Taking care of yourself at home

Find out how to best look after yourself and your surgical wound following a pancreas transplant

Key points

Taking care of yourself when you return home will help with your recovery
Short walks and plenty of rest and sleep are important
You will need to keep your surgical wound clean and dry
Make sure you take all your medications and let your transplant team know if you’re struggling with pain management or other problems

Returning home after a pancreas transplant

Once you have left hospital after your pancreas transplant, it is very important that you look after yourself and the transplant. Your transplant team will give you information on:

What to eat and drink
How to live healthily (for example, exercise, weight loss, alcohol, contraception)
When you can go back to work
When you can start driving again
Your clinic appointments and hospital transport
Information on wound care and medications
How often you should check your blood sugars
How often you should get your eyes and feet checked

After the first 3-6 months, the risk of transplant rejection is lower, and your immunosuppressant medications will reduce. You should have more energy and be able to start doing more.

When can you start doing things again?

General advice

Activity

Take things easy in the first few weeks, rest when you feel tired and try to get enough sleep as this will help your recovery.
It’s important to walk a little every day to prevent blood clots. Keep distances short, especially at first. As you progress with your recovery, you can slowly increase how much you walk.
Avoid strenuous exercise and activities that strain your muscles for at least 6 This includes cycling, jogging, weight lifting and aerobic exercise, as well as things like lifting heavy objects, like weights or shopping bags. Because of the risk of infection, you should not go to a swimming pool until your wound has completely healed.
Avoid heavy lifting (anything over 10kg weight) for at least 6 weeks after surgery. Please speak to the transplant team if you need further advice. If your job requires heavy lifting, you will need to speak to your surgical team about when it is safe to return to your usual duties.

You will be advised about what exercise you can undertake in the first few months after the operation, and how much weight you can lift.

Staying healthy

Pain management

Surgical wound care

Medicines

Infections

Warning signs after a pancreas transplant