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Author Topic: Donation and marijuana use  (Read 25187 times)

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Offline mkew

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Donation and marijuana use
« on: June 07, 2013, 11:00:40 AM »
I hope nobody minds my posting this frank question here.

I smoke a little pot almost every day, maybe one puff before I go to bed. I told everyone about this at my donor assessment, including the nephrologist, the social worker, the psychiatrist, etc. They did not appear at all alarmed but said, without any urgency, that I should stop a month or so before donation. I had the feeling that they said this to kind of cover themselves, because they could provide absolutely no specific medical information for why I should stop. In every other area (vitamins, herbs, exercise, etc.) they told me not to change a thing about my lifestyle, since whatever I'm doing so far has made me healthy enough that I can spare a kidney!

So I wonder if anyone here has any knowledge of the subject? I might want to use a little bit both before and after surgery for pain and anxiety relief. I consider marijuana, when used in moderation, to have medicinal uses like any (far more habit-forming and potentially harmful) narcotic. All that said, I don't know much about marijuana's effect on the kidneys specifically. Haven't found much info online.

Any thoughts?


Offline sherri

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Re: Donation and marijuana use
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2013, 11:33:21 AM »
I would make sure to check with the anesthesiology team before using any medicinal substances whether they be herbal, marijuana or anything else. This may effect anesthetic use in terms of dosage or drug interaction. All information you give is confidential but it is imperative for the person putting you under to know clearly what is on board before they start giving other medications that influence respiration and heart rate. I was very anxious before surgery and requested Ativan from the surgeon to be used the night before. He asked me to take the Ativan prior to surgery to make sure there were no adverse side effects before using it for surgery. If you want to take something for anxiety before surgery, the physician may feel more comfortable giving you a prescribed medication instead of a recreational substance like alcohol or marijuana.

Another issue, which may be an ethical one, is the recipient entitled to know a donor's medical and social history before agreeing to accept the organ? This issue comes up in deceased donor donation quite often. If a donor organ becomes available does the potential recipient have the right to know the social and medical history of that donor in order to have information for full informed consent. Should a recipient know if their donor smokes or drinks alcohol? I imagine if the doctors evaluating the donor for future health issues and the kidney for transplantation, find that you are healthy enough to donate and not harm yourself or the recipient in the process, then the recipient probably would just be happy to get the organ and be done with dialysis. But it is an interesting question, at least to me.

Good luck with your surgery. Hope you have a safe and uneventful quick recovery.Keep us posted.


Sherri
Sherri
Living Kidney Donor 11/12/07

Offline Fr Pat

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Re: Donation and marijuana use
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2013, 06:57:58 PM »
     One of the dangers involed in any surgery is the possibility of pneumonia or other lung infection after the surgery. If I understand it right, this is due to the slight possibility of infection with the insertion of the breathing tube, the fact that a patient may not be breathing deeply while in bed after the surgery, and the fact that hospitals have a lot of antibiotic-resistant germs floating around. So I believe that surgeons prefer that surgery patients refrain from all smoking for a while before surgery, so as to have the lungs as clean as possible starting the surgery. Also most hospitals are no totally smoke-free, so if the patient goes in with the habit of regular smoking he/she will have to stop "cold turkey" for a few days after the surgery, which can make the recovery time more unpleasant.
So it appears that giving up all smoking for a while before surgery is a prudent thing to do. Also, as mentioned above, the possible bad interactions between marijuana and the various anesthetics and pain-killers that you will be receiving may perhaps not yet have been studied.
     best wishes,
         Fr. Pat

Offline CortezTod

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Re: Donation and marijuana use
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2017, 11:46:03 PM »
I think this is the best thing to do.

Offline CK

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Re: Donation and marijuana use
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2017, 06:22:44 AM »
I remember being told not to drink alcohol for the week or so before surgery - I think just as a precaution, so they know you are in as good shape as possible going into the surgery.  After surgery the surgeon said alcohol was fine, just to stay hydrated by matching drinks with water (not a big drinker, but I like a glass or two of wine).

It takes a month for marijuana to leave your system if you use regularly (I believe), so that probably accounts for you being told to stop for a month.  My guess is that you are fine to resume smoking after you recover.

 

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