Seven days ago I joined the donor club, and my recipient Heather is doing well also. I wanted to share a bit of my experience.
Day 1. Waking after the 4 hour surgery I am conscious of only one thing: NAUSEA. A big black word filling my being. They keep asking me about "pain" and I don’t know how to answer, only "Nausea" comes out. I throw up several times but throwing up wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I knew to expect it because of this forum. I am told everything was routine except I had double arteries & double veins, so they'd had to do a little extra sewing, kind of like sewing two pant legs together. Heather's new kidney produces urine immediately.
Day 2. Stop pushing dope on a rope, they give me oxycodone instead. They keep putting that wonderful zofram or whatever it's called into my IV, thank you, thank you. Drink a little water, a little apple juice, a few spoonsful of broth. Dr. Bill Freeman, who I met here, comes to visit, cutting short his vacation to do so. Bless his giving heart. Keep drifting off. At some point I walk into Heather's room and back. Getting out of bed is a big deal, you have to re-learn how to do it without using stomach muscles. Cut back on oxycodone; I want to be able to poo someday.
Day 3. Probably the worst day in terms of being uncomfortable. They take out the catheter and I am able to pee right away. The gas pain is huge; nausea still a major hanger-on. Zoltan or zolfran my new bff. Awesome nurse Cheryl, bless her forever, gives me a shower and gets herself all wet in the process. At some point I pass some gas and i think the earth moved. Off all pain meds, still not eating more than a bite or two.
Day 4. A bit more alert, trying to walk every hour, visiting Heather. She has gained 25 pounds (yikes!) feel so bad for her, even if it is water. Is my kidney not doing a good job? Then I learn that her creatinine has dropped from a pre-surgery 7 to 2.4. I had been running a slight temperature (100-101) but it dropped so they let me go back to the hotel. I walked. Two blocks. What I like best about the hotel: I can curl up on my side, great for farting, or at least trying to.
Day 5. REALLY need to poo. Not happening. I am SO not hungry. Now a new thing: the Rash. Thank God for this forum, or I would have freaked out. Knowing others of you have had The Rash and survived, makes me know I can. It’s actually hives I think. Raised red bumpy areas that itch and burn like fire ants, at 2 of my incision sites, on my sides, back and butt. Tim gets me Benadryl and I can live to fight another day.
Day 6. Really REALLY need to poo. I decide, it WILL happen today, somehow. Remembering Fr. Pat, I force down 12 prunes one after the other. Drink coffee, glass after glass of water. At last! Once again the earth moves or maybe it is just my bowels. Funny how you can turn into a self-centered whiny wimp right after doing an altruistic thing like donating a kidney. I call the hospital about The Rash which is spreading and intensifying. They’re completely stumped. Take more Benadryl, wait for my appointment on Wed. I don’t freak out because of LDO.
Day 7. Today I’m wondering if, while they were transplanting my kidney out, they were transplanting in somebody’s else’s gastro-intestinal system? Whosever’s it is, I understand why you didn’t want it. I guess it will take some time for my innards to return to normal. I really have no pain from the surgery itself; I’m not sure I ever did…it’s all been the nausea, gas, constipation. Tell me, dear LDO, that this too shall pass and I will believe you, because everything else you’ve told me so far has been right on the money.
Another LDO person I’d like to thank is Christine Robinson. Throughout this whole thing I’ve been reading her book, Beside the Quiet Voices. It felt like having a friend in the room, talking to me from a rocking chair over in the corner.
Heather’s recovery is taking longer than mine. The anti-rejection meds give her terrible diarrhea and she’s only lost half that water weight so far. Still, she says “I’m not hooked up to that MACHINE anymore, and I’m putting out real yellow pee!” It is all worth it. It is all worth it.