Just beginning the process

[Janjan1]

I'm just starting this journey to be a donor to my husband.  He has been on PD for well over a year now and they recently told him that he needs to increase not only the fluid amounts but also the amount of times to 4 times per day.  His blood work is also out of wack. So our next step is a transplant.  He is O + I am O-.  We are both 59, own our business with good staff, have a good income, I am retired nurse, and we have a good support system.  His brother is over 70 and unable to donate, his sister is receiving from recent surgery and is 62 and on antipsychotic medications. So I am the logical person who can donate.
We both have done research and discussed extensively the what's and if's related to this surgery. I just have found this board and spent the last hour reading. Thanks for all the information that is posted. Really gives a much better look at how, what and why.
Jan

[Clark]

Best wishes to you both. We're here for you, no matter what. Take care.

[sherri]

JanJan,

Welcome. Wonderful that you are educating yourself as you and your husband embark on this transplant journey together. There are a few couples on this forum with whom you may share similar experiences. I also recommend looking at the donor buddy board to see if there is someone you might want to connect with.

As you probably know already, the Rh factor in kidney donation is not relevant so as long as you are both type O blood you have the possibility of being a compatible match. Get ready for lots of blood draws and a thorough health examination. Where are you donating?

This is a wonderful support system for donors and their families. Look forward to hearing from you as you progress.


All the best,

Sherri

[Orchidlady]

Welcome! I donated to my husband a little over 6 years ago. I was 50 at the time. He was AB, I was A, and we were 0/6 for the antigen match.  He was very fearful of having me donate, but it turned out to be the best thing for both of us. One of his first comments after the surgery was that he thought he was handling dialysis well, but didn't realize how bad he truly felt until he started feeling good again.

You are spot on with the support system - with both of us having surgery and recovering at the same time, we needed the help more than we thought!

Good luck to you both!

[MrMike66]

There is another excellent option.  You can register with the National kidney registry and you can do a paired donation.  You can donate to someone else and he could get a much better match from another donor in a paired chain donation. I was the first donor in a chain of 7 that allowed a husband to donate to someone in California while his wife got my kidney.  They were in surgery the same day and recovered together.  She got a much better match and his kidney went into another person that was an excellent match.  Its worth looking in to.