Once your doctor refers you to a transplant center, you will be seen and evaluated by the transplant team. They will want to make sure that you are a good candidate for kidney transplant. You will have several visits over the course of several weeks or even months. You will need to have blood drawn and x-rays taken.

Tests done before the procedure include:

• Tissue and blood typing to help make sure your body will not reject the donated kidney
• Blood tests or skin tests to check for infections
• Heart tests such as an EKG, echocardiogram, or cardiac catheterization
• Tests to look for early cancer

You will also want to consider one or more transplant centers to determine which is best for you.

• Ask the center how many transplants they perform every year and what their survival rates are. Compare these numbers to those of other transplant centers.
• Ask about support groups they have available and what type of travel and housing arrangements they offer.

If the transplant team believes you are a good candidate for a kidney transplant, you will be put on a national waiting list.

• Your place on a waiting list is based on a number of factors. Key factors include the type of kidney problems you have, how severe your heart disease is, and the likelihood that a transplant will be successful.
• The amount of time you spend on a waiting list is usually not a factor in how soon you get a kidney, except maybe for children.

Most, but not all patients waiting for a kidney transplant are on dialysis. While you are waiting for a kidney, follow these steps:

• Follow any diet your transplant team recommends.
• Do not drink alcohol.
• Do not smoke.
• Keep your weight in the range that has been recommended. Follow any recommended exercise program.
• Take all medicines as they have been prescribed for you. Report changes in your medications and any new or worsening medical problems to the transplant team.
• Follow up with your regular doctor and transplant team on any appointments that have been made.
• Make sure the transplant team has the correct phone numbers so they can contact you immediately if a kidney becomes available. Make sure, no matter where you are going, that you can be contacted quickly and easily.
• Have everything ready in advance to go to the hospital.