Ideally, a kidney transplant should be performed when testing shows the extent of damage to your kidney is so great you will require dialysis within six months due to kidney failure.
However, due to the lack of available kidneys, it is highly unlikely you will receive a kidney donation at this time, unless a family member or friend who has a similar tissue type to you is willing to make a living donation.
Most people with kidney failure need dialysis while they wait for a donated kidney to become available. Usually, only one transplant in 10 is performed on people not on dialysis.
The average time that a person spends on the waiting list for a kidney transplant is two years.
Those with rarer blood groups tend to wait longer than people with more common blood groups.
Waiting for a transplant
The transplant centre will need to contact you at short notice, so you must inform staff if there are any changes to your personal contact details.
You should also inform staff if there are changes to your health, for example, if you develop an infection.
While waiting for a donated kidney to become available, it is important you stay as healthy as possible by doing the following:
Prepare an overnight bag and make arrangements with friends, family and work so you can go to the transplant centre as soon as a donor becomes available.
