The transplant center will inform you in writing that you have been placed on the waiting list and give the date they are using to start counting your waiting time. This is called your “qualifying date.” The qualifying date will be the first day you started outpatient dialysis, or if you are not on dialysis, the date the transplant center approved you to be placed on the waiting list.
Ways to improve your chances of getting a kidney transplant while on the waiting list
Stay healthy
Stay as healthy as possible while you wait for a donor kidney. This means staying medically, surgically, and mentally a good transplant candidate. To do this:
- Keep a healthy body weight
- Take care of your medical conditions
- Keep up with any medical testing you need
- Keep a positive attitude
- Communicate with your transplant team and update them on any changes in your contact information, health, support, transportation, or insurance
Understand your lab test results
One of the most important ways to take an active part in your care is to learn about and understand the basic transplant lab tests and results, often called “labs.”
The main job of kidneys is to balance the levels of water and key minerals in your body. They do this by sending waste from your blood into your urine so it is removed from your body. That is why many labs use samples of blood or urine that your PCP, nephrologist, and transplant team will collect. The results show how well your kidneys work (kidney function) before and after a transplant.
Labs include a complete blood count, chemistry panel, and (after a transplant) your anti-rejection drug levels. They are usually shown in a chart similar to this example1:
These are the most important lab values to know and are the main way transplant centers check on kidney health before and after a transplant:
- Serum creatinine (CREAT) – Healthy kidneys remove creatinine, a waste product from your muscles, so if your creatinine level is above normal, it may mean your kidneys are damaged
- Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) – This is a measure of kidney function based on your creatinine levels and other factors
Other important labs to know about are:
- Potassium (K) – High levels of potassium in your blood means your kidneys are not working well enough to remove it from your body
- Serum bicarbonate (CO2) – Low amounts of CO2 in your blood mean your kidneys are not removing this waste from your body
- Glucose – High amounts of glucose (sugar) in your blood can damage the blood vessels in your kidneys
- Hemoglobin – If your kidneys don’t work well, they make less of a hormone that triggers a healthy supply of hemoglobin, which is a protein that carries oxygen in your red blood cells
- Anti-rejection drug levels after a transplant – Doctors check to see if you have too much or too little of these drugs, which help prevent your body from rejecting the transplanted kidney
Normal value ranges for each lab can be a little different, depending on your lab. The results will often show the normal ranges.
Ask your doctor or someone on your transplant team to show you how to read the results from your labs. If you see a lab result you do not understand, ask for help!
Learn more about lab results for kidney disease:
1: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website, accessed 11/2/2023
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