Living with a bowel transplant
Find out what to expect after a bowel transplant
Key points
- Once your bowel function is better, you should have more energy and be able to get back to your usual activities
- Eating well, keeping active and looking after yourself will help you recover
- It's important to remember that everyone's recovery is different
- If you have a stoma, talk to your transplant team about whether your stoma can be reversed
- Support is available for you or your loved ones if you are struggling or need to talk
After your transplant
The weeks and months after a transplant are an important time. You will be recovering from surgery, getting used to your new medicines and regularly visiting the clinic to check that the transplant is working properly. As you recover, you should have more energy and gradually be able to get back to your usual activities.
After about 6 months, the risk of bowel rejection is lower and your dose of immunosuppressants will usually reduce. By this stage, most patients feel better. But it's important to realise that the care of you and your transplanted bowel is on-going.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle will help your transplant work for as long as possible. This means eating the right foods, taking regular exercise.
Some patients who have a stoma after their bowel transplant are able to have it reversed. Please talk to your transplant team, as this is not possible for everyone. If it is possible, transplant teams usually wait at least 6 to 12 months after the transplant. There are risks with removing the stoma and these will be discussed with you.
Possible complications
Infections
Infections are very common after a bowel transplant, partly due to the immunosuppressant medicines.
Rejection
Rejection is when your immune system starts to attack your transplanted organ(s). You'll be given medicine to help prevent this.
