Thank God for this board!

[jennybebopper]

Hi everyone,

I have been silently browsing all these posts for several weeks now and want to thank each of you who have posted questions and personal experiences.  I am scheduled for my day of tests to be a potential kidney donor next Friday.  There is a healthy level of anxiety about the appointments but I have received great information from the transplant center and this message board has been a wealth of knowledge. 

My only current question when thinking ahead (assuming all goes as planned) is how long I should anticipate having a driver handy after surgery?  I read somewhere that it's suggested you don't drive for two weeks after surgery.  I know I'll need someone to drive me home, and maybe if I am taking painkillers I would need to avoid driving.  What have been your experiences getting back behind the wheel?

Jenny

[Orchidlady]

Welcome to you, and good luck with the testing!

I was told at the hospital, as long as I was off the pain killers for a couple of days I was fine to drive - no problem! Since I had never had surgery before, I took them at their word - wrong move!

Our surgery was on a Tuesday, we were home on Saturday, and the next Wednesday I decided I felt I was up to driving the five straight blocks to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. We had a myriad of friends and family that were helping, but I really wanted to do this myself.  As soon as I started out, I knew I had no business behind the wheel. I think it was most likely the residual effects of the anesthetic. I seemed to have major problems concentrating and coordinating - things that you normally would do naturally when driving such as looking both ways, watching the light, coordinating brake and gas, etc.

After that experience, I waited about another week and then drove my husband to dialysis to visit his friends and the nurses there. By that time, everything "worked" a lot better and I felt more comfortable behind the wheel.

Another thing to keep in mind is that it was still pretty uncomfortable to get in and out of the vehicle, and, heaven forbid, you have to turn your body or stop suddenly! Ouch!  You will find that people will be standing in line to help you. If you can get a driver for the first week or so, by all means take advantage of it. They will feel useful, and it will certainly help you out.

Glad to have you here, and keep us posted on your progress!

[smudge]

Hi and welcome

I'd say about 2 weeks is pretty much right.  Certainly you need to be clear of painkillers and able to emergency stop (and change gear if you've a manual/shift/stick car).

A good test is can you hop (albeit gently) on either leg - if not, you're not up to driving!

I don't think I drove any distance (ie over 10 miles so...er 6km?) until about 4 weeks post surgery.

Keep us posted on how you get on

[sherri]

Jenny,

Good luck with your testing. In terms of post surgery I have to agree with Orchid Lady. Even for a c-section they tell you not to drive for at least 2 - 3 weeks. I waited 2 weeks and then decided to drive also in the neighborhood to do an errand. I drive a minivan parked on an incline in my driveway. Turning my head and upper torso to look behind me was painful and I think I really just used the mirrors to avoid the pain instinct. Thank goodness there was no pedestrian or small child behind me because I would not have been able to see properly. I also asked for help when I did shopping and had someone put my heavy packages in the car. I was really careful about the lifting restrictions.

Most of the doctors and nurses who give us guidelines on what to expect I think underestimate the nature of the surgery.Maybe psychologically they have to convince themselves this really is no big deal because doing surgery on a healthy patient really seems to go against the norm.The surgery is described as minimally invasive because of the way they detach the kidney from its blood supply and ureter but there is an incision which makes a big difference in laparascopic surgery. There is also the anasthesia effect from a surgery that can take anywhere from 2 - 4 hours depending on each patient's anatomy. So while the surgery is less invasive than it used to be when open method was more common, this surgery is still major abdominal surgery. I always suggest having someone stay with you afterwards. You don't want to be alone in a house or apartment just in case you get into trouble. When I came home I even had my daughter stay nearby the bathroom when I took a shower just in case I felt dizzy or slipped. Your social worker should be able to evaluate your level of support post surgery. It takes more than one kidney donor to help a person in renal failure. So others who are not doing the donation are usually there to lend a hand to the one who gives up the organ. Take advantage of those who ask how can I help and set up a good support system.

Keep us posted.

Sherri

[Fr Pat]

     Hi. Just to affirm what has ben mentioned by previous posters: the effects of the anesthesia and pain killers do not disappear all at once after you stop using them. Slowness in reflex time, of fuzziness in mental focus, can gradually disappear over a couple of weeks. There is a big difference between being ABLE to drive, and being able to drive SAFELY. You might feel like you can drive safely, but in an emergency an extra second's delaly in hitting the brake can be deadly. Play it safe and take full advantage of offers to drive for you (many people really WANT to help), or use a cab if possible/necessary. It's only for a matter of a few days extra.
   best wishes,
    Fr. Pat

[Aries7]

Hi Jenny,

First off, WELCOME!! I am so glad you found us!

I think others have given you excellent advice. My personal suggestion would be to wait at least 2 weeks. (and be sure you have been off of pain meds long enough that they are out of your system.) As Fr Pat mentioned, it does take a while to get the anesthesia and pain meds out of your system.

Best of luck with your testing and please let us know how it goes!

Best Wishes,

Linda

[Meredith]

Hi Jenny,

Isn't this board great?  I lurked a bit, too, and now I'm so glad to have the support of the wonderful people here.

I hope your testing goes as great as mine did last week -- the doctors are very much there for you, which I think is wonderful.  It's just as much about the donor as it is the recipient, which is so important. 

I'm glad you asked about the driving as I was curious, too.  I'm figuring I'd stay home for at least 3 weeks and then somehow lug my laptop back to work after that.  Heavy lifting restrictions are going to be hard!

Take care and best wishes to you!
Meredith

[Fr Pat]

Dear Meredith,
     Some donors invest in a small wheeled traveling bag, or dig one out of the closet, to use while the lifting cautions are still in place.
          best wishes,
            Fr. Pat

[kali]

Jenny
Driving was a big question for me since I practically live in my car. I waited 2 weeks to the day before I drove and had no problems.  The biggest hindrance was the weight restrictions.  Make sure you get help with the groceries, etc.  BTW, I stopped using pain pills 2 days after I got home w/out any problems either.  For the pain issue, the most difficult thing was getting in/out of bed.

[jennybebopper]

Again, I say it's great to have this forum to turn back to.  I did my one-day testing on Friday and everything went well.  A few new things brought to my attention by the transplant team, including a slightly increased risk of pre-eclampsia for someone in my demographic (haven't yet had any children).  Who would've guessed?  I should hear back this week for the physical data and a couple weeks for the neuropsychologist to write up her report.

I am planning to be a non-directed donor and don't have any interest in lining up a particular recipient ahead of time.  It's interesting to observe the reactions of my closer friends as I have started to reveal my plans...a lot of awkward silence.  I feel so blessed to have the health, the support system, and the employment benefits to be able to do this, it seems a waste not to take advantage of the opportunities to help someone in such a special way.  Glad to see on here that I'm not the only one with a screw loose in this area!