Hepatitis c transplant

[Natty0425]

Has anyone received or donated a hepatitis c kidney? I am considering receiving one but not very much educated on the matter. Any suggestions

[AndrewT]

Dear Natty0425,

Firstly a question, to you. Have you been told, by 'anyone' that this is the Only Kidney available to you? If NOT I would ask to be considered for a Hepatitis free Kidney. If this IS your only Option, then Ask for the Vaccine- or, at least the First 'instalment'- BEFORE the Transplant takes place. Hepatitis Is a 'Nasty' Disease and definitely, Not one, that I would Willingly expose myself to.... If it can be avoided.

All that said, a Transplant IS a Wonderful 'Thing', no more Dialysis, a much Less 'restricted' Diet AND you feel Better too. I had my Transplant, in July 2013, so over SEVEN years ago now.

My best advice is to 'Talk To', your Transplant Team, seek their Advice- ask them 'If It Were Them, What Would 'They' Do'. Would they Advise their own Mother to do this. If BOTH answers are an Unequivocal Yes then maybe consider it further.

Whatever you do decide Natty, please know that, ALL our Thoughts are with you.

AndrewT

[Slcallat in reply to AndrewT]

Excellent Reply AndrewT! I’ve considered receiving a transplant with a diagnosis of Hep C myself, but have quite a few reservations. Very good advice given above and has given me much food for thought.

[neet24]

Sorry but I think You should not...

and please take advice about this from couple of nephrologists as well as transplant surgeons from different hospitals..

And the things I know about hepatitis patients is that they have to cure first before all of these..

And I have know so many people who had hepatitis in dialysis time ( i know its different thing) but the point here is it is so difficult for them to undergo any transplant before curing it..

So if you take hepatitis patients kidney (even its cured) you should think about future because you life will only depend on 1 kidney even the donors also..

according to me i think you should not go for that..

Because when my family was undergoing test for donating me..

We met so many doctors they all said same thing that donor should not have any past history..

Please be safe

😊

[Dara3351]

I accepted a Hepatitis C kidney from a deceased 20 yr old male. I was 68 when I got the transplant. I did a 12 week treatment of Mavyret and show no signs of the virus. I am now 17 months past transplant and doing well. When I signed the waiver I got called within two weeks. The reason Hep C kidneys can be donated is because it can be cured! I never felt any of the symptoms of the virus.

[Herkidney]

Completely agree with Dara3351. The way it was explained to me at my transplant center was that HepC can be treated with medication rather easily. If you live in an area of the country such as California where the wait time can be as long as 8-9 years based on your blood type, chances of receiving a HepC kidney much earlier is a very positive option. If you are fortunate enough to have a living donor, then another lucky patient will be able to get that HepC kidney. Talk to your transplant center and nephrologist. They should be able to answer all your questions. Best wishes for you to receive a kidney!!

[LisaSnow]

You have received incorrect information from the first two replies. First of all, the donor does NOT need to be be cured. Second of all, if you received one from someone who has HCV it is you who will receive treatment for up to 12 weeks max that will eliminate the HCV you got. This medication is considered a cure because 98% of all treated transplant patients never has the HCV again. Remember, the HCV itself is not the danger because it is curable now. The increased risk is if this is from a deceased donor, that the donor may have other risk factors that need lots of screening. Agreeing to a HCV organ at this time can save you 2 to 10 years of wait time which dramatically increase your quality of life. It is an option WORTHY OF SERIOUS CONSIDERATION. Please talk to your transplant center.

Be careful with the advice you received on here including mine (even though I am a scientist in medicine) because we do not necessarily give you correct answers, (most of the time just opinions), and they can be misleading.

[Natty0425 in reply to LisaSnow]

Thank you i have considered all factors and i just wanted honest opinions of people who may have actually gone through this procedure. This was all very helpful

[Natty0425]

Thank you all for your responses! Many things to take into consideration.

[Clintsok]

You can ask a medical professional but they do a lot of testing to make sure The recipient does not get anything. They had one or two meds I took at the beginning to cover to other possibilities I don’t remember any more . Don’t be scared it’s a gift to get one and a different way of life.