Newbie and Excited!

[crystalakadinky]

Good morning, I am 16 days away from donating my kidney to my soon to be ex sister in law!  I have NEVER been so excited for anything in my life..(outside of childbirth!)  I knew her mom and brother had both passed from having PKD, I told my STB ex that I wanted to get tested, it was a no brainer for me as my father passed away from kidney failure.  To my amazement I was a MATCH!!  I got butterflies when I found out, I went to her house and told her the news, she started crying...my words to her since the beginning of this is WE GOT THIS!  I joked with her in the beginning that "I was going to be her match" never in a million years believing that it would be the case...I honestly look at this as it was MEANT TO BE!  It is my dad's way of sending the message that THIS is YOUR time! 
My mind has gone thru a lot of emotions, the ex's family was NOT supportive, and that is ok, not everyone has the understanding of how much this means to someone.  I have been passionate about this since I was 17 years old when the greatest man I knew lost his life.  I KNOW that what I am doing is the right thing to do! 
I get asked DAILY...are you scared?  Nervous?  NO...my greatest hope is that this woman has a lifetime to spend with her new grandbaby,  I will have some of them someday...
Now a question...what is going to be the worst part of recovery?  I was told I can go home the next day...should I believe them?  I recover SO much better at home, (as most people do!) 
Thank you for allowing me to "vent", I needed this more than I thought!   

[elephant]

Dear crystal,

Now a question...what is going to be the worst part of recovery?

For me it was fatigue.  I was exhausted for the first 3 weeks, and fatigued for 6 weeks.
Constipation was awful too, stock up on prunes! 

 I was told I can go home the next day...should I believe them?

No.  Some donors have, but this is not the case for everyone.  You're having major abdominal surgery.  You are going to be in pain, you'll have had anesthesia, you'll be missing an important organ.  Don't let anyone rush you out of the hospital.  As a donor you can stay until you are ready to go.   I stayed 2 nights and really should have stayed one more.  Your recipient is going to be there, you can go visit. 


I recover SO much better at home, (as most people do!) 

You'll likely need support when you get home.  Don't turn away offers of help.  You will have lifting restrictions for weeks.   You'll need a driver to travel to make a follow-up appointment. 

And the BEST part?  Seeing your recipient feeling like a new person!


Love, elephant

[crystalakadinky]

Elephant,

ugh...prunes!!     the one thing I really don't like!  oh well, I will suck it up! 

Thank you so much,  I do have a large support group that will be around the house, I have been preparing the household already!! 

[Daleguy01]

I agree with Elephant.  I'm post 1 year 3 months donation just wrapping up my 1 year follow up this week, a little late.  I was in the hospital for 5 days, so not sure you will go home the next day, but you never know.  I would at least plan to be in the hospital for 2 -3 days, that seems to be the norm.  Fatigue and constipation were weigh up there on my ugh list!! Not sleeping the first few nights was also a little challenging.  The good thing was I didn't really have any pain.  Took me a while to get the stamina to walk, maybe 1 - 2 weeks. 

Drink plenty of fluids!  Good luck.

Re,
C

[Fr Pat]

Dear Crystal,
      Best wishes and prayers for you both!
      Wait and see how you feel before making any plans about how long to stay in the hospital. Each donor recovers differently. One thing to keep in mind: hospitals have a lot of drug-resistant microbes/viruses floating around, so stay just as long as you NEED to stay.
      Helpful hint: if you don't like prunes you might try mixing prune juice with other better-tasting juices (plus some vodka???) to make it go down easier. Yogurt is also a good thing to eat post-op, to help get the digestive microbes back in shape if they got knocked out by the anti-biotics.
     If you haven't already seen them, check the other hints that the National Kidney Foundation collected from past donors: www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingdonors/infotips.cfm
                 Fr. Pat

[Amberwoo]

I did go home the next day after surgery, and I think it was good for me. Once I got out of bed I was ready to be moving around a bit more and I think I would have been really bored had I stayed at the hospital longer.  But once again it depends on how you are feeling, do not let them rush you.  The staff was ready to send me home before I had eaten breakfast, and I hadn't really eaten anything the day before so I made sure they knew I wanted to have eaten a meal before I left.

For me the hardest part about recovery was not being able to jump right back into things I had been doing.  The fact that walking to the end of my street was difficult was hard for me, because I have a tendency to push myself a little too much.

Good Luck!  I hope everything goes well for you and your recipient.

[crystalakadinky]

   you all are AWESOME!!  Thank you!!  and I LOVE the vodka comment!  (if I only drank it...hmmm, may have to start!  !!)  I am going to definitely listen to my body on when to go home, I just know myself and I get irritated when I am trying to sleep and they keep waking me up!!   !  I need my sleep!  I am getting SO excited, I wish this could happen tomorrow!  I need someone to bring me a stuffed animal, hmmm, I wonder who I can convince to bring me one!     might have to con the mom into that one!  or my kids!  wonder if that will work!      

[elephant]

Dear crystal,

After surgery, my brother gifted me a stuffed pony that was a great shape and size for holding over my incision.  It was a sweet gesture, and Cyclone has been living with me ever since. You will want a firm pillow to hold over your tummy post surgery, especially if you need to sneeze.

Love, elephant

[Fr Pat]

Dear Crystal,
      If you go to www.iheartguts.com you (or your gift-giver) can buy a big plush smiling stuffed kidney to keep you company and hug. (Even easier to hug than your donated kidney was!) They also sell stuffed livers, hearts, gall-bladders, etc. etc., but one step at a time. You can also buy a "When Urine Love" T-shirt there. Happy shopping! Don't go broke.
   Fr. Pat

[crystalakadinky]

Well I went for my FINAL test today!!    Thank goodness that is out of the way!  Had the stress test and the echocardiogram and the second EKG, find out the results tomorrow, surgery is STILL scheduled for the 28th!!  YEA!!  Still not nervous, I talked to my sister in law today (the recipient) and she is getting nervous!)  I guess I don't blame her, she knows that I have until they put that needle in me to knock my butt out I can back out, I have told hold numerous times that I WILL NOT do that to her, but in all fairness...we never had the closest relationship!  So...I get where she is coming from!  I have NEVER been more ready to do anything in my life!  I SO wish it was the 27th already and I knew that in the morning I was going into the hospital!! 

[Michelle_PositiveMojo]

KUDOS TO YOU!!!! Exciting time in your life (& your recipients)!! I donated my kidney on Aug. 6!!!!  I'm a 38 year old, full-time working mom of two daughters and EXCITED to share the surgery/recovery was incredibly easier than described/imagined, with the first 12 hours post surgery being the most uncomfortable (which was modified/controlled with increase in pain meds).  My hospital stay was Wed-Sat, with ability to go home on Fri.  I chose to stay till Sat. to ensure my pain meds were the right mix (I had allergic reaction from the narcotics (common) which I anticipated due to a previous experience).  I strongly suggest getting in and out of bed on the opposite side of your incision, and rolling to your side before sitting up.  Little tricks I learned (& in one instance the hard way...first time out of bed was a doozy!!!!). If not the prunes (I don't like them either), lots of water, softeners and Miralax!!!!  Coughing can be a bit painful, so be prepared to hold your belly.  I found comfort in a blanket/pillow to rest on my belly...the pressure provided comfort (& lots of pillows, especially when at home).  I had to sleep on my back for the first week post surgery.  Can't tell you how awesome it felt to finally lay on my side (the left as they took my right kidney)!!!  My recipient feels like a million bucks and has accepted my kidney with ease (we are a 50% match)!!!!  I'll be thinking of you on the 28th and sending POSITIVE MOJO...it worked for my kidney team (here in WI)!!!!!!

[Denisep]

Hi, I am in the process of donating my kidney to my husband. We are currently waiting to get the "OK" from the Health Minister, its completely crazy how long the process has been. It's been over a year that we have been back and forth, numerous testing, etc. Nonetheless we are being patient and hope that we would be able to undergo our ops by November. Its been really great and helpful reading everyone's experiences, especially with what to expect post op. I'm really excited and just cannot wait for all this to be over so I can have my husband back. We are married for about a year and a half, and have yet to experience what married life is really like. But we are positive that our lives will be back to normal soon. My husband is more nervous/worried about me and my surgery than about him, with good reason :-). I would like some advice on pregnancy post op, has anyone had children after having donated a kidney? Doctors have not been very encouraging about pregnancy post op, due to higher risk of complications, etc. Would love to hear your experiences. Thanks. Denise :-)