Dear "2Mixi",
Hi. Congratulations to you and your mum!
I donated by the large open cut (11 years ago), so I don't know if anything in my experience would be helpful to you, but I'll mention 3 things just in case:
--- My surgeon recommended that I do as much gentle bending and stretching exercises as pain/comfort allowed during the recovery period, to aid healing and get everything back in place. It did seem to help me.
--- I found that vigorous massage (once pain allowed) of the painful areas seemed to help relieve pain and numbness.
--- Some donors have recommended that a licensed massage therapist with training in helping post-op patients might be consulted ( but insurance would probably not pay this.) I did not do this, but it sounds like it might be a helpful idea for some.
Each donor heals differently, so I don't know if any of this is helpful to you. Please do let us know how things develope.
best wishes,
Fr. Pat