Kidney transplant - The Journey from the Donor's Side

I've completed my 1st day of my 6 month check up after donation.
I came back to Mayo Rochester for it, although if it were a hardship for me, I could have done the tests at home. I don't know if I've already said this but it was easier for the recipient to fly me here & pay for my hotel than to figure out how to bill her insurance and have me test at home. That makes me sad because she's a highly intelligent, organized woman and the insurance companies still make it next to impossible for her to figure out how to use it most logically. It would have been cheaper for them too. I'm glad to be here though, I have complete faith in the care I receive at Mayo.

Day 1 for my check ups involved an 18 hour blood pressure cuff, 24 hour urine collection, lab work, renal cleaeance, meeting with a nurse & a social worker. Tomorrow will be dropping off the cuff & big orange jug, meeting with a nurse (not sure why) and getting clearance from the doctor.

I'll be sad to leave, knowing I probably (& hopefully) won't be back but I can't say enough good things about my experience both with kidney donation and at Mayo.

My daughter is my donor. I’ll see if she will register and communicate with you. My transplant was 20 years ago.

@beckyjohnson I was eligible to stay at the gift of life house for any transplant related trips and I think they have similar places near all of the Mayo locations. A lot of hotels offer mayo discounts too.
I can't remember the name of the organization that helps cover costs for donors but I'll see if I can find it. In my case, it was based on the recipients income/insurance but they must have something for altruistic donors.

Im so excited due to the new donor kidney transplant coordinator & my conversation earlier today. She asked questions that needed more clarification from the initial application. I'm also required to have a current colonoscopy, pelvic exam/ pap smear and mammogram. She is sending a blood pressure cuff to be worn continuously for a designated period of time (24 hrs I think). She also working on scheduling 3 days of appointments to include a lot of bloodwork, stress test, echocardiogram & much more that I cannot recall. I will also be meeting her in person along with counselor, donor advocate, surgery team, financial consultant & dietician to name a few. We are aiming for the last week of this month. Yea! A final thought as an altruistic donor it is very possible I will not get to meet my kidney recipient. For me this is a downside that I had already decided to accept thanks to this Mayo Connect discussion.

Im so excited due to the new donor kidney transplant coordinator & my conversation earlier today. She asked questions that needed more clarification from the initial application. I'm also required to have a current colonoscopy, pelvic exam/ pap smear and mammogram. She is sending a blood pressure cuff to be worn continuously for a designated period of time (24 hrs I think). She also working on scheduling 3 days of appointments to include a lot of bloodwork, stress test, echocardiogram & much more that I cannot recall. I will also be meeting her in person along with counselor, donor advocate, surgery team, financial consultant & dietician to name a few. We are aiming for the last week of this month. Yea! A final thought as an altruistic donor it is very possible I will not get to meet my kidney recipient. For me this is a downside that I had already decided to accept thanks to this Mayo Connect discussion.

Hello all. I'm catching up on this thread as I've just been accepted as a donor (directed) and I'm trying to connect with folks who have gone through the donation process. Phoenix AZ Mayo specifically.

The Mayo staff have all been excellent during this process, however I found very little opportunity to talk with other donors (or recipients) who have already undergone their procedures. And I'd like very much to do that.

So, I'll be catching up on a lot of threads here but I'd appreciate any help from this thread re: pointing me towards someone I could talk to about their experiences. I think some direct communication would help me immensely. Thanks in advance.