feeling of organs shifting

[loustar]

Did any donors out there feel their internal organs shift around to fill the void left by their donated kidney?  I am just over three weeks out from surgery and I just started noticing weird discomfort in my abdomen.  The doctors said I would feel something.  I am not sure why it took three weeks.  Maybe it is because my incisions are healing up and the pain isn't as prominent?

Any advice from other donors would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Fr Pat]

     I certainly had the sensation that things were shifting around inside. If I understand it right, the body will produce fluids to help fill up the gaps from the kidney removal and the associated pushing aside of other organs (resulting in bloating). It may take a while for everything to settle into comfy positions again. I found that lots of bending and stretching exercises seemed to help get things back into place (even though doing floor exercises produced all sorts of internal bubbling and gurgling.) I suspect also (I'm not a medical professional) that the bending and stretching exercises may help to avoid "adhesions" where scar tissue may grow between disturbed surface areas of organs binding them together in problematic ways. Keeping moving as much as possible seems to be a good recovery tactic.
   best wishes,
       Fr. Pat

[elephant]

Dear loustar,

For sure it took a while until the kidney 'hole' stopped bugging me.  But I've forgotten about that now and bet you will too.  Of course, if you start having pain don't try and brave it out, get it checked! 

Love, elephant

[bradmac]

It took a few weeks for my "innards" to get settled, too.  Not to worry!

[Snoopy]

Hi, loustar.
  I don't know the anatomical cause, but I can say that I had various levels of pain in my abdomen for a couple of months, post-donation.  Usually, it took the form of constriction-type pain. 
  One thing that definitely caused pain, for many, many months, was a bumpy bus ride. 
  Also, of course, there are restrictions about how much you can lift after surgery; lifting was another issue that took quite a while to resolve for me.  Even  for quite a while after it was "legal" for me to lift, it usually caused some pain.
   Fortunately, though, the pain was never severe.  More often, it was closer to discomfort than real pain.  I hope your pain goes away soon!
       Be well, Snoopy

[dodger]

About 3 weeks after surgery I was laying on my left side in bed, left kidney donation, and i felt a strong shift, weird feeling.  But from what I had read I expected it to happen.  Still it felt strange.  Not sure what went in there, haha.

I had no pain from that area ever.  But I couldn't stand for more than 5 minutes at any time for a couple of months, I would have to sit as I felt tired and needed to sit. I was off work for that long as well.  Good timing really as I have to stand at work most of the day.