I can't tell you exactly what inspired me to donate at this time. Organ donation has been in the back of my mind for a long time. I offered to be tested to donate to my father but his illness had progressed too far, he died a year ago.
I saw a post online asking if any o+ people would be willing to be tested as a donor, that her mother had been on dialysis for 4 years and was losing hope and health. I filled out forms, had a million blood draws, many tests, talked to countless medical people and here I am today. I have since "met" the recipient through phone calls and email. We will meet in person in less than 2 weeks to prepare for surgery.

@mauraacro, Thank you for sharing this message. And thank you for sharing the gift of life.

I imagine that the next 2 weeks will feel like an eternity for you. I will be thinking of you and your recipient. I will be praying for you, for your recipient, for your surgeons and transplant team, for your caregivers, and for both of your recoveries.

I hope that you found some of the information that we have provided to be helpful.
Would you keep in touch, and afterwards let us know about how the donor process works?

Rosemary

I will probably post from the hospital! I'm not a good "sick" person but I want to heal quickly and stay healthy so I am going to try to follow doctor's orders and do exactly as they recommend. That may be the hard part for me as I like to keep busy. The recipients family has been wonderful and have assured me that they will help keep me occupied and help my husband as needed.
I toured the gift of life house when I was in town for testing. I loved it there and would have been happy to stay but my husband will need to spend some time working so the recipient graciously offered to rent us an apartment a block from Mayo.
I am surprised that there is not much input from donors here. I've read some of the stories but can't find much else. Mayo has done a great job of telling me about the procedure but they can only give me medical facts or second hand info. learned from donors. I want to hear about real life things like, how was the plane trip home, will my dog break open my stitches and what loose fitting clothes can I wear when its 4 degrees outside? None of these are important but its what my brain keeps going to, maybe to avoid thinking about the actual surgery. If there are any donors or potential donors wanting info from me, I'll gladly share what I've gone through so far.

@mauraacro, I am in agreement with your thoughts about the need to hear from others who have experienced the donor surgery.

I wish I knew why there is a lack of sharing; that is why I became involved with Mayo Connect - to share, talk, encourage. I really think that a lot of people are just hesitant put it in words. I sincerely thank you for your plan to share!

Before my transplant (deceased donor) I was blessed with a RN girlfriend who was available to talk to me face-to-face about such deeply personal yet simple issues. But that was for my original plan of a 'simple' liver transplant surgery. If I can be on any immediate comfort, I experienced great 'everyday' living help from the nurses who cared for me on 10-2 Transplant floor of Mayo Methodist after my surgery and prepared me to get out of hospital and manage on my own.
They, along with my post transplant nurse, were awesome. I think that one of the biggest concerns was that I not lift or vacuum (Yea) and not to drive for a while. So I guess it depends on the size and strength of your dog. Mostly it is how you will feel - your body will tell you a whole lot!

I think it is normal to want to avoid thinking about surgery. Remember that the team at Mayo is the best.
Have you considered keeping a mini journal of your thoughts before and after all of this? My situation was different, but I kept one, and it is priceless to me now.

Now I am about to do something that is really awkward for me to do, and that is to share something about me that I wrote about waiting for my own transplant. Even though we are at opposite ends of the transplant experience, you might find comfort to know that you are not alone. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/newsfeed-post/staying-positive-while-waiting-for-a-transplant/
Rosemary

@mauraacro I am a recipient, however I have lived in a cold environment all my life. My suggestion for loose fitting clothing is to get some heavy tights or leggings (thigh-highs) and layer them with a mid-calf petticoat and dress. Denim dresses are great for not letting too much wind through. You probably think it's crazy to wear a skirt in cold weather, but if your legs are covered the skirt will trap your body heat and keep you warmer than even thermal underwear or clothing. If possible, get a coat that is at least thigh length. I wear a double-layer wool cape. Wool does let some wind through, but even if it gets wet, it still keeps you warm. I also recommend a hood on your coat and a scarf. I use a long cotton scarf that I can either wrap over my head and around my neck or half and wrap around my neck with the end pulled through the loop. Trust me on this. I know.

I am imagining how I would feel on a plane trip and expect it will be quite uncomfortable as you will not be able to lean back or put your feet up. And your dog probably won't break your stitches, especially if they are staples, but he very well might make you feel quite poorly if he jumps anywhere on you or near your surgical site.

Good luck and God Bless you for your donation! hopefully some actual donors will have even better information for you.

Thank you, @2011panc. This is helpful to all of us who are not accustomed to handling the cold Minnesota weather!
Stay Warm, everybody:-)
Rosemary

Thank you for your cold weather advice! I wear a lot of dress and skirts but didn't think about the thigh high option. I think with the popularity of leggings and yoga pants, I can probably find quite a few things to wear that will be comfortable. The recipient made my flight reservations and I will have quite a few days after surgery before I need to get on a plane. I am grateful for that!

@mauraacro, I just remembered that I wore something soft against my surgical area. That prevented irritation from any rubbing.
Rosemary
I also would like for you to meet @fauneconner. She is also soon to be a living kidney donor.

Thank you for sharing! A journal is a great idea, it may help me to explain to others why I think being a living donor is so important (besides the obvious). and while parts of it have been inconvenient for me, it's so inconsequential in the big picture. The benefits to me and my family far outweigh any discomfort I've had or will have. We have learned so much about my medical history, about how to remain healthy or do even better. We've talked about our futures and our goals. We've learned about how we can help others and how to ask for help. We are a close family but like most people we get too busy to really talk, this has brought us closer together.

Hi @mauraacro, I encourage you to share your journey as a living donor here on Connect. I might suggest starting a new discussion dedicated to the topic. Learning through your experience will be a huge help to future donors, and will invite other donors to share their stories. As you said, the health care professionals tell you the stuff they feel you "need to know" which largely focuses on the medical necessities. But there is so much more that people "want to know" -- the practical stuff, the experiential stuff that you just don't learn about from pamphlets etc.

Here’s how to start a new discussion:
1. Go to the Transplants group homepage here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/transplants/
2. Click the START A DISCUSSION button.
3. Enter a title.
4. Write your message.
5. Click CREATE DISCUSSION

I look forward to hearing more about your journey.