Donor Story

I posted my story in the Dialysis: Transplant Stories section and then saw this section.

I would like to start off by saying hi to everyone. My brother Mark, Rimbo74, has told me a lot about this site and how much it has meant to him. I appreciate everyone that was able to provide him advice and support through this journey.

I wanted to share with anyone interested what a positive experience the kidney donation was for me. My brother is my best friend, so deciding to donate the kidney was a no brainer. It never really crossed my mind if I should or shouldn't. With that being said, I will go right into the story of the day before the surgery (7/30/07) to the present.

As I am sure anyone who has had surgery before knows, the day before surgery is nice and full of anxiety and anticipation. I had my doctor prescribe Xanax so that I could actually get some sleep the night before. We arrived at Baylor bright and earlier on the 31st, 5 am, and were quickly being moved into pre-op and on into surgery. My nurses and Anesthesiologist were more than nice and made sure I was comfortable. When I came to in post-op I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't in tremendous pain. My only real issue was nausea due to the anesthesia, but that was quickly solved. I was told the operation took approximately 3.5 hours. The doctors took my left kidney laparoscopically. The only slow down was due to a little extra fat around my liver and kidney. Guess I need to eat better! The afternoon of the surgery I was put in a normal hospital room. The pain meds were more than sufficient at keeping me comfortable that evening and through the night. I wasn't a big fan of the catheter, but I'm not sure anyone is. The next morning they removed my catheter and wanted me to urinate on my own and encouraged me to walk if I could. When I stood up for the first time was when I felt pain for the first time. It was a sharp, burning pain that put me right back down on my butt. Once I felt the pain though, I quickly expected it and it wasn't that bad. Actually I only felt the pain when I transitioned from sitting to standing or vice versa. Within a couple of hours, I was able to walk for short distances. They let me go visit my brother for the first time which was cool. I did have to take a wheelchair up to see him, but got out and walked into his room (a little showing off). That afternoon the doctors told me I could go home if I felt up for it and I was ready to go. I did have one other pain I want to mention cause I think both donors and recipients most likely have this pain. Both Mark and I got an intense pain in our shoulders supposedly from the gas they put into your abdominal cavity during surgery. It is not constant, but it is intense. It passed for us within 2 - 3 days. The pain quickly resided and was gone for the most part in about a week. I experienced fatigue for about a week and a half, but it wasn't anything a nap or two couldn't solve. My five incisions were all glued together, so I never had to worry about changing bandages (NICE!). I returned to work three weeks after the surgery. If I wanted, it could have been two weeks, but I wanted a little R&R at the pool before making my return. I have a little nerve damage that is represented as slight numbness around my waistline. It is fading and is barely noticeable anymore. For males, swelling might settle in undesirable areas making them a little sore, but that passed quickly too.

I hope this story helps someone who may be considering donation. Knowing what I know now, I would do it again without a second thought.

Please let me know if I can provide any additional information to anyone. I will do my best to try to check this site. If you don't get a response from me, please hit up Rimbo74 and have him give me a heads up.

I wish everyone the very best!

Paul