Pancreas transplants also come with significant risks, from the surgery itself to the need for immune system suppression to protect the transplanted pancreas.
- Surgical Risks These may include bleeding, infection, intestinal blockage, and fluid buildup, which may require more care, possibly including additional surgeries.
- Organ Rejection About 10 to 15 percent of pancreas transplants fail within the first year.
- Short-Term Impact About 30 percent of recipients need to use at least some insulin after three years.
- Long-Term Transplant Risks These may include a heightened risk of infections and cardiovascular problems. About 43 percent of transplanted pancreases also do not last more than 10 years.
- Medication Side Effects Antirejection medications can cause weight gain, high blood pressure, and infections.
The volume of follow-up medications can also be large, says Ali Dugger, 40, who received a pancreas transplant at age 39 at the Loma Linda University Transplant Institute in Loma Linda, California. She says she takes handfuls of pills at specific times each day to prevent her immune system from attacking the new organ.
“Nearly a year out, I’m still having my labs drawn every two weeks,” she says. “It’s not just losing your organs that can kill you. It’s the suppressed immune system — things you’ve never heard of. Raking dead leaves could land you in the hospital with a fungal infection. Swimming in a lake could make you septic. Even a vitamin with immune-boosting herbs like echinacea could send you into organ rejection.
“(The transplant) enables you to live, but it comes with even more rules than type 1 diabetes.”