I am 20 years post-transplant. Some time next week is my kidneyversary.

I have zero function on my original kidneys. My transplant was a cadaveric. I did 4 years on hemodialysis before by transplant. I was 27+11/12 when I got my transplant.

My function fluctuates 20%-30%. My creatnine hovers around 3.0. And it's pretty much been like that since the transplant. I had the kidney a week before I started producing urine, I had a dialysis treatment after the transplant, they were talking about removing it to avoid some complications. But after a week or so it started kicking. Never great. But good enough to keep me off the dialysis machine.

I got re-listed 4.5 years ago. My clinic's cutoff is 3.0 creatnine. My creatnine was hovering around 2.8 for months. Finally one day it 3.2 and they finished the paperwork to list me. And now my creatnine has been below 3.0 ~4 years. So I'm "paused" on the list. My doctor says it counts and that when I finally throw in the towel and start taking dialysis again, it probably won't be long because I'll probably have 7 or 10 years on the list at that point. I hope he's right about all of that.

Anyway, yeah mine has never been great but it has lasted 20 years.

When I got mine there was a woman who worked at the transplant center where I got mine. She was at 17 years and people talked about her like it was unheard of for them to last that long. I never would have thought mine would last this long. I still can't believe it. I keep having to do the math in my head. Memorial day 2001. Yep, 20 years.