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Comment by John23832 | Hacker News Reader

If successful, this is great. However, I would like to see how long this lasts. I can recall seeing similar stories with either a rejection at the end, or some negative outcome for the patient.

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Even if not successful, it's fascinating and a necessary step along the way to something that is successful.

Good luck to the guy though!

The hearts lasted weeks, about 2 months. The test primate for the kidney lasted 2 years, which would be impressive.

How many times can you receive a transplant for the same organ? Does scar tissue for at the transplant site?

Speaking for liver transplants, they are a many hour traumatic affair. My daughter lost and received more than her entire blood volume during hers. Initial recovery is extremely immunosuppressed and some of the drugs we had to handle with masks and gloves, and had 4x a day medication schedules. So you couldn't burn through pig livers I believe getting them swapped frequently. My daughter received her liver at age 8 months by the way and is now 19 yrs old.

Just curious, about how long does the initial recovery phase last? Congratulations to your daughter by the way, happy you all pulled through.

The first six weeks are pretty intense. The recovery is amazing as how fast liver labs drop and how fast the jaundice yellow clears. I would probably say six weeks is a fair figure until you are a whole new person!

AMAZING - bless you and your family, thank you for sharing your experience!

Wow, congrats. Does she still take immunosuppressants? If so do you and your family take extra caution to not bring home any sickness (for example always washing hands or similar). If her body accepted the liver, how long did it take for that to happen? It's very interesting to me, especially if we can figure out how to force the body to learn/accept the transplant with something better than immunosuppressants and not immunosuppressants. Thanks.

She takes immunosuppressants every day still. We do not practice any additional caution. We've all had Covid more than once, and she gets every cold and other virus and fights them off no problem. She got EBV with her liver, and when that flares up they will reduce her suppressants at times.

For renal transplants - not sure if there’s an upper limit, although each subsequent transplant becomes a more difficult match (as antibodies build up) and eventually may have to remove previous transplants. Generally renal transplants go in the right or left groin with native kidneys left in place. If one transplant fails, a transplant to the opposite side may be attempted, or a different location (such as intra-abdominal). Otherwise, will need to explant the first transplant

The old kidneys tend to shrink quite a bit

A close relative required a kidney transplant back in the early 60s when it was still quite new. They told her they expected it to last 2-3 years.

Took over 40 years before the kidney gave up, and she led a quite normal life up until the last couple of years.

Sadly, because she was given only 2-3 years she felt she lived on borrowed time, and never felt comfortable having kids.

It’d be best if everyone just offered to be an organ donor.

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