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- Eating a healthy diet by following Canada’s Food Guide will help give you a balance of protein, fats, and carbohydrates and help you to maintain a healthy body weight.
Remember:
You cannot eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juices after transplant. It interferes with the absorption of your immunosuppressive medications
- You might get tired easily. Listen to your body and don't do more than you can handle.
- Our transplant psychiatry team is here if you need help with the following:
- Anxiety and depression
- Smoking cessation
- Stress management
- Support and coping
- The Transplant Psychiatry Program offers a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, please call: 416 340 4452 or fill out the
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program application form
. - If you are looking for counseling, referrals, support groups or a mentor program .Please talk to a transplant social worker, transplant coordinator or your family doctor.
- Don't lift heavy things for 3 months after your operation. Anything over 5 kilograms or 10 pounds is too heavy.
- You can use small weights of 1 to 2 pounds to increase arm strength but be careful not to strain your shoulder joints.
- Lifting larger amounts may result in stress to your incision and can affect your healing, and may cause a hernia in the incision.
- Walking is the best exercise. Try to increase the distance and speed you walk.
- In winter, many people walk in malls to avoid icy surfaces and cold conditions or they use a treadmill if they have access to one.
- Don't take anti-inflammatory medication such as Advil® or Ibuprofen for 2 weeks after the operation, unless your surgeon has told you to continue taking them.
- Please consult your transplant team for direction in managing any cold symptoms.
- You cannot have any type of live vaccine as it could be harmful to you. This includes measles, mumps, rubella, shingles vaccine and yellow fever vaccine.
- Do not drive for 2 or 3 weeks after operation.
- Do not take long car trips. If you are travelling a long distance, stop every 2 hours to urinate.
- Discuss readiness for driving at your clinic appointment.
- You must not drive while taking narcotic pain medication. You need to be sufficiently strong, and flexible enough to move your leg and foot on the pedals, and be able to check your blind spot.
- If your driving license was suspended pre-transplant, it may take several weeks or months to re-activate your license once you are fit enough to drive.
- Always wear your seatbelt when you are driving or riding in a vehicle. If the belt causes discomfort where it crosses your incision, place a towel under the belt.
- We will not provide letters to excuse you from wearing your seatbelt.
- You can use public transportation any time after your transplant.
- It is best that you do not travel by plane for one year after your transplant. Please talk to your transplant team about your travel plans to make sure it is safe for you to travel.
Easy Call lets our transplant recipients and their transplant coordinators communicate with each other. Before being discharged from the inpatient transplant unit, you will receive the
Easy Call phone number and your unique personal identification number (PIN). We will make sure you know how to use the system, and set up a password, before you leave.
If you are experiencing health issues or concerns please use Easy Call to leave a message for your transplant coordinator. Use Easy Call if you have any of these symptoms:
- Your temperature goes higher than 38ºC (100ºF), and/or you feel chills.
- There is significant redness or increased pain at your incision.
- Your urine flow has decreased, or if you cannot pass urine at all.
If your health issue is urgent or requires immediate attention please go to your local emergency department.
Easy Call is your first place to call for post-operative questions.
Please
DO NOT call your surgeon's clinic with post-operative questions.
