Your caregivers will be watching for signs of complications so that they may treat them quickly. The two most common complications are rejection and infection.

What is rejection?
Rejection signals that your immune system has identified your pancreas as foreign tissue and is trying to get rid of it. Our first priority is to prevent rejection with immune-suppressing medications. In addition, it is important to continue to measure urine output and blood amylase levels.

How can I get an infection?
The anti-rejection drugs you take put you at greater risk for developing an infection. The most common infections result from viruses that have been lying dormant in your system or the donated pancreas. Other infection include urinary tract infections, wound inections, pneumonia, and a collection of fluid or abscess around the pancreas. To check for infection, your caregivers may take sputum (the substance coughed up from your lungs), blood and urine samples. If you develop an infection, we will treat it with medication designed for the specific type of infection.

To help prevent infections, you will take anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal medications for several months after surgery.