Everyone, or most of you, know that I am against having the autotransplant. I want to share with you a side effect that has not been mentioned before.For the second time in a year I am fighting a recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI). The first time it was thought that I might have a kidney stone that was infected andthe stonewas reinfecting my urine. The problem wasn't a stone but reflux.My transplanted kidney has a ureter that is only two inches long. At the time of the transplant, the surgeon cut the ureter at my bladder, shortened it, then reattached it, rather than cutting the ureter in two places and re-attaching the two ureterstogether. (I hope you're following me.) Where the ureter attaches to the bladder there is a sort-of valve that prevents urine from backing up into the kidney. I no longer have that valve so now I have urine backing up that little two-inch ureterintomy kidney and stagnating.I had my transplant in 1990 at the age of 27 (stop counting back, I'm 44!) It may not have been a problem in the past because of my age. But as we get older things tend to not work as well (yeh, I got bifocals this year and that stinks!) I spent 6 months on antibiotics with ALL the side-effects that go with that (you ladies know what I mean! aaargh!!) , and now I am battling it again.If you are considering the autotransplant this problem may be something you want to discuss with your surgeon on how to possibly prevent this.Kim