Pre-op jitters

@amberann, I want to extend my hand in welcoming you to Mayo Connect. I am a liver/kidney recipient, so I can completely understand your pre-op jitters. My surgery was almost 9 years ago, with a deceased donor. In my situation, my recovery was without glitches. And after the initial healing I was able to return to a fully active life, in fact much better than ever! With your active lifestyle, you should be well on your way to a normal life in a surprising amount of time.
There is a recent discussion that was started by a member who recently donated her kidney, and she has generously shared her experience with us. I want to urge you to click on this link to Kidney Transplant - from a donor's side. You will meet @mauraacro, @onecentwalsh, @hkvanhouten, who have recently posted information. I think they would welcome any questions there, or here in this conversation.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/kidney-transplant-from-the-donor-side/
I look forward to continued conversation. Where will you be having your transplant surgery?
Rosemary

@amberann Welcome! Please try to not worry, it's really not all that bad at all, particularly if you are in good shape and it sounds as if you are. The first two to three weeks are a little tough but after that, for me, it was a breeze. The biggest restriction that I recall was not lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk. You do have restrictions until your incision is healed of course, I could not go into the water and for me that was difficult because I do a lot of water exercise. I felt well though and other than not being able to do much exercise for a while my life was pretty normal, as I remember it. My transplant was in October, 2016.
I am racking trying to figure out what "PD" means but it eludes me. I am sure when you say I will kick myself that I didn't realize that.
Is your husband a match or is this a case of he is donating part of his liver to someone else and you in turn will get a live donor who does match you? If he is not a match I would imagine that his surgery could be scheduled prior to yours so you would not both be in the initial stages of recovery at the same time.
My best to you and I hope you do have as successful recovery as I did. Please keep us up to date.
JK

Congratulations on the upcoming surgery! I donated a kidney on 1/12/18 and was out the next day. The recipient was in the hospital until 1/15.
I almost think it will be easier that you both go in at the same time, that way it will be done instead of lingering. There are definitely pros & cons to having it at the same time or staggered, has Mayo given you advice on that?
As was said above, the hardest part for me was the 4 week lifting restriction. 10# is not much and I felt silly asking people to carry a bag of groceries for me when I looked healthy enough to do it for myself. I stayed for a full week in a hotel near Mayo to recover.. I didn't need the whole time and felt well enough to travel after a few days but was glad I took it. Trying to recover at home, especially with kids is not easy.
I am 51, not very fit but healthy enough and my recovery was very smooth. I had very little pain (most of it was from getting up and down and laughing) but got tired quickly. Even when I got home, unpacking and putting laundry in wiped me out. If you have friends or family that offer to do things for you or make meals, take them up on it. I also started using Clicklist for grocery shopping while I was in Rochester and continued it for a few weeks at home.They shop for you and load it into your car, then you get your walking done bringing in 1 bag at a time!

@amberann, It is mid March, and I want you to know that you and your husband are in our thoughts and prayers. I don't know where you are in the donation-transplant process, but wherever, I hope that it is going smoothly for both of you.
I imagine that you are both anxious for the future days when you can return to a "new" normal life with your children.
Sending a virtual hug.
Rosemary