6 Month (ish) Update

[Dirty Rocker]

I gotta say it - my kidney donation was THE most rewarding experience of my life.. (so far)

We are one of the amazing sucess stories: my recipient is doing very well, as am I. Watching the change in him over the few days we were in the hospital (I was released on Day 2, him on Day 3) was more incredible than words can describe.

I look back on the experience, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to help a fellow human being this way. I know that living donation just isn't for everyone, and to even consider it is noble-- to potential donors, I say this:

Organ Donation IS scary. It's perfectly okay to be scared of the 'what ifs'. Do tons and tons of research before you make your decision. Personally, after reading all the information I could get my hands on, I was very secure in my decision, but I still got a wave of fear and 'what if' a few days before the surgery. I am incredibly grateful for all of the support I found here at LDO - there are some really amazing people here!

You will never know unless you try! Many, many people that are willing to give are not compatible with their selected donor, but there are amazing "donor swap" programs all over the country.

Donate for the right reasons! If you are considering it due to family or social pressures, but it's not something you are comfortable doing, it's okay to say no, even if you are already in the testing process. Our transplant center gave me MANY opportunities to decline to donate throughout the process, and if I had, they would have simply told my recipient that I was unable to donate due to medical reasons. From what I understand, this is how most centers work.

I'm not highly religious, but at some point, I realized that God had put me in this situation for a reason. I knew in my heart of hearts that it was the right thing for me to do. If you don't have a gut feeling that donation is for you, please examine all the factors. You may find that your apprehensiveness is simply due to preconcieved notions that may not hold true, but you also may find that it simply is not something you can do. You have to be sure. It's a big decision, and it's permanent.

In any case, I hope that our success story will inspire other success stories. It's such an amazing experience. It was so amazing that if I could do it over and over again, I would.

A few notes on recovery for female donors-- It's been just over 6 months now, and my labs are very much back to normal. I noticed that during my menstrual cycle, my cramps were more painful than before (I've since been diagnosed with Endometriosis, which is a large contributing factor) but after 3 months or so, they returned to the normal level of uncomfortability. I also had a minor pain in my upper left abdomen during ovulation, and after a recheck with my surgeon, I found out that there was a little bit of scar tissue there, as that upper laproscopic incision is a few mm larger than the others, so they put a single stitch on the interior part of the incision just to be safe. That pain also disappeared after a few months.

In fact, my body has recovered so well that I often 'forget' that I had major surgery 6 months ago until I see my scars in the mirror! They are almost invisible now, except for the lowest incision where the organ was removed, and even that one is barely noticeable due to the location.

If you are considering donation and have questions or fears you'd like to talk about, please feel free to send me a private message - I will help in any way I can.

Thanks for reading, and to all of you who are post-donation, thank you for doing what you have done. Without brave people like you, the world would be a much darker place.

With Love,

Anni

[Fr Pat]

Dear Anni,
     Thanks for the up-date. Yes, I quite agree. I received more than I gave when I donated.
     If you would like to have a great time with other donors and recipients, keep in mind the "Transplant Games" in Houston next summer. www.transplantgamesofamerica.org . Great place to share scars and tattoos!
   Fr. Pat

[Dirty Rocker]

Thanks for the link! I had no idea, but I am looking forward to it!

[elephant]

Dear Anni,

Thank you for the update.  I'm glad to hear you are both doing well and wish you many years of health and happiness. 

Love, elephant

[Stpfan44]

 :)

[Nancy]

Dear Anni, 
I couldn't agree more! You did a wonderful thing and you did a wonderful job in sharing that experience.
Nancy

[Fr Pat]

Dear Anni,
     With regard to the "Transplant Games", I forgot to mention that if you go to www.youtube.com and search "Transplant Games" or "U.S. Transplant Games" or "transplant Games....." 2012, 2010, 2008, or Minneapolis, Madison, Pittsburgh, Grand Rapids, etc. you can find a lot of videos. Some are short videos posted by participants, and some are professional 10 or 15 minute highlights of the Games. There are also WORLD transplant Games every 2 years, with teams from each country.
   best wishes,
      Fr. Pat