Part 3 of our 3 part series On Coping and Mental Health at Different Stages of IgAN
IgA Nephropathy (IgAN) is an autoimmune disease that attacks the kidneys. Some people living with IgAN will need a kidney transplant. Finding a donor match, facing the anxiety about whether or not your body might reject the new kidney or of IgAN returning, and recovering after surgery aren’t easy tasks.
To discuss some of the associated mental health challenges confronting people after receiving a kidney transplant, we are again joined by Dr. Daniel Cukor. Dr. Cukor is a clinical psychologist and Director of Behavioral Health at Rogosin Institute in New York City.
Anxiety, recovery, medications, adjusting to your new life post-transplant, and re-establishing yourself, are just some of the things people go through, though everyone is different. Dr. Cukor shares three tips:
● Be intentional in prioritizing your emotional health.
● Focus on “what is” instead of focusing on “what could have been”.
● Be proactive in adopting strategies for taking your immunosuppressing medications.
He also shares the common experience of those who just went through a transplant of the tension between joy and sorrow, highs and lows, and gratitude and indebtedness.
Episode 2: Mental health matters