Kidney transplant - The Journey from the Donor's Side
I’m headed to Rochester on the 10th for surgery on the 12th. I’m excited and nervous! I didn’t know the recipient but have gotten to “meet” her and some of her daughters through phone calls and emails.
I’ve had labs done at my doctor’s office and went to Mayo a few weeks ago for a million more tests. My case was presented to the donor board a few days before Christmas and I was approved and notified the same day. It seems like everything took so long and now is going so fast.
I’m interested in hearing from donors but haven’t had a lot of luck. It seems like the recipients are the ones who post the most, which gives me some info and reassurance but it would be nice to hear from the other side too.
So many prayers for your continued healing. I’m so glad to read your journey, as I feel that I’m just a few steps behind pending how all the testing goes at the end of the month. What a blessing you have been to your recipient and to those who will hear your story.
Rest, relax, heal!
On Friday, it will be 3 weeks since I’ve donated. Because of emotions, travel and adjusting back home, it seems like the surgery was months ago.
I went back to work yesterday on a limited schedule and it went well. The advocate told me that my body will say when I have done too much, that worried me because I thought I may miss my body’s cue or that I would all of a sudden be in a lot of pain. For me, when I’ve overdone it a bit, I get tired and my abdomen gets a little tight, not enough to hurt, enough to remind me that it’s there and I need to slow down and rest. The hardest part for me is the 10# lifting restriction, everything in my life seems to weigh more that 10#.
After typing that, I realize that the lifting restriction isn’t really the hardest part, asking for help is. I don’t look any different than I did a few weeks ago so asking for help bringing a bag of groceries to my car is embarrassing and enlightening. How many people have I dismissed as lazy or entitled because they won’t carry their own 15# bag of produce and milk to their car? That is so embarrassing to admit, I’m glad I have the opportunity to change my thinking.
The recipient is doing great except for getting the flu! Somewhere between going in for pre surgery appointments and back for tests she contracted the flu. Luckily, Mayo caught it quickly and she received great care. She went home Friday and is adjusting to life without dialysis. She’s disappointed that the flu slowed down her progress but her kidney numbers are good and she is feeling stronger every day.
@amberann, I would like to invite you to view the conversations in this group. I invite you to ask any questions that you might have. That is what we do here on Connect – ask questions and support each other by sharing our experiences.
Rosemary
Officially accepted as a non directed donor this past Wednesday!!! Everything looks good for me health wise. I will be donating in may, as I'm a teacher and will be finishing out my spring as to not take too much time off of work for recovery.
They will be now doing their job to find a match and create a, hopefully, long string of paired donations starting with mine! I'm excited and really can't wait to see what God has in store for this process. Will post again as I get closer to surgery.
In the meantime, I'm working on a few diet changes- less salt intake especially!!!
Congratulations! I am so excited for you, it's an amazing experience.
I've heard the expression, there are no dumb questions but I sure had some silly ones (non medical) to occupy my brain the week before I left for surgery. If you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to help.
@onecentwalsh, Thank you for sharing your news!
May God bless you, your medical team, and your future recipient.
Rosemary
@onecentwaish How wonderful! Being a non directed donor is so needed and so appreciated by those on the wait list (100,000 assuming you are donating a kidney). Thank you for your selflessness! Can I ask what lead you to making such a generous offer?
@hkvanhouten Thank you for donating! Not only did you give your sister life you kept the waiting list from not growing for those that are not fortunate enough to have a living donor.
@mauraacro Congratulations for a successful donation and saving someone's life!!! All the best for a smooth recovery.
@mauraacro Thank you for sharing! I will definitely be referring potential donors for me to this informative conversation so your selfless deed will continue to help.
@onecentwaish This is so wonderful! I love how the chains impact so many more people. It's great that it can work "around" your work schedule. Again, how did you learn about living donors and what lead you to making such a sacrifice?
I'm in end stage renal disease (I have Polycystic Kidney Disease) and am not quite on the waitlist (probably some time this calendar year) but I do know the challenge of eating low salt. I thought I did it for years but when I joined a study at Mayo I learned there was so much more I could do. The simple things are not salt on your food after it is cooked (my exception is corn on the cob during the season) and I always half the amount of salt a recipe calls for (you don't really notice the difference). Garlic is a great seasoner in place of salt if that pleases your taste buds. Fresh food vs. processed is ideal but If you buy canned food try to find low salt options which are becoming more prevalent. Also, you can drain canned food (i.e. beans, corn) and rinse it to help reduce the salt. Honestly, the hardest time to control salt intake is eating out. I've concluded one reason that restaurant food (fast food or a fancy place) tastes so good is because they use A LOT of salt!
Best of luck! People like you give me hope. THANK YOU!
@IWantToBelieve, I think you were directing several of your recent posts in this discussion to @onecentwalsh.