March 10 is my 1 year donation kidneyversery

[dodger]

I feel great and I'm in better health overall than before donation.  I'm 25# lighter(125#) and eating healthier.  I drink 2 qts of plain filtered water daily, take in less than 1000 mlgrms of salt daily, exercise 5 days a week at least, and hope to learn to wakeboard this summer.  Not bad for 60 1/2 huh?  All the tests are great that I had to date.

My recipient, my niece, is also doing very well.  She has IgA neuropathy and this was her second directed transplant.  The first one did her well for 9 years.  I hope this one can do as well for her at least, but, time will tell.  She is a vital vibrant young woman that has certainly gotten on with her life.

The other great thing is my hubby lost 40# and with the exercise and diet changes is off 3/4 of his oral diabeties meds!  How great is that?! 

The first month of recovery was tough for me, partially because of being overweight and out of physical condition, bad reaction to the anesthestic, spiked HB and a had reaction to one of the HB meds, messed up bowels, couldn't eat, I really wondered what I had gotten myself into actually. I had a lot of trouble sleeping for about 3 months, most nights were 3-4 hours and no day time naps!  I only had tylenol for pain and my PCP would not give me a script for sleeping meds. It took me about 6 months to feel like before donation really energy wise. But, it passed.

I had always appreciated my good health and now, I am making even better choices on my hopefully, continued good health.

I want to thank everyone on this site for all the information I had gleaned over the last year and for the future information which everyone freely gives.  I have learned things I was never informed of or even thought to ask the questions about.  I'm not complaining about my donation center.  Maybe not everyone wants to know all the technical stuff, but I do and a lot of my suspicions have been answered here.

Yes I would do it again, but be better prepared for recovery, haha.  I have always been a glass half full type person, but now, relish each day maybe a bit more than before donation.  Best wishes to all,  Janice

 

[sherri]

Hi Janice,

So good to hear you are doing well and congratulations on your "kidneyversary". Very impressive about your new diet and exercise regimen. This is one of the areas that I find most challenging as a donor. I too lost weight to get my BMI close to 25 and staying at this weight is really hard. I have gone up and down over the past 4 years and my blood pressure is definitely influenced by my weight. The only thing that works is a lot less food intake, doesn't matter how much I exercise. I am short and compact and my body apparently doesn't need as much as my appetite would like. Great on the water intake and salt reduction. Keep it up. It is very encouraging to hear the efforts of other donors. Thanks for the update.

All the best,

Sherri

[jennybebopper]

Congrats to both you and your recipient!  So great to hear you are taking great care of yourself and feeling good.  Keep up the good work!

[theburts26]

Congratulations Janice!!!

How awesome!! My husband is donating his kidney on March 28th; he has already begun to lead a healthier lifestyle because of the approaching donation and his mental state has been pretty spectacular...this whole process has given him such a profound sense of purpose. If you have time we would love for you to share your before, during and after story on our website www.mattskidney.com

Happy one year anniversary and cheers to a healthful future for you and all involved!!!