What a blessing and loving gift from your daughter! After speaking with my pre- transplant team and surgeon, I can now understand how my recovery from the surgery itself, transplant success, and my longevity will all be better if I'm lucky enough to receive a kidney while I still feel as strong as I do. I'm working through letting potential donors make their offer (even if I worry for them and what I perceive as their best interests), my last hurdle I think will be getting comfortable with a transplant induced compromise of my immunity strength in a world so impacted as it is with this pandemic. Any words of comfort or encouragement regarding that would be most appreciated! Wanting to be able to use my expected enhanced energy in more (safe) social settings!
@katyrae A pre-emptive kidney transplant is usually handled better by your body when it has better resources to recover, if you can get a living donor like you are aiming for. Kidney disease is so danged sneaky, and even though you are feeling fine, it quietly brings you and your defenses down. Once you have your transplant, we'll have to tie you down, you'll feel so good!
As others have said, there are so many things to consider as you journey to your transplant. I surely do hope your potential donors are able to get through the testing, resulting in a great match for you. If it doesn't happen, once you are below 20% you can be listed for transplant, and start that clock ticking. For me, I am an active cancer patient, so transplant is out of the question. And, if you donor is not compatible with you, there is also the opportunity for a paired donation, where they donate to someone, and you get a kidney too https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/paired-donation/overview/ovc-20508454
@katyrae
I want to add my Welcome to Mayo Connect. I am happy that you have already net @cmael, who has been able to share first hand information from her own experience. Sharing with each other, and supporting each other is what we do on Connect. Everyone is welcome.
My donor (liver and kidney) was a deceased donor, so my experience is different from yours. I got my transplant in 2009 at Mayo MN and I will assure you that life with an organ transplant is better that normal every day for me.
Have you seen the Mayo Living Donor Toolkit? It presents excellent information about living donation that covers the entire donor process beginning with how to get started, the process, the evaluation as well financial information and peer support for the prospective https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/transplant/tab/resource-36/
Thank you Rosemary 🙂 it is encouraging to think about feeling better after a transplant, even if getting out and getting social may still be challenging. Honestly, there's a lot I could be doing right here in my lovely little home! And yes, I am familiar with the wonderful information Mayo has available online. I've learned so much just reading through that! Mayo continues to heal, care, support, and inform in person and across many platforms. I'm am forever grateful to Mayo, they already saved my life providing a (blood disorder) diagnosis and treatment that my local hospitals missed.
Thank you for sharing the video from @mauraarco from the donor's perspective. She is inspiring!
And so are you, what a blessing you received, and what a blessing you are to give back by encouraging and supporting me and others facing the need for a transplant. Hugs 🤗
@katyrae83 from the donor side of things, I can say that after a viable candidate is found, there are a million appointments (most of mine were over 3 day period at Mayo) all in the interest of the donor. They went over everything including medical, financial and psychological testing. They wanted to make sure I was aware of every possibility before, during and after donation. I have never felt more taken care of.
At any point, I could have decided not to donate for any reason right up until the time of surgery. @cmael is correct in saying to let the donor decide and I'd encourage any potential donor to check out this site to find out more about it from a non medical point of view.
Thank you! First and foremost, thank you for being the generous, giving person that you are. I know there's a lot of love in you that prompted you to become a donor. We all know that many, many people are lifted up by a single donation, the patient who receives the donation, as well as all those who love them, and so many others! It's great to see how you as the donor have also been lifted up by your gift. You are inspiring!
And thanks for reminding me to trust the process. Hugs 🤗
@katyrae A pre-emptive kidney transplant is usually handled better by your body when it has better resources to recover, if you can get a living donor like you are aiming for. Kidney disease is so danged sneaky, and even though you are feeling fine, it quietly brings you and your defenses down. Once you have your transplant, we'll have to tie you down, you'll feel so good!
As others have said, there are so many things to consider as you journey to your transplant. I surely do hope your potential donors are able to get through the testing, resulting in a great match for you. If it doesn't happen, once you are below 20% you can be listed for transplant, and start that clock ticking. For me, I am an active cancer patient, so transplant is out of the question. And, if you donor is not compatible with you, there is also the opportunity for a paired donation, where they donate to someone, and you get a kidney too https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/paired-donation/overview/ovc-20508454
Hi Ginger, thank you for your comments, I love your description of kidney disease being so danged sneaky. So true. And you'll have to catch me before you can tie me down LOL! I look forward to the chase!
Yes, the paired donation program is another great example of how diligent and creative Mayo teams are in bringing health and wellness to more and more people. And I know they're not the only ones. Medical scientists across the globe are making great strides every day. Prayers going up for a cure for cancer 🙏🏼
Thanks for thinking of me and other people in the transplant program. The body is an amazing vessel, I'm praying that light, love and miracles come your way! Hugs 🤗
My GFR is 21, but may have dropped because of breakthrough Covid. Waiting for bloodwork in September. My son is O- like me, so he may be a donor.🤞Nervous of course! Mayo Connect is great!
I had a preemptive transplant 3 years ago. My creatinine was over 2 and gfr was 13. Luckily, my daughter was a match. I was not on dialysis, but had a meeting with a representative to look at the types of home dialysis. I decided to try for a transplant. My health was good and my daughter was told that she was giving me an A1 kidney. Today I am so happy that I did it when I did, while my health was still good, except for arthritis. My recovery was so much better than it would have been, had I waited.
My GFR is 21, but may have dropped because of breakthrough Covid. Waiting for bloodwork in September. My son is O- like me, so he may be a donor.🤞Nervous of course! Mayo Connect is great!
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@katyrae A pre-emptive kidney transplant is usually handled better by your body when it has better resources to recover, if you can get a living donor like you are aiming for. Kidney disease is so danged sneaky, and even though you are feeling fine, it quietly brings you and your defenses down. Once you have your transplant, we'll have to tie you down, you'll feel so good!
As others have said, there are so many things to consider as you journey to your transplant. I surely do hope your potential donors are able to get through the testing, resulting in a great match for you. If it doesn't happen, once you are below 20% you can be listed for transplant, and start that clock ticking. For me, I am an active cancer patient, so transplant is out of the question. And, if you donor is not compatible with you, there is also the opportunity for a paired donation, where they donate to someone, and you get a kidney too https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/paired-donation/overview/ovc-20508454
I'll be looking for your story!
Ginger
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4 ReactionsThank you Rosemary 🙂 it is encouraging to think about feeling better after a transplant, even if getting out and getting social may still be challenging. Honestly, there's a lot I could be doing right here in my lovely little home! And yes, I am familiar with the wonderful information Mayo has available online. I've learned so much just reading through that! Mayo continues to heal, care, support, and inform in person and across many platforms. I'm am forever grateful to Mayo, they already saved my life providing a (blood disorder) diagnosis and treatment that my local hospitals missed.
Thank you for sharing the video from @mauraarco from the donor's perspective. She is inspiring!
And so are you, what a blessing you received, and what a blessing you are to give back by encouraging and supporting me and others facing the need for a transplant. Hugs 🤗
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2 ReactionsThank you! First and foremost, thank you for being the generous, giving person that you are. I know there's a lot of love in you that prompted you to become a donor. We all know that many, many people are lifted up by a single donation, the patient who receives the donation, as well as all those who love them, and so many others! It's great to see how you as the donor have also been lifted up by your gift. You are inspiring!
And thanks for reminding me to trust the process. Hugs 🤗
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2 ReactionsHi Ginger, thank you for your comments, I love your description of kidney disease being so danged sneaky. So true. And you'll have to catch me before you can tie me down LOL! I look forward to the chase!
Yes, the paired donation program is another great example of how diligent and creative Mayo teams are in bringing health and wellness to more and more people. And I know they're not the only ones. Medical scientists across the globe are making great strides every day. Prayers going up for a cure for cancer 🙏🏼
Thanks for thinking of me and other people in the transplant program. The body is an amazing vessel, I'm praying that light, love and miracles come your way! Hugs 🤗
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3 ReactionsHow are you doing, Lisa? Where are you in your pre-transplant journey?
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1 ReactionMy GFR is 21, but may have dropped because of breakthrough Covid. Waiting for bloodwork in September. My son is O- like me, so he may be a donor.🤞Nervous of course! Mayo Connect is great!
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4 ReactionsSo happy for you!
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1 ReactionI can understand you're nervous, Lisa. A big thumbs up that your son is willing to step up to be a donor if it is possible.
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2 Reactions🤞Thank you Colleen!
Update. GFR came up to 24! I assume Covid was responsible for the drop!🤞
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