer screening, dental care, and heart testing current when your care team recommends them.
  • Take anti-rejection medicines exactly as directed after transplant and report side effects early.
  • Protect the kidney with blood pressure control, diabetes care, infection prevention, and regular labs.

This page is for education only and is not medical advice. Transplant decisions, anti-rejection medicines, and monitoring schedules must be managed by your healthcare and transplant teams.

Transplant FAQs

Questions about kidney transplant care

When should I start thinking about kidney transplant?

Many patients begin the conversation when CKD is advanced, often around Stage 4, or when eGFR is falling toward kidney failure. Starting early gives more time for education, testing, and possible living donor options.

Can I get a transplant before dialysis?

Sometimes. A preemptive transplant happens before dialysis starts. It requires early referral, evaluation, and the right timing, but it can be an excellent goal when medically possible.

What does TKE do if the transplant center performs the surgery?

We help identify timing, coordinate referrals, manage CKD before transplant, communicate with the center, and provide long-term kidney care before and after surgery.

What are anti-rejection medicines?

Anti-rejection medicines lower the immune system response so it does not attack the transplanted kidney. They require careful monitoring because levels, side effects, infections, and interactions matter.

How long can a transplanted kidney last?

Transplant function varies by donor type, health conditions, rejection history, medication consistency, and long-term monitoring. Protecting blood pressure, diabetes control, and follow-up improves the chance of lasting function.

Big Expertise. Small-Town Heart.

Ready to talk about transplant timing?

Call (731) 300-6155, reach us through contact, or have your clinician send a referral. Fax referrals to 731-300-6955.

Take the next step

Talk with a kidney specialist about your next step

Whether you were recently referred or you are looking for answers after a hospital stay, we will help you understand what is happening and build a plan that feels manageable.

Schedule an appointment Call (731) 300-6155