Considering Kidney Donation

[MaryDB]

I've been reading this forum for about a week as I've been seriously researching donation after thinking about it for much longer.  I am intending to see if I can donate to a non-relative.  I have not vocalized my intentions yet to the person to whom I wish to give my kidney. 

Very quickly this vague idea of "possibly donating" "at some point in the future" "if it came to that" has become a more concrete possibility and I'm experiencing many emotions regarding it.    First, I feel very excited by the possibility as my intended recipient really doesn't have any other options at this point in time and I'm hopeful that I could help her.  The intellectual side of me is also fascinated with the science behind this process (I'm a science teacher).  I feel nervous that at some point in the process I could be denied and there would be a huge let down.  I also, of course, feel nervous about the risks of doing something like this.   I also go from feeling and thinking that I'll never make it through the evaluation process to the idea that I'll definitely be accepted as a donor. 

It feels very right to me to move forward at this point and I'm at the point in my life where I have the health, a job that gives me the availability of time, people and finances to support me, and the willingness to do this.  The very vague idea of giving my kidney has become a much more concrete possibility as I've considered all the practical elements of my life.

There are a few more considerations that I have to bring up with my loved ones and I'm in the process of doing that right now.  I know the length of time the evaluations takes depends on the donor and recipient and the transplant center involved but I'm hopeful that the process will be able to start soon.

I just wanted to share where I was right now and if anyone has any feedback for me about the process or the feelings throughout it, I'd be grateful.

[Oldnslow]

You will certainly improve the health of the recipient and will probably not experience a change in your health after you have recovered from the donation.   I do not know if anyone has performed a study that looks at the longevity and health of donors for an extended time.   From what I read here, we donors generally go on with our lives with little impact to our health.   It has been 5 years for me and I honestly cannot tell the difference unless i measure my creatin or blood pressure.  Of course my creatin has degraded as I only have half the filtering capacity.  My blood pressure has raised slightly, typically it is now 115/75 where before it was 110/70.

So, total disclosure is that even for very healthy donors, of which I consider myself a member, there is a measurable impact.   You must be sure if the impact is acceptable for you.   For the recipient, the impact is significant.  For my brother it was like we had reversed the aging process, it looked like years of aging had been reversed.

If you read through the boards you will also find that the procedure has risks and it does not always go well.  Some have had very tragic results.  It is major surgery.

Good luck, and if you continue, know that you will have a positive impact on the person and their family.

[Fr Pat]

Dear Mary,
     It sounds like you can be comfortable in going ahead to the next steps. Most (all?) transplant hospitals give potential donors lots of opportunities to gracefully back out at any time. I was in a hospital gown on the gurney waiting for the final pre-op I.V. the morning of the surgery when the coordinator asked me again if I still wanted to do it. Had I said no" they would have called me a cab right then, and told the intended recipient that they had found a last-minute problem with my blood test or something that excluded me. So keep getting well informed and just take it a step at a time.
     One more thought: I have never had kidney disease, but I imagine that someone in need of a transplant would be comforted and encouraged just by that fact that someone cared enough to OFFER to donate, even if the candidate got turned down for some reason. So you do some good just by starting the process. Plus you'll probably get the best and most thorough physical check-up you have ever had in your life.
     best wishes,
   Fr. Pat

[MaryDB]

Oldnslow and Fr.Pat, thank you for your responses.  The support of this community makes me feel confident about the direction in which I'm moving.  I appreciate both your responses!

[Karol]

Yes Fr. Pat, it gives you hope that someone would take the steps to get tested for you, even though there's no guarantee that it will work out. Also, the transplant team is not allowed to discuss any of the potential donors progress with the recipient, so you don't know anything is happening unless the donor communicates with you.

[Clark]

Dear Mary,

  It sounds like you're carefully considering the potential effects of each step as you go, a healthy approach. You decide what's best for you and yours. A potential way to reduce the drama, both internal and external, might be to contact the transplant center and do the initial blood draw on your own. That's blood typing and antibody crossmatch immediately, with HLA typing contingent on those. (It's way more expensive.) That way, if those tests don't defer you from either the transplant center staff's view or your own, you can bring this information to your family and to your recipient. Your commitment to be tested is verified and your candidate status is less uncertain. You may find, as I did, the uncertainty as each test result reveals whether you can go on to the next step is very wearing.

  Best wishes! May you find the information and support you need to be comfortable with your decisions!