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[chadlay]

Hi everyone I recently found out by being tested for a match on my 2nd cousin that I am a match for him. I am considered a universal donor from what the hospital told me. I am extremely nervous / excited that I am a match wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction on how to find out more about the donation process. I currently am 21 years old,nearly perfect health (few ear aches every now and again), and could lose about 10-15 lbs. If it wasn't for testing to donate I would never have known I was o-negative blood type which I found out can be a pain in the rear end to acquire in a pinch if I ever needed blood.

What are the recovery times for living donors?

Sorry for posting this in the wrong section if I did but I appreciate any and all info I can get.


PS my name is Chris.

[MissFrizz]

Hi Chris, welcome and good luck.  You will find that the recovery varies for each person.  I was out of bed right away, and back to semi-normal in about a month.  The nausea was worse than the pain for me.  If you feel you need to increase your level of physical fitness, this is great motivation for you!  Your level of fitness will determine how the surgeons approach your surgery and how quickly you recover.  My surgeons were able to do a single incision, only 2.5 inches long because I was in good shape - they said I have "favorable anatomy"  I did need a lot of help at home during my recovery, though, so be sure you have a good support system.

The best advice I can give you is to now make an appointment with your general practitioner or a nephrologist not associated with your transplant center, to ask all the questions you can about living the rest of your life with one kidney.  It's very important to have all of these facts before you get wrapped up in the excitement of the donor process, in my opinion. 

You are at the beginning of a long process that can sometimes feel like a roller coaster.  You are in the right place, as this group is unbelievably supportive and will hold nothing back in answer to your questions.  Also, you can take advantage of the donor buddies.  You will need a good support network at home and online.

[elephant]

Dear Chris,

I don't have much to add to the excellent advice MissFrizz provided.
I'm sure others will have more to say.

I also found my recovery went fairly well and attributed it to being fit.  I was in the hospital 2 nights and stayed home for 3 more weeks.  I probably should have had one more week.  During that time I was walking every day, starting with around the hospital and working up to jogging by the end of the second week.

I've been trying to lose that same 15 pounds since I was your age.  It will probably not impact your status as a donor.  However, very overweight people need to lose weight before donation.   It is also important for people with one kidney to care for their health long term, and this includes controlling weight to avoid increases in blood pressure and diabetes. 


Love, elephant

[Fr Pat]

Dear Chris,
      Welcome! You can learn a lot by reading over the past conversations posted at this forum, and also the longer narations at the "experiences of other living donors" section of this site. Also you can find a detailed description of the testing process, etc. by clicking the section on living kidney donation at the upper left of the homepage of this site. You can also find some helpful information at the National Kidney Foundation site www.kidney.org
     Keep getting yourself well-educated. Most donor do very well, but it IS major surgery and some donors do suffer serious complications (and there have been a few donor deaths as well). You are always free to back out at any point if you wish.
     I donated more than 10 years ago, at age 56, and have done fine. Feel free to post any particular questions you have here.
   best wishes,
   Fr. Pat

[chadlay]

Seems like I should get back on my bike again and shed this weight before I am even asked to by the docs then I guess. 

Will def look into the buddy system hopefully I can find someone in my general area.

[cupid]

Hi Chris and welcome! I echo all the other comments provided to you here. Is there a hospital in your area that does transplants? That would probably also be a good place to check into if you are considering donating.
Also, if you are only 15 lbs overweight, the weight alone should not impact donating. I am also about 15 lbs overweight and they never even mentioned my weight to me during the testing process. I donated in Feb. Took about a full month to recover but I did go back to work in 2 weeks.
This message board is full of everyone who will guide you through the process and help you with any questions you have. Definitely continue to check in here!
Good Luck
lauri

[CK]

Chris, you will not be asked to lose 10-15 lbs, it's only if you have a lot to lose.

I was in the hospital one night, back to work in three weeks (could have been two, but I was helping out my recipient). I wouldn't say I was "fit" before the surgery, but I did (and do) walk my dog every day for 45 minutes which is, I guess, more exercise than 75% of Americans get on a daily basis. So getting active before the surgery may indeed help. I didn't have a lot of pain. I was tired and sore for the first week but I still felt better than most people do after donation.

I felt back to normal very quickly, my only complication was a numb left thigh that is now, 4 months later, starting to hurt, which probably is a good sign that the nerve is starting to work again. Otherwise I feel perfectly normal.

It's different for everyone...

[sherri]

Chris,

Since you are a young donor you may want to discuss the ramifications of living with one kidney.Most donors do well but we are at a slightly higher risk of high blood pressure and/or proteinuria. If you are a female (Chris?) then you may also want to ask about the effect of one kidney on possible future pregnancies. It might also be a good idea to discuss your interest in being a donor with your primary care doctor or with a nephrologist outside the transplant center so you could get an outside opinion of whether they think this would be in your best interest.

Keep asking questions, take the time to research and learn as much about the surgery, the risks, recuperation etc. Lots of good information on this board.

Sherri

[chadlay]

Chris,

Since you are a young donor you may want to discuss the ramifications of living with one kidney.Most donors do well but we are at a slightly higher risk of high blood pressure and/or proteinuria. If you are a female (Chris?) then you may also want to ask about the effect of one kidney on possible future pregnancies. It might also be a good idea to discuss your interest in being a donor with your primary care doctor or with a nephrologist outside the transplant center so you could get an outside opinion of whether they think this would be in your best interest.

Keep asking questions, take the time to research and learn as much about the surgery, the risks, recuperation etc. Lots of good information on this board.

Sherri

I am a male and will be asking the donor coordinator at the hospital a boat load of questions tomorrow. Tuesday I am scheduled for a full workup ekg/cat scan/blood work/24 hour urine/talking to a social worker/ and meeting with some local living donors who help out at the transplant center.

[Snoopy]

Hi, Chris.
  Welcome to the board.  You definitely came to the right place.  This list is a gold mine of advice.  Actually, it seems you already got lots of solid advice.
   I would just mention one issue.  Overall, it's definitely wonderful to exercise.  However, heavy exercise can possibly throw off some of your test results.  In trying to keep my BP and weight down, I increased my exercise significantly (well, I mean, relatively for me)--and ended up dumping protein into my urine, which nearly caused the medical director of my transplant center to disqualify.  Although I respect her for trying to protect me from myself, let's just say that I could have done without the resulting delay and multiple rounds of re-tests.
  The testing and evaluation process can be long and stressful. I recommend regarding it as more marathon than sprint.  Also, as my own experience taught me several times, one or two sets of "off" test results doesn't necessary mean the end of the world.
  There is a wide range of patient experiences after donation. I was home within 72 hours of the surgery, and was back at work 3 weeks post-surgery.  I had no major digestion-type issues, no terrible pain, no major tiredness (after the first few days), and have been doing fine since.  I did find that going over bumps on the bus hurt quite a bit, for a month or two, and I took cabs to work for about two months (I don't drive, and have a long commute on mass transit; I wasn't up to standing for 1-2 hours each way).  Beyond that, think about NOT sleeping on the "surgical side" for a month or two after surgery.
   Meanwhile, do as much research as you can, and be organized.  Keep track of your various test results, go into appointments with the docs with questions already written down, read as much as you can, etc., etc.
     Good luck!
     Snoopy

[tanimbarcorella]

Hi Chris,

I am also a young donor - 26y female. I just donated on the 25th of April to my uncle, a non-blood relative. Pain and recovery for me were super easy. I had a hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, so three tiny incisions (1cm or so) and one that is about 7cm long. I spent two nights in the hospital because of some urine retention issues after my catheter was removed (solved with a couple of doses of FloMax, no complications after that). They gave me a PCA pump with hydromorphone to use in the hospital and I didn't really need it at all - it got removed the morning following surgery and I took a couple of Tylenol and was fine. I slept a lot for the first few days home, and took a total of three weeks off from work. I have a physically demanding job, so I am back to work but still on lifting restriction for a few more weeks. I honestly feel like nothing ever happened, but I suppose this should have a disclaimer on the bottom that reads "Results Not Typical". The bonus, I was in the upper range of a normal BMI but felt I could lose about 15 pounds, and donating was the push I needed. I have been doing an hour of cardio every day and I feel great. My former digestive irregularity is gone (thx exercise!) and I am feeling really motivated to stay fit. I've even started getting some coworkers walking with me during lunch!

Definitely do your research and see all the possibilities you can. Of course it is not a risk-free procedure but you are the only one who can decide if it's the right decision for you. Whatever you choose, believe in yourself. If you have nay-sayers, love them for caring enough to worry about you, but don't feed into their negativity. Keep yourself surrounded by those who love and support you!

[alyfaye]

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the board! I am also 21 and donated a little over two months ago. Your age is likely going to play a factor in the course of testing to become a donor, at least it did for me. It came up quite often when talking to doctors and the social worker, psychologist, etc. I was told early on that because they often can't find anything wrong with younger donors they focus on psychological preparedness for donation and long term health effects since we have longer to live with just one kidney. If you are not particularly close to your 2nd cousin then you may have to do more explaining about your reasons for wanting to donate, so just be prepared for that. However, don't be shy about asking questions and expressing concerns when meeting with the transplant team, especially the social worker and psychologist. I regret not getting more questions answered because I was afraid of being denied due to my age.

As far as the recovery, everyone is different. The first week was very tough for me, not at all like I had expected. I stayed in the hospital for two nights but had to be readmitted for another night only a couple of days after getting home. I shouldn't have been released in the first place because my digestive system had not started working again. After the first week I was feeling good and enjoying my time off to get stuff done at home. There is a 10lbs lifting restriction for a while after surgery so no powerlifting or abdominal workouts, but I was back to light running at 4 weeks. I had a hematoma (collection of blood under/around incision), which caused me some extra discomfort for a while but it seems like most people feel pretty much back to themselves by 4 weeks.

Whatever you ultimately do, just to seriously consider becoming a living donor is a great thing. Do lots of research as others have said. And, as I was told several times by other members of this board, be your own advocate. Make sure you feel like you have all of the information you need to make the right decision.
Good luck!

[chadlay]

Well everyone I have been super busy. I got my surgery date set for this Wednesday and everything about my testing went great.

I want to thank everyone for all the info provided and all the advice it really helped me in the process.

[elephant]

Dear  Chris,

I hope everything goes well for your and your beloved cousin.  Keep us updated on your recoveries.

love, elephant

ps.  I wished I had earplugs in the hospital.  Don't forget about prunes.   

[HappyTimes]

Chris,

I hope everything goes well on Wednesday and may you have a good recovery! You are very brave!!!