cOMFORT

[niraj_bhumi]

Its been five weeks since kidney transplant, i have been feeling better each day but want to know as to when will i be fully fit as i was before donation. i feel frustrated with the stiffness and less flexibility of the area around the wound. how long does it take to be fully normal.

[Fr Pat]

     Every donor heals differently, so it is hard to say. Are you doing much walking, stretching, bending, etc. to help get things back to normal? Are you getting enough sleep? Sometimes it is a lot of small things added together that help speed up the healing process. But remember that you have had MAJOR surgery, with the loss of an entire organ. That does take time to heal from.
      Please keep us posted.
         best wishes,
                Fr. Pat

[Snoopy]

Hi.  I was blessed with a fairly quick, fairly smooth recovery.  I was working from home two weeks after surgery, and back at work one week after that. 
   But, for my first 6 weeks back at work, I took taxis because I wasn't sure I had the energy to stand during my fairly long public transport commute (especially since part of my job involves standing).  More importantly, I knew I couldn't really handle the bumpy ride on the city bus.  For a couple of months, I was very very sensitive to bumpy rides.  Also, for a couple of months, I was quite careful about lifting, and strongly suggest that you be careful too. 
    What I did not experience was the fatigue that so many people report.  Given my schedule, I'm not sure how I avoided that one.  May your recovery be even smoother and faster than mine.
   Be well, Snoopy

[gbug12001]

I feel you. I'm 5 weeks this Saturday.  We all defintely heal diferently.  I was back to yoga on week 3 which helped a lot.  There are still somethings I cant do but my instructor is awesome giving me modified ways to do some poses.    My comfort problem is still my bloated stomach.  I weigh less than before the surgery but my jeans are uncomfortable.  Thank God its summer time and its shorts and dress season. 
This week I went back to the gym and did one of my normal wieght workouts..  with just some lighter weights but it was awesome getting back. 
I'm hoping to get back to my running schedule next week. 

I do feel better and better each day. Hang in there it will come.

[CK]

I had an easy recovery too, but the incisions took the longest. Mine had some seepage for a while and I had to keep it covered with gauze to protect my clothes and not irritate it. I'm almost 4 months out, and honestly, it's still a little tender. My recipient, who has a foot long scar from stem to stern from his double nephrectomy. has healed faster. Harumph. 

I was back to work in three weeks too, I had little fatigue after the first week.

[dodger]

It was 8 months before I felt like before surgery.  No pulling or soreness around the incision by then.  Could partake in any exercise and have stamina to do what ever I wanted.  But then I was 59 1/2 years old, and wasn't in the best physical condition before surgery.  All that changed after surgery.  I started exercising, dieting, and eating better.  It has all payed off.  Lost 25 lbs, can run again, and have a lot more energy than before surgery.  I even plan on learning to wake board this summer, not bad for a 60 year old.

But yeah, for me it took 8 months.

[Abhimanyu]

MY uncle is at the last stage of liver cyrocis and so we planned for liver transplant his wife,my aunty,my auncle, his wife's bro were our hope but our bad luch evry one's liver is not suitable for donation  now we are blank need liver ASAP in india will do nything in return plz plz help he has 2 children one is 6 year old n one is 4 years old plz help save a life n save the whole fmly plz 
Here is my Email ID Abhimanyupsr@gmail.com

[niraj_bhumi]

Its been 9 weeks feeling a lot better, but cant sleep on the side of the surgery. can i do kapalbharti pranayam, it hurts a bit when i try to do it. when can i do abdominal exercises as i am getting a fatter belly.

[tanimbarcorella]

I took three weeks off, then five more weeks of light duty at work with no lifting over 10 lbs. I was very healthy before surgery but not a regular exerciser, which is not the case anymore. I lost 6 lbs during surgery and figured I better start exercising while I had a head start! I first started walking, then using a stationary bike, which was a nice cardio workout without any stress to the incision site. I never experienced the problem of not being able to sleep on the surgery side - in fact I slept exclusively on my surgery side from day one because it seemed like I felt less bloaty that way. It has been 9 weeks for me and I feel better than I did before surgery. I was itching to get back to regular duty after a week or two of filing, but I have a physically demanding job so they were very adamant about no lifting for 8 weeks. I have more energy than I did before surgery, which I credit to regular exercising. I aim for an hour a day of walking, biking, dancing, or whatever it is I feel like doing that day. I don't like "exercise" per se, but I love to be outside so with all this newfound energy and nice weather, I haven't had much trouble sticking to the plan. Everyone is different, so it's hard to guess how quickly you'll recover.

Best of luck,
Taryn

[elephant]

Dear niraj,

As for me, I resumed abdominal exercises at about 12 weeks.  Very gently at first and building up to my previous method over the next month.   

You only have one opportunity to heal correctly.  I think a cautious return to full exercise is far better than a hasty return leading to a setback. 

I didn't start sleeping on the side of surgery for at least four months.  Try supporting your body with a large pillow. 

love, elephant

[midwestgal]

It will be 12 weeks for me on Tuesday. I really started feeling more like myself at 10 weeks. Hang in there! It may not feel like it now, but it really does get a lot better:)