Hi Loustar,
Congratulations on the donation! You have done a wonderful thing for your uncle.
I donated a kidney this past June and experienced a lot of the same feelings. The description of your appetite sounds especially familiar. I felt bloated and constipated at times, but then all of a sudden, I would be ravenous. I completely agree with Sherri's advice of eating small portions regularly. Fortunately, for me, the constipation went away after about a week; the bloating was gone after about two weeks.
I didn't get shortness of breath, but I did feel unusually tired for about a month. I'm not a napper, but I started taking a siesta almost every day after the surgery. After the first month, my energy level returned pretty much to normal. Kudos on the walking. Definitely keep that up!
As for the emotional part, it hit me a bit differently. My Dad is doing well on his new kidney, but he complains a lot about the recovery, and he's had some minor complications. He is 71, diabetic, and his blood sugar spikes all over the place. Hopefully he will live longer on his new kidney, but who knows? My creatinine is a bit higher than the docs expected, and while it doesn't seem serious, no one is sure what it means. Occasionally, in my darker moments, I feel something like the regret that Sherri describes - like "What in the world have I done to myself?" or "Was it worth it?" Fortunately, those moments are fleeting. Most of the time I feel great that I helped my Dad avoid dialysis and, hopefully, extended his life. It was a personal sacrifice that I am proud of.
A lot of people on this thread have reported a sense of abandonment by medical staff. I think the feeling is normal - just keep in mind that these docs see dozens of patients a week. Being married to a doc, I know their time is consumed by people who are sick _right now_. One thing that helped me was reaching out to an old, close friend who I hadn't talked to in a while.
Best of luck,
Dave