Too "small" to donate?

[megan_barnes]

Hi I'm new to this board.
My husband is 6'4" 220 pounds. I am 5'8'' 140 pounds. We are the same blood type and 3 out of 6 tissue typings are compatible. He needs a kidney, I want to give him mine. One surgeon told us that I might be "too small" for him. My kidney might be too small I guess? Anyone ever heard of this?

[Orchidlady]

I know that at one of the first clinic visits my husband had, I asked about his creatinine numbers. I thought they were a little high compared to some others I had seen post-transplant. The nephs were very happy with his numbers and expected them to be slightly higher because I was a woman donating to a man. They commented that, due to muscle mass, they expect that there will be a size difference from female to male, which would result in slightly higher - but still acceptable numbers.

 At this point, it sounds like a comment rather than a rejection. You may want to check with the transplant coordinator to see if this is a potential issue.

If it were me, I would also keep the option of another center in the back of my mind. Unless it was of a size difference that would be detrimental to my husband, I know I would want to check with another center. Each center and surgeon have their own little peculiarities and beliefs. Another center may not consider the size difference to be an overwhelming issue.

Best of luck to you both!

[sherri]

I have heard of just a few cases but not that many. The only way for you to know your kidney size is to have testing. The easiest is obviously ultrasound which is non invasive and pretty good estimate. The recipient and donor kidney should hypertrophy or grow over time in order to compensate for the lone kidney. Only once you know the kidney size can you really have a discussion about options of using this kidney, finding another donor, entering a paired exchange where you could be more compatible with another recipient and their donor more compatible with your husband. You can also get a second opinion from another transplant center and see where their protocols are.

I donated to my brother who is much larger than me. He is about 5 ft. 10 in and at the time weighed at least 250 - 275 lbs. I am just shy of 5 ft. and at the time of transplant weighed about 125. Since I am a sonographer I measured my kidneys (and all my other body parts!) and it was about 10. 5 cm which is average. A kidney can be within normal limits for a patient depending on size and other medical factors, btw 9 -12 or 13 cm. my kidney seems to be working fine for him. We were a 6/6 match.

Sounds like they are just preparing you for obstacles you may encounter. Good luck

Sherri

[lawphi]

My husband received a kidney that was on the smaller side. His creatinine runs a little higher. You may want to consider a paired exchange in the event the doctors want to look for a kidney from a large man. However, a 3/6 match is very good between spouses.

[twinkie]

I just donated my left kidney to my best friend's father on June 9th.  I am 5'1 and weigh 108lbs and he is right at 6 ft and over 200lbs and my little kidney bean is working just fine.....  My creatine levels are 0.87 now and his is right at 1.2, the lowest he has ever had.  I hope this helps you..  Praying that everything works out in every way possible... Twinkie/Lisa

[reecelj]

Every center is different about what constitutes an "acceptable" donor, and yes, to some, the discrepancy in your sizes would matter. But in the event your center does think you're too small, then as someone has already pointed out, you could investigate paired exchanges. One of the centers we work with used to have a policy that the donor couldn't be more than six inches shorter than the recipient, because they thought that the shorter/smaller person's kidney wouldn't function as well. They have since dropped that requirement, and if your creatinine clearance is good and you're healthy, I'll bet most centers would accept you as a donor for your husband. Best of luck to you either way.

Laurie Reece
Alliance for Paired Donation