I was up and walking around right after I got out of surgery and was discharged by early afternoon the next day. I recovered quickly with no major issues. I stayed with my parents for 5 days after I was released, and I was tired and sore, but able to go to the hospital every day to visit my recipient and really doing quite well.
My recipient was in the hospital for 5 days. He had a double nephrectomy (due to enlarged kidneys from PKD) as well as the transplant. His first few days were rough (he had an incision about 18 inches long and an NG tube down his nose), but he got better quickly. When he was discharged, we both went to my house as I was feeling pretty good and able to help him. Those next 5 days he laid low, didn't do much, it was hard to walk too far or do much of anything as he was sore and still very bloated from the fluids.
I could have gone back to work after 2 weeks but I took a third one off to help my recipient as he couldn't drive yet, etc. He quickly got better over that third week and returned to work the next week. He is, I would say, an ideal case. It's been 7 weeks since our surgeries and he is only seen in the clinic every 2 weeks whereas most people go twice a week for 3 months. The doctors continue to be amazed and pleased with his recovery. He has lost 25 lbs of fluid, his numbers are all normal and he is getting off of BP meds. He has little to no side effects from meds.
Both he and I are in our 40s and healthy (him other than his kidney disease). We were both pretty active, healthy eaters prior to surgery. I think it depends on a person's overall health, their pain tolerance and ability to tolerate meds, etc.
I'm not sure the donor surgery is worse. That's what historically was true, but now, with the laproscopic procedures, it seems not uncommon for people to be out of the hospital quickly.