Hypothetical What If?

[boxman55]

Lets say your sister/brother is in the process of going through the testing to donate a kidney to you. While this is going on, you get the call that a cadaver donor is available to you. Do you take the cadaver kidney or do you pass and hope your sister/brother is approved knowing that a living family donor would most likely be more successful. Any thoughts...Boxman

[bolta72]

Tough one, maybe I would consult with my donor and see what their feelings are.

[okarol]

My opinion: A bird in the hand.. as they say.. because you may need a siblings kidney later on, and if the deceased donor is a very good match and you feel good about taking the kidney... I would do it. 

[kitkatz]

I would run screaming to the hospital to get that cadaveric transplant kidney!

[MelissaJean]

I'd go through with the cadaver.. why have someone I love go through with surgery if they don't have to??. However, maybe it would be more selfish to take the cadaver when the next person on the list might not have a live donor and are depending on this.... hmm... tricky..

[kellyt]

Actually, that was a story my transplant coordinator told me.  She had a patient in Corpus Christi who's sister was driving down the day before their transplant and he got a perfect match cadaver.  He took the cadaver and still has it today (I think this happened a while back).  Can't pass up a perfect match, I guess.

[glitter]

what if you passed on the cadaver, then your sister had a last moment issue which kept her from donating to you...

[jbeany]

I'd take the cadaver.  You don't know for sure that sis is a match - you could lose your best chance at a successful transplant.

[goofynina]

My opinion: A bird in the hand.. as they say.. because you may need a siblings kidney later on, and if the deceased donor is a very good match and you feel good about taking the kidney... I would do it. 

Great advice Okarol 

[Wattle]

My opinion: A bird in the hand.. as they say.. because you may need a siblings kidney later on, and if the deceased donor is a very good match and you feel good about taking the kidney... I would do it. 

Exactly what I was going to say. Save those apples for a later date. No transplant will last forever.

[KT0930]

My opinion: A bird in the hand.. as they say.. because you may need a siblings kidney later on, and if the deceased donor is a very good match and you feel good about taking the kidney... I would do it.

I agree with Karol about the "bird in the hand", and what all the others have said about a perfect match cadaveric. However, the part about you might need your sibling's later on may not work. The last time I needed a transplant, my brother and my dad were both a match, so we went with my dad, so my brother could donate later if needed (my dad was already 65). Turns out this time around, due to PRA, my brother doesn't match. I'm not saying to let this decide for you, but you might ask your coordinator what the possibility of this happening could be. (Of course, I also have had two transplants, many blood transfusions, and two pregnancies.)

Best of luck, no matter what you decide, should you be faced with the decision!

[Romona]

Lets say your sister/brother is in the process of going through the testing to donate a kidney to you. While this is going on, you get the call that a cadaver donor is available to you. Do you take the cadaver kidney or do you pass and hope your sister/brother is approved knowing that a living family donor would most likely be more successful. Any thoughts...Boxman

This is what happened to me. My son was being tested (I didn't want him to donate). I got the call about a deceased donor and did it. I found out a few days after transplant he (my son) was a oerfect match.

[boxman55]

This is what happened to me. My son was being tested (I didn't want him to donate). I got the call about a deceased donor and did it. I found out a few days after transplant he (my son) was a perfect match.

Thanks all for your input. With my sister starting the testing, this thought came across me. I should be so lucky that I would have this choice..Hey? Now, Romona my question to you is, when was your transplant and is it still working and are you glad you did it to save your son the trouble...Boxman


EDITED: Fixed quote tag - okarol/moderator

[Romona]

This is what happened to me. My son was being tested (I didn't want him to donate). I got the call about a deceased donor and did it. I found out a few days after transplant he (my son) was a perfect match.

Thanks all for your input. With my sister starting the testing, this thought came across me. I should be so lucky that I would have this choice..Hey? Now, Romona my question to you is, when was your transplant and is it still working and are you glad you did it to save your son the trouble...Boxman


EDITED: Fixed quote tag - okarol/moderator

I am glad it worked out that way. My transplant was June 8, 2006. So far so good.

[stauffenberg]

You could approach the dilemma you have posed mathematically. A kidney from a living related donor generally lasts twice as long as one from a cadaver, so if you estimate the chance that your sibling will be turned down as a donor at less than 50%, then the odds favor waiting for the transplant evaluation of your sibling.  Since the whole HLA matching system is based on matches between a tiny sample of the hundreds of antigen groups in the human body, a kidney from a relative, who will share with you many of these untested antigen groups, will be better even than from an unrelated donor who is an equal match of 'officially measured' HLA groups.  A totally mismatched kidney from a live donor is still better than a well-matched cadaver kidney.

[kimcanada]

That would never happen here...  Once you have a living donor, you are taken off the "list"  I know that if I had the choice I would take the cadaver kidney tho, I am just coming to terms of being given a kidney from a living donor.

Kim

[kellyt]

That would never happen here...  Once you have a living donor, you are taken off the "list"  I know that if I had the choice I would take the cadaver kidney tho, I am just coming to terms of being given a kidney from a living donor.

Kim

I believe IHD Member, Oswald, received two calls for "perfect match" cadaver kidneys after he was transplanted.  I'll try to find the post...


Here it is.  I just copied and pasted his post.  You can search under key words "perfect match" and "oswald" as the member.

Maybe because he was multi listed??

just this very moment i got a call from washington hospital center.  they had another perfect match kidney to give me.  i already got one 6 point match kidney on may 1 07 from hopkins, then i got the first call from whc in the begining of oct,  now i just got another call from whc saying they wanted to give me another one.  i thought it was nearly impossible to get perfect match kidneys, but i'm not so sure now.  that would be the third 6 point match kidney in three months.   i am glad to turn this one down so another person has a chance at living.  simply amasing.

[Ang]

cadaver  all  the  way,

[George Jung]

I would pass and wait for my living donor.  Better kidney with known history.  First transplant to me is VERY important and want to be a successful as possible.  If you got "the call" then that would mean you are at the top of the list and you probably would not have to wait SOOOO long for another call (should your donor not work out).  Someone else without the possibility of a living donor could have a chance also.

[okarol]

I would pass and wait for my living donor.  Better kidney with known history.  First transplant to me is VERY important and want to be a successful as possible.  If you got "the call" then that would mean you are at the top of the list and you probably would not have to wait SOOOO long for another call (should your donor not work out).  Someone else without the possibility of a living donor could have a chance also.

You get the "call" because of the tissue match, not just wait time,  so it doesn't necessarily mean you will get another call soon.
It's true, that a living donor is a better risk, but in boxman's scenario he didn't know if he had a match and the donors hadn't been evaluated.
We had 9 people evaluated and who were found unsuitable as donors, so every time I worried about ever finding another living donor.
If it's a really good antigen and antibody match, and I had all my questions regarding the deceased donor answered fully, I think I would take the kidney.

[boxman55]

Okarol, I would also take the cadaver if it was the best match possible, just to save my sister the trouble and to be able to call her my spare (just to tease her  )...Boxman

[George Jung]

You get the "call" because of the tissue match, not just wait time,  so it doesn't necessarily mean you will get another call soon.

A perfect match will come from anywhere across the country right?  Although tissue match helps determine who gets it it is a sign of being near the top so I thought.  I mean, I am not getting any calls at the bottom of the list unless a perfect match come up right?

Hypothetically, is this kidney possibly bruised from an accident?

[okarol]

Some people have the longest wait time but don't get a good enough tissue match to ever get a call. I am not talking 6 of 6 antigen, but on your local list.

[Romona]

You get the "call" because of the tissue match, not just wait time,� so it doesn't necessarily mean you will get another call soon.

A perfect match will come from anywhere across the country right? Although tissue match helps determine who gets it it is a sign of being near the top so I thought. I mean, I am not getting any calls at the bottom of the list unless a perfect match come up right?

Hypothetically, is this kidney possibly bruised from an accident?

My kidney came from another region or what ever it is called. My donor didn't fall under the closest CORE branch. I was on the list about six weeks. Please think positive and don't pay attention to average wait times. My blood type average wait time was five years. That is why I was blown away by the call. If you match you match. Your antibodies, donor antibodies ect...

A bruised kidney is not necessarily a bad thing. A friend's husband got a kidney that was sleepy and now they believe it was bruised. He has 25% function. His health has improved greatly and will be going back to work soon. His quality of life is better. It is unknown if function will improve even more or if it will get worse. For now his family is so grateful and enjoying the improvement in his quality of life.

[Romona]

Update on the bruised kidney! It continues to improve. I don't know exact numbers.

You never know.