Balancing everyday life—Patients’ experiences before, during and four months after kidney transplantation

AIM: To explore patients’ experiences before, during and four months after kidney transplantation as a coherent process. DESIGN: A qualitative explorative study with a phenomenological‐hermeneutic approach. METHODS: Participant observations and semi‐structured interviews were used complementary. In total, 18 kidney recipients were included. Data were analysed in accordance with Ricoeur's theory of interpretation, on three levels: naïve reading, structural analysis and critical interpretation and discussion. RESULTS: Three themes emerged: waiting time and hope during everyday life, transformation during the kidney transplantation process and towards a new everyday life with positive prospects. Going through the kidney transplantation process was challenging for the patients. Everyday life was affected through the process, and the patients had to balance the associated challenges like hope, positive prospects and health‐related issues.