Does Kidney Donation have any effect for high Triglycerides

[cat25sailor]

I donated my kidney to sister in 1994.  I was 43 years old in good health.  I have border line Cholesterol and Extremely high Triglycerides.   I went on meds for a while , they caused me to feel worse have since stopped  them. 
was just wondering if anyone has had this experiance.  My doctor is not real concerned as I check out normal and feel pretty good.
My Fructosamine is 2.1
HB A1C   6.7
Colesterol  202
HDL  42
LDL  82
Triglycerides 367
creatine  1.3

Just wondering if anybody has numbers out of wack .  Just started looking into this to see if there's any connection.  thanks Tim

[Scott337]

Tim,

I'm 51 and donated a kidney last October.  I have become a workout nut and work out hard at least five days/week, sometimes twice a day, interval training, distance running, weights, yoga...I'm getting tired just talking about it.  I was just in for my yearly physical with my PCP and my Creatine level was at 1.8    Had to be re-tested at the request of both my PCP and my transplant surgeon.  They told me to hydrate well for about four weeks and then have the second test done as they figured I may be dehydrated.  When I retested, my Creatine level was 1.7    My surgeon explained that a major surgery such as donating a kidney, liver section, etc...can make some functions re-calibrate to a new normal.  He explained this is probably my "new normal" as my pre-surgery Creatine was 1.2 or 1.3 - he said as long as my levels were within a certain percentage of the original, I'm fine.   

I don't have high triglycerides or Cholesterol (anymore after exercising and eating right so I was able to get off my medication for that).  I'm not certain that this is what you're experiencing, but I guess I am saying that your body may operate a bit different in some instances now - but you'd want to check with your surgeon/PCP before taking my word for it.  Good luck and take care!

Scott     

[Orchidlady]

Hello Tim!   If you search this site, you will find that there are a number of other people that have questioned the rise in cholesterol after donating. I also know of a couple other donors that I am in contact with that have experienced the same phenomenon. However, as you will see as you search, the question becomes is it age/ lifestyle causing cholesterol to rise, or is it actually the result of kidney donation? Do you have a family history of cholesterol/triglyceride issues? You haven't mentioned any problem with it, but your A1C at 6.7 is high - has your doctor expressed concern about that number? You may want to really push your physician to go through all the numbers with you and explain them. You may also want to keep track of the numbers over time and look for trends.

Donna Luebke on this board is extremely knowledgeable with donor related medical issues. Hopefully she will see your post and provide some insight, or you may want to email her directly with your question.

Good luck to you and hope it all works out.

[sherri]

here is a link from the NKF (National Kidney Foundation) and it explains some information about cholestrol and normal values.

http://www.kidney.org/news/ekidney/july11/topten.cfm

You can get a copy of your blood work and look at your own values and compare them with the normal ranges. You can also see if there has been an increase as you have aged. This would be a great time to take the initiative in starting an exercise program and healthy eating plan. As donors we do have to be vigilant about staying healthy. I find it challenging but try to stick with it even when I fall off the wagon. No choice!

Good luck.

Sherri