How do I put my name on the wait-list of a organ transplantation in Ontario. My kidney is not working very well and it is difficult to see a specialist within a short period. do I have other choices?

Answer 1

To be placed on a waiting list, you need to have a "transplant assessment" at a hospital which performs kidney transplants. This may not necessarily be your nearest hospital. This assessment will typically include blood tests, ultrasounds, MRIs, ECG, EEG, a chest x-ray, and a psychological assessment. These tests will indicate whether you are a suitable candidate for transplantation, if at the end of this it is decided that you are suitable, your name will be added to the waiting list.

However, waiting times for kidneys' are typically very long, which results in most patients spending a few years on dialysis before finding a donor. This is why most patients attempt to find a tissue match (i.e someone with a suitable kidney) within their family (since someone related to you is most likely to be a match). If you can actually find a living donor who is willing to donate their kidney, your typical "waiting time" will be greatly reduced.

With complete kidney failure (i.e failure of both kidneys) there are very few choices apart from a transplant; dialysis is only a temporary solution for most people, since it gets in the way of daily life to a huge extent. For example, women on dialysis cannot have children (but can with a transplant), dialysis is not possible/convenient on holidays etc... as far as I am aware, a "mechanical" kidney which can be implanted has yet to be invented. Of course, transplantation does have disadvantages and may not be suitable for everyone.