| Scheduled and continuous follow-up after a kidney transplant operation is a must.Mr. Winston George (right) and his wife during a recent interviewIn fact according to expert kidney transplant surgeon, Dr. Rahul Jindal of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C., follow-up is a life-long experience patients will have to be subjected to. It is for this very reason, he revealed, that efforts are made to provide follow-up care to kidney transplant patients at the Balwant Singh Hospital which has been offering the crucial kidney operation to members of the public. Prior to last year, operations were done at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. However, the programme continues to be undertaken through a public/private partnership programme. Even persons who had undergone kidney transplant operations overseas are afforded follow-up care at the private institution, said Dr. Jindal, who has been spearheading the local kidney operations for a number of years,Cheap Jerseys Store, backed by a team comprising other overseas experts who are supported by local health workers.Follow-up care, he pointed out, is essential to determine whether patients are responding well to immunosuppressant medications, which are intended to prevent and treat acute rejection. This process is also intended to help medical experts discern whether there is need for a change in the medication regiment. Patients can be required to use medicationssuch as: Cyclosporines, Tacrolimus (Prograf, FK506), Mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept), Prednisone, Azathioprine (Imuran), Sirolimus (Rapamune), Daclizamab and Basiliximab (Zenapax and Simulect), OKT3 (monoclonal antibody), Anti-Fungal Medications (Mycelex Troche, Nystatin Swish and Swallow, and Diflucan), Antiviral Medications (Zovirax (acyclovir), Cytovene (ganciclovir and Valcyte), Diuretics,Cheap NFL Jerseys, Antibiotics, Anti-Ulcer medications, Prevacis, Zanatac, Axid, Carafate and Pepcid, all of which are said to be very costly.A kidney transplant patient is required to take any number of immunosuppressant medications, which is provided to patients free of cost by the Ministry of Health, of course, once the operation is undertaken by the Dr. Jindal-led medical team. It is required that patients use the medications as prescribed by their doctor and at the same time every day and their health is regularly monitored by follow-up care.In recognition of the fact that failure to take medication at the prescribed time can result in side effects, patients are required to inform their follow-up physician immediately.The importance of the monitoring process, according to Dr. Jindal, is very evident in the case of retired Army Major, Winston George, one of the first patients to undergo a kidney transplant operation in Guyana. Recently he was diagnosed with a brain tumour, following a brain scan, which spurred suspicions that it was as a result of the combination of medications he is required to take.According to Dr. Jindal, while in the case of George the suspicion was high that it could have been linked to his medication use, there is also a possibility that his tumour could be linked to his age. George was already in his late 40s when he underwent the operation, having secured a kidney from his daughter. “There have been people who have developed cancers and it was not because of any medication…but because some medications are known to cause all types of side-effects, patients must continually seek follow-up care,” Dr. Jindal asserted.George,Brock Holt Jersey, during a recent interview with this newspaper, said that his scan was prompted by a numb sensation in his right side,NFL Jerseys Supply, including his leg, arm and face. This was further compounded with severe headaches and distorted vision in his right eye. After several tests and a CT scan, doctors were able to detect a tumor in his brain. George was advised to ease his medication until the return of the overseas-based kidney transplant team. In December last year, the team arrived and a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan was done confirming that there was a tumor in George’s brain. The tumour had rendered George incapable of working and it was since recommended that he undergo a surgery to remove it.However, because George has been heeding the importance of continuous follow-up care, efforts have since been made to reduce the medications,Wholesale Jerseys From China, which have perhaps been the factor leading to a decrease in the size of his brain tumour, a development which was revealed during a recent follow-up scan, Dr. Jindal said.However, since there is no neurosurgeon in Guyana, Dr. Jindal has revealed that additional follow-up care for George may very well have to be provided in India. “Other than that, he is stable and is doing well; his kidney is working well…he is talking and everything…,” Dr. Jindal insisted, even as he pointed out that while side effects from medications are possible,Jerseys From China, the course of health of a kidney transplant patient is usually not very different from a normal healthy person. He pointed out the importance of health professionals seeking to separate cause and effects of a health condition before deriving a conclusion.It is for this very reason, Dr. Jindal said, that intense efforts are made to rigorously screen patients ahead of operating on them. “We have to make sure we are using resources appropriately…we have to ensure we examine patients well to ensure that they can undergo these complicated operations as well as the follow-up.” |
