Living in limbo while one's identity is changing: Patients' existential experiences 6 months after a kidney transplantation with a living donor.

AIM: To investigate patients' existential experiences in everyday life after a kidney transplantation with a living donor. DESIGN: A qualitative study anchored in a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach inspired by Ricoeur's theory of narrative and interpretation. METHOD: Eleven patient interviews were conducted approximately 6 months after a kidney transplantation with a living donor. The interviews were conducted between August 2017-May 2019. Analysis and interpretation are based on Ricoeur's theory of interpretation. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: Experiencing bodily vulnerability while getting back to life; Feeling guilt while experiencing gratitude; Living in limbo while one's identity is changing; and Facing the future with hope while having reservations. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that patients experience multifaceted existential challenges in their everyday lives during the transition of the kidney transplantation process. Post-surgery complications for donors lead to feelings of guilt in patients; plus, they must adapt to a new existence, including a new identity. The patients feel they are in limbo, as they experience their existence as uncertain and their identity as unknown. IMPACT: The study highlights a need for developing a rehabilitation programme to address the individual and various existential challenges faced by patients who need to undergo a kidney transplantation.

Existential Contradictions in Living With End-Stage Renal Disease: A Qualitative Metasynthesis.

A qualitative metasynthesis following Sandelowski and Barroso's method was conducted to explore what characterizes the existential experiences of individuals living with end-stage renal disease. The findings show that patients with end-stage renal disease live with several existential contradictions characterized by the following: perception of the body-oscillating between connection and separation, maintaining life-oscillating between freedom and captivity, uncertainty-oscillating between hope and despair, and enduring technology-oscillating between being perceived as an object and subject. Consequently, living with end-stage renal disease is challenging for patients; hence, the support of nurses is important to alleviate patients' vulnerability.