It's getting real... found a living donor

My husband had a kidney transplant just over a year ago at Mayo Jacksonville and everyone we dealt with was wonderful so you in great hands.

I think there are two things that have really stuck with me, the first by his APRN - think of the surgery like a college graduation it's the start of a new journey as there will always be a lot of med's and follow-up - but it's totally worth it. The 2nd I got from sitting around the waiting rooms with other transplant folk, don't panic if you end up back in the hospital, it's just a blip.

I donated my kidney to my husband and his egfr is currently running in the mid to upper 60's which is wonderful and every time I see his numbers I am so proud that my kidney is absolutely rocking it. Seeing him everyday looking happy and healthy makes me so thankful, and for me the surgery was a breeze.

The only tips I have are stock up on healthy snacks, stock the freezer before surgery so you don't have to do too much post. Sleep when you can as for 3-4 weeks post surgery your going to have lots of appointments and some of them early before you take your morning meds so be kind to yourself. I also have one notebook that I use for his meds (I have a 2nd that I take to all appointments with his vitals, list of meds and notes of anything we are told to do or change). I number each bottle and then in the book I list the meds and how many of each pills he takes e.g. #2 cellcept 250 mg - 750 mg 3 pills AM PM and then each time I refill I write #2 on that bottle, it's a double check for when I am refilling his weekly pill box as there are a lot of pills. A year in it's easy but those first couple of months it can be a little overwhelming. Mayo pharmacy is absolutely the best.

Good luck with your surgery.

Good morning,
So my recovery was excellent. Honestly if it wasn't for the catheter I could have gone home the same night I felt that good. Made sure I rested as needed once I was home but it was a breeze. Took one pain pill the night I went home just in case but didn't need anything after that.

You do have to have separate caretakers, and although I saw him briefly in the recovery area I did not see him again until he came home as the hospital was so busy we weren't even on the same floor, but it worked out for the best as I knew he was being taken great care of so I could concentrate on me. My husband's daughter came in to town for a week as that was how long they said I would need before taking over the care. I stayed 2 nights at my friends house and then came home the day my husband did (he was in 3 nights). I didn't have anyone with me the morning of surgery as we had to be there so early and they took me back into the pre-op area pretty quickly. So I think for you it's really someone to take you home and stay with you those first couple of nights to make sure you don't overdo it, but they actually won't need to do anything for you as I showered at the hospital by myself so knew I'd be fine. Your mom's caretaker will need to be at the hospital with them a lot, not over night but really starting the day after surgery as you get so many visits to go over dressing changes, meds, just a lot of stuff. As I knew I would be the primary caretaker I had his daughter FaceTime with me each time someone came in to go through stuff so that I could hear it and ask any questions, they give you a big binder that gives all the info as well.

Not sure where in Jacksonville you are we are north St Augustine but ended up staying close to the hospital for a couple of days post surgery (3 nights days 7,8 & 9), his daughter went home and it was just too much to keep driving up there every day as those first few weeks you have a lot of appointments and they can be scattered out a bit during the day as bloodwork is at 7 am and then some of the other appointments might not be until lunchtime as the one blood test takes a few hours to process.

Please feel free to reach out if you need more info or tips. I am thankful every single day that we did this, to see my husband back to his old self is just amazing.

Good luck to you and your mom.

@dbirkel21, this is absolutely priceless information, experience and helpful tips that you offered for @angelallain! Information one can't get anywhere else.

As you suspected, I removed your personal email address from your post since this is a public forum. You can connect securely using private messaging. Even better yet, keep sharing questions and tips here in this discussion for the benefit of many!

I had a transplant less that a year ago but it’s all still vivid. I would tell my friends and family that I was more afraid of not having a transplant than having one. I had mine at transplant center 2 hours away. I got a call one eve just before supper that there was a liver waiting for me and gave me 2 1/2 hours to get there. My sister was on call to take me there so off we went, along with our 85 year old mom. They were back and forthing about directions while I sat in the back seat, now terrified. Terrified. One there though it felt real in a less worrisome way. The caregivers I had were amazing and understood all of my fears. I felt almost Zen about it all, even lying on my stretcher by the operating room. Perhaps they gave me something to calm me and I was unaware! You will wake up after many hours and it’ll be over. You will feel so much better. Someone told me to focus on what I wanted to do after 6 months, and one year. It gets easier and you’ll get there.

@katebw I love reading about each recipient's story! They are all unique, like we are.

How are you feeling these days?
Ginger