ABOUT TO START TESTING TO DONATE

[POSSIBLE DONOR]

HELLO, I AM ABOUT TO START THE PROCESS OF DONATING ONE OF MY KIDNEYS TO A FRIEND. MY TESTING IS IN APRIL OF 2013. I KNOW I AM A BLOOD MATCH BUT THATS ALL I KNOW RIGHT NOW. I WANTED TO GET ANY HELPFUL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROCESS. I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT MAKING SURE YOU DONT USE CERTAIN TYPE OF CLAMPS DURING SURGURY, WHICH KIDNEY TO DONATE, ETC... WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT WOULD KEEP ME FROM DONATING, ETC..
THE PERSON DOES NOT KNOW IT ME WHO IS GIVING MY KIDNEY AND IM NOT GOING TO TELL THEM UNTIL I KNOW FOR SURE IF I AM A GOOD MATCH AND I HAVE COMMITED 100% TO GIVING AWAY ONE OF MY ORGANS. I WOULD LOVE ANY TIPS, DO'S, DONT'S OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT WILL HELP. THANKS

[Oldnslow]

Getting approved has several steps starting with blood and tissue match to the recipient.   If that's a match, then they should put you through a more rigorous physical exam.   I guess they can do it quickly.   For me, it took a while due to work related travel.   

I can't comment on surgery related constraints.   No expertise there, if you are approved, your doctor will explain his procedures to you.

Good luck

[POSSIBLE DONOR]

Thank you for your response. I noticed you donated in 2008. How has your life been after they took your kidney. My health after is really the only reason I'm not 100% sure I want to do this. I don't know the long term effects if any.

[Oldnslow]

Health has been very good really.  I think I whined about gas pains up to about four or five months afterwards.   Now at 4+ years,well nothing!    Blood pressure is 115/75, pulse is 66 to 68 at rest, no meds for anything, still practice karate and work overtime.    I can't tell the difference.   So, I'm healthy.   My recipient is doing well also.

First four months I got tired pretty quick.   The surgery is by definition invasive.   But you get better.  The human body is quite amazing.

[elephant]

Dear PossibleDonor,

There is no need for the prospective donor to know that you are being tested.  The transplant center will not share your information with them.

Love, elephant

[SWB]

In general, the screening and testing process for getting up to the point of knowing you are a match for the first initial blood test seems to be the easiest part.  However, in my experience the larger hurdle was getting through the more intense second-step tests and interviews that are much more thorough and rule out a number of folks.  My facility actually had me sign paperwork denoting that because the tests are so thorough they might identify pre-existing health issues that I didn't know about and they are not responsible for treatment in that case (insert more disclaimers and legal jargon here  )

I asked my donor coordinator who contacted me about whether or not she thought it was a good idea to inform my recipient of the initial match.  She told me in general that she would not recommend doing so until after the more thorough second-round tests.  However, my situation was a bit unique so she felt I should go ahead and reveal it to my recipient.

Although I am a new donor, overall things have gone well for me.  But, each donor reacts and heals differently.

[PhilHoover]

Make sure the Medical Center/Transplant Center covers all the details...and answers all your questions.  Have some friends/family members help you formulate questions--believe me, you can't think of everything yourself.

The testing will be AND should be Rigorous...do everything you are told to do...and if you have questions, then by all means bring them up to the Transplant Coordinator...

EVERY question is an important question in this process.

[Dirty Rocker]

Dear Possible Donor,

It is wonderful that you are considering donation! My situation was similar at first - I knew I was a blood match, but that was all I knew. I did many hours of research and soul searching before I told my recipient. I made the decision that I could donate if all the tests went well before I even told my recipient I was considering it.

There are definitely a lot of factors to consider, organ donation is a big deal! You will find many different types of experiences here - some people breeze right throught the surgery with no complications, some people's journey is more difficult. I personally found it helpful to read both types of experiences so that I could consider every possibility before deciding. This is major surgery, and the outcome is not always perfect. It can be scary at times - you will worry about yourself and your recipient, and may find yourself wondering a lot of what if type questions. If you cant find the answers here, keep looking. The National Kidney Foundation, UNOS, and The American Transplant Foundation have lots of info available. You will also find that many of the hospitals that perform transplants provide a lot of info on the web too.

Throughout the screening process, the team will continue to tell you that you can change your mind at any time, and they will tell your recipient that you have been ruled out for medical reasons and nothing more. In fact, the day before surgery, when I met with my surgeon, he had a long talk with me about that. He said that when I saw him before surgery, if I was having second thoughts, or if something else had happened, or there was any reason I wanted to postpone or cancel surgery, just wink at him and we would go talk privately, and if need be, they could say something came up medically. So remember that you are not locked in to this, even on the day of surgery.

Unfortunately, there just isn't a ton of info available yet on the long term effects of living donation, but the good news is that what is available is very encouraging. My donation was last Tuesday, so o cant speak for the long term yet, but in my case, everything went exceptionally well, and my recipient and I are both home and doing well. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I found that when I had a question, if I typed the specific question in Google, I could easily find the info I was looking for. You will be learning all kinds of new terminology, and will probably have new questions every day, so it helps to be specific in your searches.

Something I learned along the way - about 1 out of every 2,000 people is born with one kidney. Our bodies are so amazing, that many of these people only find out they have one kidney after having a CT scan for something else and the doctor notices there is only one. It is entirely possible to live a completely normal life with one kidney.   

Good luck on your journey, even considering donation is an honorable thing! If there is anything j can do to help, feel free to PM me. I also found it helpful to have a donor buddy that I could talk to. There is a section here for that if you are interested.

Best Wishes,
Rocker