Waiting for your transplant

If you have decided that a simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplant is your best option, and the kidney doctors and surgeons agree, your case will be discussed with the pancreas transplant team. If the team agrees, your name will be placed in the national SPK transplant waiting pool (list).

On average, most people wait about 9 to 15 months before they receive an SPK transplant. This depends on their tissue type, blood group, age, and whether they have antibodies in their blood against other tissue types. If you become unwell while you are waiting, you may need to be temporarily taken off the waiting list until you’re well enough to be put back onto it.

If you receive dialysis (dialyse) abroad in a country where blood-borne infections are common, such as some parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, you will be temporarily taken off the transplant list for 2 months. This is because the transplant medicines can be dangerous for people who have recently had an infection. 

Staying healthy

You will need to stay as well as possible to prepare for your transplant. 

Your contact information

You must make sure that we have  up-to-date contact details so that we can call you if a pancreas and kidney become available. If you have a mobile phone, keep it on and with you at all times. If you do not have a mobile phone, you should give us other phone numbers that we can use to contact you.  

Waiting time

If you have not received a transplant within 1 year of being in the transplant waiting pool, we will see you again in the pancreas clinic.

We will check that you’re as well as possible, and answer any questions you might have.

You might need more tests to make sure that you’re still well enough for the operation.

Sometimes, patients can be on the waiting list for an SPK transplant, but might be eligible to be offered a kidney or an SPK transplant. This is an option for you if it has been more than 7 years since you started dialysis, you have a very high level of antibodies in your blood, or it is very difficult to find well-matched organs for you.

If this is an option, the pancreas transplant team will discuss this with you.

Being called for your transplant

Most people are called in for the transplant late at night. We will ask you to come to Richard Bright ward at Guy’s Hospital, where you will have blood tests and be checked by the transplant team and anaesthetists.

Do not eat or drink anything unless we have told you that you can. If your blood sugars are low, you can have sugary drinks.

You can be told the approximate age of the donor, their sex, and the cause of death, as long as this does not harm the donor’s confidentiality. You might also be given some information about the donor’s medical history, such as if they have had cancer, or if they have an increased risk of an infectious disease.

It is common for patients to be called in for a SPK transplant, but the transplant does not happen. This happens in about 1 in 3 patients, and is often due to problems with the pancreas, kidney, or your blood tests. We understand that this can be very upsetting for you and your family.