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Kidney transplant - The Journey from the Donor's Side
Transplants | Last Active: Jul 25 2:21pm | Replies (359)Comment receiving replies
Hello all! I wanted to check in with this thread as it has been just over a year now since I donated. I thought a 1-year perspective may be a good post. I'm also curious if anybody else has done follow-up posts about how their lives have gone & how they are doing after donation.
As for me: A year after donating, I'm pretty much 100% back to normal. About 5 months after donation I resumed my running routine again, and I'm doing a lot more yoga these days, which has been a huge help. I get the occasional little muscular 'pang' from scar tissue during yoga if I move in certain ways, but that's about it.
2019 was a super hard year for me, for reasons unrelated to my donation, so it took a toll. I suppose it was a good stress test for my body. I try to live a healthy life still, but I can't say I did a super job of that in 2019. I can feel a slight change in now when I'm super anxious or stressed - probably just hypertension/blood pressure saying hello -- but my 6month and 1 year bloodwork/checkups are both good.
(Speaking of this: Having jumped into the world of wearable fitness monitors and the like, I'm curious about getting one that monitors blood pressure. I guess the Apple Watch doesn't do blood pressure without additional gear, which is disappointing. If anybody here has recommendations please let me know.)
I was able to reconnect with my recipient friend in AZ again almost exactly 1 year after our surgeries, which was fun. He's still got some other non-kidney health stuff going on, but kidney wise he's doing great 🙂 He looks a heck of a lot better than the last time I saw him, for sure. Score one for science!
So all in all, I'm doing OK, and I'm just more conscious of my body and my health choices now.
PS my recipient friend and I got some local press coverage about our donation, complete with embarrassing photos 🙂
Link is here: https://www.azmirror.com/2018/12/12/college-friendship-leads-to-new-kidney-for-clean-elections-director/
Replies to "Hello all! I wanted to check in with this thread as it has been just over..."
@cleverusername, Thank you for checking in and sharing your update on Connect where others can see it. I enjoyed reading the article that you have included. And the photos are terrific! Patient stories have an essential role in medical care. They connect us with others and they provide information, support, and encouragement as we encounter similar health issues.
I'm glad to hear that your are back on track and have become more aware of healthy choices for your own sake. As a recipient, I find that my healthy choices are having some influence on my family and friends, and I think of that as another benefit from my own transplant.
Enjoy 2020, and I hope that you will be checking in with support and ideas for other prospective donors.
@cleverusername, I read the article with great interest. What a story! And thanks for coming back to share your 1 year post donation update. You ask if other members have come back to share. @mauraacro continues to post to the community as well. How long has it been since your donation Maura?
I’m also tagging @keggebraaten on this post. She’ll be interested in reading the AZ Mirror article.
So, share with us some of the healthier choices you’re making now.
I can't believe it's been a year!
I'm sorry that 2019 wasn't great for you, it seems like life should throw all of the good things at you. Maybe it was just clearing a path for this year?
I have had a slight problem with my blood pressure also. Slight because mine is normally low and it's higher but still within the normal range. A nurse suggested using a free machine at 1 of the stores with a pharmacy (use same machine each time) and taking 2-3 readings with a minute in between but I've only done it twice. I sent off my 2 year and last ever, blood work and sample to Mayo in December and everything came back good so I just work on being mindful of what I'm doing- or not doing.
I forgot about that scar feeling. Not a pain but sort of pulling? It goes away but it didn't happen often so I'm not sure when it stopped, maybe after about 18 months. I gross myself out thinking about all of the layers of muscle, fat and skin they stitched backup and then stop thinking about it.
I'm glad your friend is doing better and hope his other medical issues get resolved soon. My recipient had quite a few problems with viral infections in her first year and didn't ever think she'd feel better but 2 years later she's back to work, traveling for fun and babysitting her first grand daughter. I think back to the first time I met her, the day before surgery and can't believe the difference in her. It is truly an amazing thing.
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@cleverusername that’s wonderful that the donation worked out so well. I admire people so much who do this. I’m sorry to hear that 2019 was not a good year otherwise though. Mine wasn’t great either. It must have been so nice too to have contact again with the recipient.
No fitness trackers do blood pressure, at this point it’s just not doable apparently. I have an Apple 4 and I really love some of its functions but I had a Misfit (not to be confused with Fitbit) and I actually think it was a better activity tracker. I haven’t checked them out recently so I don’t know what the newer, more expensive models have now.
JK