Directly after the surgery, you will have several tubes attached to your body to monitor blood pressure, provide fluids, drain secretions, administer medications, drain your urine, and collect drainage around your liver. The hospital stay may last several weeks to monitor your progress and the level of anti-rejection drugs in the blood. Every patient recovers at their own pace, and your willingness to take an active role in your recovery is crucial to the success of the operation. Your body protects itself by rejecting anything foreign, such as an infection or a new organ, through its immune system. After a transplant, the immune system must be suppressed with medications to prevent rejection of the new liver.
Most patients have an episode of rejection even with medication.
Usually, the rejection is first diagnosed through your blood work and you may not feel any different. Most rejection episodes are treated successfully with drug therapy, however, a rejection episode may also require hospitalization. After you are discharged from Tampa General Hospital, you will continue to be followed by the transplant team. You may visit LifeLink several times a week, and sometimes daily, for lab work and clinic visits. Your relationship with the transplant team will continue on an outpatient basis.