How Long is Recovery After a
Kidney Transplant?

Excerpts from Why I Run

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Post-Transplant (Hospital) - January 12, 2024

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My first day post-op I was eager to get out of bed and walk the hallway. However, anything that required abdominal muscles was painful: getting into bed, getting out of bed, putting on socks, tying your shoe, sneezing. We don’t ever think about all the simple tasks that we perform daily, which require abdominal muscles, until our abdomen is cut open. However, I was determined to stand upright and take that first step, even if it’s a painful first step.

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Once I was standing, the abdominal pain subsided, and the walking commenced. I felt good. I felt like I could recover from surgery, and be myself again. Taking that first step felt like a giant leap, physically and emotionally. However, after a few laps down the hall I was back in bed—baby steps for now.

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January 14, 2024

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After a few days of recovery I was ready to go home. I was ready to get started with my life-saving gift from Jorge. However, even though I was excited to leave the hospital, I was also extremely nervous to leave its protective confines.

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Post-Transplant (Home)

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I was in the hospital for only four days after my transplant—Jorge was discharged one day before me. It’s amazing how fast you’re out of the hospital following major surgery, but for transplant patients it’s safest to get home as soon as possible. Right now my immune system is fully compromised, so a hospital, teeming germs and bacteria, is a high-risk environment—home is the best place for me.

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Post-Transplant (Week 4)

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It’s amazing what a difference a few weeks make—I feel quite good. My drain is still in, which is often sore, and my bladder stent is being removed next week, but I’m able to walk 2+ miles outside and take the stairs to our 4th floor apartment. I’m finally regaining some of the leg muscle that I lost, and I’m able to cook, vacuum and do laundry, which Bridget certainly likes.

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I can’t lift more than ten pounds, which won’t change until three months post-op, and I definitely can't run or do yoga yet, but I’m moving in the right direction. My goal is to start running around March 1st, but that all depends on my incision and my drain.

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One of the hardest tasks continues to be laying back in bed. We take for granted how frequently we use our abdominal muscles to do simple things like laying in bed. And the drain that is sticking out of my abdomen requires me to sleep on my back. However, this is the only struggle I have and I’m extremely happy about that. Now in my 4th week I’m very comfortable taking my meds—they have become routine. I walk to my doctor appointments, and I’m relaxed with what I need to do each and every day. Things are looking good.

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February 10, 2024 

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Today is the first of many anniversaries that I’ll be celebrating: February 10th—my one month transplant anniversary! I feel really good. For anyone just starting their post-transplant lives, please know that you will soon feel better, much better. I know the first few weeks are tough, but you will soon turn the tide. Stay strong.

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To celebrate my first month I took a 4.5 mile walk along the Charles River on an unseasonably warm day in Boston. It felt great. I admired the view over the BU Bridge and walked past hundreds of runners training for the Boston Marathon. It felt invigorating to be outside, and I desperately wanted to run like everyone else. However, for that I must wait another month, which I’m okay with—I’m just happy to be moving again. For now I will walk, and walk, and walk some more. Then in one month I’ll start training for my first goal—the B.A.A. 5K in April and the Brooklyn Half in May.

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March 6, 2024

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Runners are an insane group of people—I’m fully aware of that. We take joy in running fifteen miles on a Saturday morning, just for fun. For any runner who has been injured, and unable to run for a few months, you know how good it feels to lace up the shoes once again.

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My drain was removed exactly eight weeks after my transplant, March 6. The drain removes excess fluid and blood that builds up around an incision, in my case the abdomen. The drain consists of a plastic tube that extends outwards from an incision in my belly, and connects to an external bulb that draws the fluid out via a basic vacuum suction.

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I pinned the bulb to my pants, while wearing clothes, or to a lanyard while showing. I hated the drain: it’s uncomfortable, difficult to sleep with, and very painful when you get it caught on a door handle, which happened often.

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I couldn’t even think about running until the drain was removed, and at times I didn’t think it would ever be removed. To compensate, I relied on stairs to get myself ready for when that first run arrived. At the time, Bridget and I lived in a high-rise with a great unused stairwell that was perfect for training. Everyday, and more and more each day, I would climb up and down those stairs to get my leg muscles back. I started walking the hospital hallways the day after my surgery, and I started climbing stairs the day after I returned home from the hospital. My building was perfect for my recovery during a very dreary January in Boston.

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Three days after my drain removal, two months after my kidney transplant, and four months after my last race, I went for a run. I couldn't have been happier. For me, running is a freedom that I crave. It’s a euphoria that not only keeps my body in shape, but it also keeps my mental health in stride. And, running gets me out of the apartment for a couple of hours, which Bridget certainly enjoys.

When I woke up on March 9th, I saw that Bridget had tapped seven Post-It Notes to our mirror. They read;

“Happy First Run Back! Go Tom. Love ya.”

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My first run back was a 4.3 mile “jog” along the Charles River with Bridget. It felt incredible. I felt alive. I ran on pure adrenaline and pure joy. Joy to be running. Joy to have a second chance. And, joy for everyone who helped me get here today. Until today I wasn’t sure if I would be able to run the BAA 5K and Brooklyn Half Marathon. Now I know I can.

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Those Post-It Notes stayed on our mirror for over a year. They were a daily reminder of how far I’ve come, and a daily reminder of everything that Bridget did for me to get me where I am today.

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© 2026 Thomas O'Keefe. All rights reserved.

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