Considering being a Donor

[DP]

Hi,

I have started the testing process for donating my kidney to a family member, and really feel good about being able to help. However, the more I read online about the pros and cons, benefits and risks, the more I am concerned about complications afterward, issues later in life and even death from surgery. I have a young family and this decision requires significant reflection on desire to help and desire to be healthy for my family's future.

The coordinator says that most of the tests being done on me are for my benefit - to ensure every possible chance of my good health after surgery is evaluated.

Lapro technique seems to be easier on the donor for recovery but it has more risks than traditional method. I am sure I am not alone having these feelings. What things should I be considering and thinking about as I progress through the donor process?

How should one prepare physically - strengthen the body for recovery?

Thanks

[Fr Pat]

     For physical preparation, as far as I know just staying in good condition is the best preparation. Some folks have suggested that some strengthening of the abs beforehand might help in recovery. Smokers should stop entirely previous to surgery, to have the lungs as clear and clean as possible. In the immediate preparation for surgery each hospital/surgeon has their own requirements regarding fasting, laxatives, etc.
     Spiritual preparation can involve getting back in touch with one's sources of spiritual strength and guidance. Some donors have found it helpful to request prayer support from their faith community (personal or anonymously).
     I had the open surgery rather than the laparoscopic donation surgery as my surgeon considered it slightly safer for the donor (this was 12 years ago, when lap surgery was still not as common as it is now) and from all that I have read so far I would still opt for the open surgery if I had to do it again. In talking to the doctors about your options, I suggest you always put your greater safety above other considerations of faster recovery, smaller scars, etc. (or even the hospital's desire to make use of its expensive laparoscopic equipment.) Keep in mind also that complications from laparoscopic surgery vary widely according to how many surgeries the doctor has done previously, as there is a sharp "learning curve" even among well-trained surgeons.
  best wishes,
     Fr. pat

[loustar]

Hi DP -

I would talk to the transplant team and ask how often they do the surgery.  I just donated my left kidney to my uncle on 8/8.  Reading all of the pamphlets regarding the risks of the surgery gave me a great deal of anxiety.  However, after talking with the transplant team, the statistics were very good.  I had my transplant at UCSF and they do the procedure 120-150 times a year.  They have only had a handful of patients who had complications (being readmitted to the hospital, converting from lapo to an open procedure, etc.)

As far as preparation goes, try to be in the best shape that you can be in.  Losing extra weight can do nothing but help you.  I had been practicing iyengar yoga for about one year before the surgery, and that helped mentally and physically.  I learned how to settle my mind when feeling anxious.  Deep breathing exercises are part of the iyengar practice, and that will also help when you are in the hospital because they make you do breathing exercises so you don't develop pneumonia.  Also, for the first week or so, it is difficult to sit up.  I was able to put my arms behind my back to help prop myself up out of bed so it wasn't so bad.  I think yoga helped with shoulder flexibility to make this even easier.

[elephant]

Dear DP,

It's a fine idea to become fully informed prior to your donation, and learn about good and bad outcomes.  Do keep in mind that you will likely encounter more detailed stories about negative outcomes, since when all goes well the motivation to discuss our experience is not as great.  That said, I do think the literature provided by the hospital soft-pedaled the recovery process.  It is major surgery, including laparoscopic surgery.  lf you are sedentary the months leading up to donation might be a good time to start a gentle exercise routine - walking is beneficial, and core (abdominal) strengthening.  That way you will have a good habit to get back to after surgery when walking helps recovery, and a strong torso makes it easier to move around.

Love, elephant

[Mizchelle]

Exercise and Mediation made the process pleasant for me.  I've always meditated but began exercising a lot more 6 months prior to the surgery. I even joined a boot camp where I could go at my own pace, which made exercising a lot of fun and took my mind off of "why" I was really doing it. 

My personal opinion is… With any surgery in the area of the torso, the state of your mental and physical state will determine the pace of your recovery...you will be healing inside and out.

[Snoopy]

Dear DP,

It's a fine idea to become fully informed prior to your donation, and learn about good and bad outcomes... lf you are sedentary the months leading up to donation might be a good time to start a gentle exercise routine

   I agree, both about becoming fully informed--confronting the small but real possibility of some unpleasant consequences of donation, which not all centers exactly emphasize--and about the exercise.
   But: one thing about the exercise.  I was trying to be good, and happened to have stepped up my exercise in the week before my in-patient two-day medical testing during the donor approval process.  Alas, it seems the extra (and unaccustomed) exercise helped dump protein into my urine:  for the first time, I had high urine protein levels, which led my center's medical director, a nephrologist, to try to disqualify me to donate. I was sure I really was fine, and demanded a "recount".  Three perfect 24-hr urine collection tests (etc., etc.) later, all was well.  But keep in mind that changes to your regimen might throw off some of your test results.  Actually,  Elephant advised a gentle--not violent--exercise routine.
   Overall, getting fit is excellent advice.
      Good luck!
      Snoopy

[ftgriffith]

DP,
I had laparoscopy procedure for left kidney donation.....two weeks, back two work. I was Still recovering but felt good. Walked,exercised pre surgery, nothing overboard. I was nervous as it seemed that donor team, surgeon, ect all felt compelled to spell out risks. Being a healthy person, I did not have the experience of spending so much time being "examined" to make sure I was fit to donate.  I was sore for awhile afterward, especially when driving long distance, but now after two years I feel that I am 100 percent recovered AND have the joy of seeing my kidney giving renewed life to someone I love! That's the reward.