How do you feel?

[leah.faith]

@ Jewels!
What a coincidence! I had my surgery done at Henry Ford in Detroit AND the CO2 didn't absorb like it should of and I was in pain for, like, two weeks. Did you tell any doctors about it? Because I went back to the hospital a week after surgery and the doc (some guy with a real long greek last name) told me that he'd never heard of that happening.

[Fr Pat]

 
Dear Leah,
      I had the open donation surgery, so no C02 was used in my surgery. But a while back a doctor posted on this site an interesting explanation of why some donors who have had the laporoscopic surgery (with the inflation gas) may have odd pains (e.g. in the sshoulder) after surgery. He admitted that even though he himself was a doctor he did not find out about this until another doctor explained it to him AFTER  his kidney donation. Anyway, it goes like this if I remember it right: when CO2 is used to inflate the abdomen for laporoscopic surgery, lingering pain afterwards may not be because of gas left behind, but rather because the CO2 can interact with the moist inner surfaces to form a mild carbolic acid. That acid can be strong enough to irritate nerves, producing the feeling of pain even in areas (shoulders) not touched by the surgery. It goes away gradually as the acid is dissolved and the irritation of the nerves subsides.
    best wishes,
       Fr. Pat

[cabrerabear]

Hi Leah,
I'm 28 and only 3 weeks out of surgery, but physically I'm already feeling much better. Prior to the surgery I was extremely active and I haven't been able to fully test my body because of how recent my surgery was. However, I am walking around and just did a 3 mile walk today. I have general soreness and some odd swelling above my main incision, I've read like 3-4 different possible things it could be, which is going to be checked out when I go to my surgical follow up in 2 weeks.

Honestly the first couple days after surgery were the toughest for me, but every day has gotten easier and I haven't had any major set backs. Freaking out is definitely normal, especially with all the information out there. Trust your doctors to take care of you and follow their instructions and everything should be fine.

Brandon

[Jewels]

Hi Leah - Strange that he would say he never heard of it?!?  At the 9 day post surgery mark I was so uncomfortable, couldn't eat or drink, that when I called the transplant center my surgeon sent me to the ER.  They did a CAT Scan and x-ray to make sure there was no obstruction or complication from the surgery and saw that I had as much C02 still in my body as I did the day after surgery (they had to do a chest xray then as well because I was having shortness of breath.)  They kept me overnight to replenish my fluids and gave me IV anti-nausea which was a dream come true...was actually able to eat.  By day 15 the nausea finally went away. 

I hope you are feeling better now!

Take care-
Julie

[Dora76]

Hi Leah,

A lot's been said in this post already, so I figured I'd just stick to the question in the subject line of your post =)

I donated 3 years ago, at age 27, in good health.  Right now, I feel great and I'm more active than I was before I had the transplant, oddly enough.  I didn't feel at 100% until about a year after surgery, *but* keep in mind everyone heals differently and at a different rate.  When I say I didn't feel "100%," I mean I could do pretty much everything as I used to but I kind of felt like I would get tired a little more quickly than before.  That's definitely not an issue anymore.

Other quirks, since it seems you're looking at long-term outcomes:
1. Kind of a bummer I have to limit ibuprofen (since it's metabolized in the kidney) and I get fairly regular headaches. Tylenol isn't helpful to me, but my nephrologist said ibuprofen should be ok in limited doses.
2. Did notice alcohol affects me more quickly than it used to, pre-transplant. I've seen no research on this, but heard anecdotally of other donors having the same feeling.
3. I had regular check-ups at my transplant center to follow my kidney function. Now I make sure to have that checked by a regular physician to make sure creatinine and kidney function is on track, and it is. 

Good luck with your decision, whatever it may be.

[SWB]

Leah, in a much earlier posting I shared that I was really lucky because I was moving forward full steam ahead and thought way too late in the process that I needed to involve MY doctor in all of the tests as my own personal independent healthcare expert.  In the end all was good but I just got so caught up in donating that I missed the obvious need until the last minute.  Use your MD throughout the process!!!  It is easy sometimes to forget about such obvious things.  I did so at the last minute and post transplant he is more informed and it has helped in my follow up appointments with him.

Good luck!

[Oldnslow]

Leah,

I donated to my older brother I 2008.    Both of us have done very well, so it is another 'good' story.   He has had a couple of infections which scared us.  For me, it has been a steady recovery.  Now, I don't really notice any difference.   For sure, my bp is little higher ( 115/75 now) and my GDR is lower due to NLT one kidney.   The surgery was performed at Clarion in Indianapolis.   They were excellent and had very good follow up.   After surgery, it took a while to get totally back to normal.  I did go back to work after 3.5 weeks.   I would recommend that one take a full 6 weeks off.   Keeps the grump factor down.

I'm glad that Brenda posted her experience.   Every case is not all positive.   You have to consider the risks.   It was my brother - he was worth the risk.   I feel the same about my family members.  I would have been less altruistic otherwise.  You also have to consider the people that depend on you.

Recipients get most of the attention.  Donors too often are taken for granted.    Hard to change that.  People have done such a good job of talking up the fact that you can live with one, that sometimes people think too little of it.  Hardly any of them are recipients or their family.   For me, my brother and his family are very appreciative.   So I guess I'm lucky there.

 Consider the value of the donation and the cost.  It will help you decide.

Cheers

Oldnslow