Living Donors: What was YOUR experience like?

[Oldnslow]

Which facility did you use? 

Clarion Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana

How long were you in the hospital after the surgery? 

4 days

When were you admitted for your donor surgery? 

  Morning of the surgery (early).    Checked in the day before, but stayed with family in the adjacent living/hotel quarters.

How were you treated before, during, and after?   

Excellent, excellent, and still, after 2+ years, excellent.

Was your Living Donor Coordinator helpful?  Unhelpful?  How?   

Extremely helpful before, during, after.    Communications via phone, email, and made sure we were informed, had options, considered family, etc.    Even now, if I email with a question, she answers within a day.

Did you assembled a cadre/team/group of people to help with your "recovery" period after you were released from the hospital?  Who helped?  How did they help?   

Of course my immediate family:  wife, daughter, and son.    However, I and my wife and daughter contracted norovirus on release.  So, my son waited on all of us.  Great kid.    Work colleague brought over a care package and food first weekend.   Family was great throughout the recovery.   After recovery, my karate dojo wouldn't let me spar    so, people watching out for me in spite of self.    I'd also give huge credit to the former and current donors on this site for their excellent experience-based advice before, during, and after the transplant.   Huge, huge, help with advice for the physical and emotional.

Still getting blood kits  sent by the transplant team for follow up.   

Oldnslow
"Donated to brother in Dec 2008"

[lawphi]

Old, I had the norovirus in 2008.  I think it was worse than donating the kidney.  Can't imagine having both at the same time.

[PhilHoover]

Bumping it up....

[carmelpi]

I'd like to hear about your experience from the time you first decided to "donate" until your release from the hospital.

Which facility (if you don't mind sharing) did you use?

Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago.

How long were you in the hospital after the surgery?

I was out the next day

When were you admitted for your donor surgery? 

We arrived at 5 am, had surgery at 1pm (there were 2 of us doing living donations that day and the first took a long time since they were doing a bone marrow transplant at the same time)  Only issue I had was they don't actually do hospital admission until you are in surgery and someone was hogging my hospital room.  I had to stay in recovery longer than I should but they made sure to put my dad next to me so when he woke up I was the first person he saw!

How were you treated before, during, and after? 

awesome, awesome, and super awesome.  My coordinator was EXTREMELY helpful - she emailed me the test requisitions so I could have my personal doc do most of it since I live 45 miles from the hospital.  She also put up with my constant phone calls (if she didn't answer she would call me back within a few hours of me placing the call).  My stay was short but great (they actually discharged me before my family was there to pick me up so let me stay in the room until I was actually ready to leave).  When I had a minor issue post-transplant they got me in the next day to check it out AND the head of the transplant department was the one who checked me. 

Was your Living Donor Coordinator helpful?  Unhelpful?  How? 

I adored Jami.  Her replacement, also named Jamie, is also amazing.  They send potential donors my way whenever they have questions they don't feel comfortable asking the coordinators or need to speak with someone who already went through the process.  They also tell the donors that I will tell them all the bad, not just the good lol (my coordinator knows me oh-too-well!)  They also have an RN who donated altruistically on the transplant team and he also answers all of the questions and concerns.  Since I now work in the hospital they can hunt me down super easily

Did you assembled a cadre/team/group of people to help with your "recovery" period after you were released from the hospital?  Who helped?  How did they help? 

I didn't have to.  My care team assembled itself.  My aunt flew in from Seattle to help out with my dad so she drove up frequently to check on me and drive me to school.  My boyfriend (who doesn't drive) took care of me at home and didn't leave my side for weeks.  My sisters did all my grocery shopping and my mom helped me pay my bills and checked on me.  My boyfriends family also pitched in and brought us dinner since I couldn't cook for a while (and my boyfriend's cooking is abysmal).  This wasn't our first rodeo (my dad's second transplant) but our first with two family members down for the count.  It doesn't help that I live an hour away from my dad. 

[PhilHoover]

bump