Doing really well after donation!

[kdub]

Hi Everyone,

Well, I donated to my brother on July 9th.  I'm happy to report my creatinine was 1.3 when I had my labs done this week.  I think that is within the normal realm for a 2-kidney person!

Also, working out is going really well again.  I'm up to running 5 miles a day, and have decided to challenge myself by attempting to run a marathon sometime before July 9th 2013.

My brother on the other hand is not doing quite as well.  His creatinine is 1.9 - 2.0, and he has been having issues with his white blood cell count being low.  But, he has not rejected the kidney, and is no longer doing dialysis, so it could be worse.

So far, my verdict is... Life after donation is good!

Thanks for all your support!

kdub

[sherri]

Kdub,

Glad to hear you are incorporating exercise, serious exercise, into your routine. In terms of numbers and "normal" it is hard to look at lab values in a vacuum. Is 1.3 creatinine great for a two kidney person? Depends. Where do they usually "live"? You would need to know what your pre donation creatinine was and now compare what percentage of kidney function loss you have had. For some 1.3 would be high for others it may not have gone up much. Same thing for your brother. If his creatinine was 6 pre transplant and he is now 1.9 - 2.0 that is a great improvement. He is still a patient with a history of kidney disease so it may take time to see a lower creatinine. And he may never have a creatinine in normal range but certainly improved kidney function. Same thing with the white count. Is he always low, did he have a recent infection? He is taking immunosuppresants (anti rejection) drugs so they may also lower his white count. Sounds like he is doing well.



Sherri

[PastorJeff]

Thanks for the encouragement to exercise.  Been walking but missing the bike.  Just went on the stationary bike for the first time since surgery on Sept 5th.  Felt pretty good considering.  I'm sure it will rid me of some of those aches and pains from muscle disuse.   

My creatinine was .9 going in.  It was 1.76 post op.  They said, it takes time to come down.  What do you think?

[kdub]

Hi Giants,

You know, the major reason I care about my creatinine being in the "normal" range is that I didn't know to get life insurance before my surgery.  So, my life insurance will probably cost a lot more if my creatinine is higher than 1.3.  Honestly, I do not know that having a creatine of 1.7 or even 2.0 is unhealthy or a problem, as long as it is stable in that range.  My creatinine post surgery was also 1.7, so yours may also come down to the 1.3 range.  You know, I didn't do any exercise, other than walking for the first month post-surgery.  I started riding my bike a little at 5 weeks, and I started running at the 2 month mark.  You are only 22 days post-surgery, so make sure to listen to your body, and don't overdo it. 

Kdub

[sherri]

Kdub,

I increased my life insurance policy about a year after surgery. Once I had started the testing for the surgery I figured it would be hard to honestly answer the question about do I plan on having any surgeries? But I did increase my policy soon after while my creatinine was still .9 - 1.0 so that I could get the preferred rate. I knew that as I age the chances of me maintaining my "nice" numbers would get slimmer so I wanted to catch a break as I still have children who I support. I am now almost 5 years post and my creatinine still hovers around 1.0. I was .7 -.8 before surgery. My husband who has two kidneys still can't get the preferred rate and I sort of tease him about it.

Sherri

[elephant]

Dear Kdub,

My post-surgery creatinine was about 1.6.  Now, after 16 months its down to 1.15, having slowly decreased over time as my remaining kidney gets serious about its job.  However, my pre-surgical level was also a little higher than average, so I had nuclear clearance testing for my kidney function.  Turns out the higher creatinine is due to weightlifting and running.  If you are going for blood work for insurance you may want to take at least the day off before from exercise, and nothing really strenuous for a couple of days prior.  Plus drink a lot of water, more than normal.  In fact, drink more water all the time as you are a runner. 

Love, elephant

[donorninja]

Great job with the running, Kdub. I'm sure you will be able to do a marathon by July of next year. I donated on August 16th of this year and am running a half marathon this Sunday.