Kidney Donation Recovery Experience

This video details recovering from kidney donation surgery at home, from about 3 days to 8 weeks post operation.
I donated my right kidney in an open nephrectomy via a non-directed (stranger, or altruistic) donation. I wanted to share some of my findings and experience to a broad audience as I found a wide gap in discussion about becoming a living organ donor.
A legitimate reason for a cautious dissemination of information is that neither the medical institutions that perform transplants, who cannot appear coercive, nor persons that need a transplant, are in a strong position to advocate for living donation.
Please ask any questions in the comments below.

[@anachronism88]

I donated a kidney on December 21st to my mom and I was discharged on the 22nd. My urine was clear the day of surgery, I got myself up 30 minutes after surgery and walked around, looking for my mom the day of discharge I did grocery shopping, cooked and did my laundry. Today is the 26th and I feel pretty "normal". It is seriously different for each person. My surgeon did the removal through the umbilicus, my incision is in a totally different location.

[@mobanstudio3695]

Wow I'm so glad your surgery went so smoothly - I can only hope my experience (which was still 100% worth it) was on the rougher end of the spectrum.

[@Andyhoch21]

Thanks for posting this videos. Im currently in the testing process to donate to a friend. This really helped with what to expect during the surgery.

[@lukemckay2917]

As a recent donor and a medical student, this is such an incredible video, thank you so much. I wish we had patient experience videos that were this clear and comprehensive to give for all procedures!

[@sharongerlach8792]

Thank you again for being so thorough in sharing your recovery experience. I'm on Day 9 post-op after donating my right kidney and my recovery has gone well. Today I felt great, able to walk a mile (slowly) and pain-free as long as I take it easy!

[@davidperchinsky2441]

You are a Living Angel 😇

[@ToniWilson-zd6ei]

55 years ago this December they ended up removing my left kidney because of CKD. I was in the 6th grade and have not had any issue. I have worked for 45 years. What you mentioned here bring back a lot of memories. Including the scares. My heart go out to people who can donate a kidney, if i could I would do it. I was young and had my mom by my side. I am so glad you had your aunt by your side. Thanks for sharing your story maybe others will offer their kidney. I am posting this just to let people know you can lve a normal life on one kidney. Just make sure you have regular kidney function test to make sure you don't devolped any issues. In 55 years i never had a issue but they always keep a eye on the kidney function!

[@bethmasters6755]

I am scheduled for my living donor surgery Dec. 22, and I am really glad I found this video! Thanks for sharing it.

[@mobanstudio3695]

Best of luck! Remember those first few days you'll likely be thinking "WOW that surgery was no joke, I'm glad I only have one spare". Ride the waves, let your body patch itself back up. The 'reward' afterward is incredibly unique - knowing the kidney you never thought about before is giving someone the freedom of life no longer dependant on dialysis, nor geographically leashed to a hospital system while waiting for a deceased donor.

[@bobbychristensen8887]

Watching this tonight and wishing you all the best tomorrow.

[@dmilk47]

Hope it went well!

[@rodtheplanter]

Very appreciative of you sharing your journey thank you!

[@jacktreacysj4400]

Thanks so much for your helpful videos. I'm set to donate in four weeks, sand find it lessens anxiety to have more information. All the best to you!

[@louiskimmelman4465]

This is helpful. Thank you! I'm going to donate soon and your video gives the most thorough explanation of what to expect from the weeks following the surgery.

[@mobanstudio3695]

You're welcome and good luck you you and recipient!! Let me know any other topics that may be helpful to cover.

[@kevinhanley8779]

Thanks, well done !

[@shawnhazel4110]

You are so strong such a inspirational story . Very honorable of you to do so . Thanks for sharing this information in such detail for a person like myself to donate to a friend in need of a kidney . Any other important tips feel free to let me know .❤

[@aradiohead79]

Thank you for doing this. Great info.

[@brianrietveld7365]

Thank you!

[@ceezee8496]

Thank you.

[@ramonsanabria1472]

Thanks dear so much for making this video !

[@rickymagicanada]

Thank you so much for sharing

[@pumasixtysix]

Thank you so much for posting this. My mother is going to donate her kidney to her sister in 2 days and Ive been looking everywhere for living donors experiences. Im trying to understand the struggles connected to the donation + surgery process so that I can support her mentally as well as physically. She didnt talk about her fears regarding the surgery up until today, so I am a bit worried. What would you recommend for the support system of a living donor? What are the things that helped you, what would you have wished of the people that supported you?

[@davidperchinsky2441]

You are a Living Angel 😇🙏🍀

[@davidperchinsky2441]

Great overview

[@moniqueollie2467]

Thank you so much for your videos - I just donated my kidney ~2 weeks ago, so your insights have been extremely helpful! When you mentioned that you had reaggravated your incision site during your 2nd month of recovery, did this mean that the wound had reopened, or and/did you experience additional pain? Did you need any additional surgery as a result?

[@jennalilly2515]

Thank you so much for the detailed description of your recovery. How long did it take for you to be able to lift/hold your arms above your head? My job involves a lot of that motion and I'm on my feet for most of the time. Just want to prepare myself for the time frame. I'm so glad that I found your video. Thank you.

[@mobanstudio3695]

I couldn't even really wash my hair in the shower for one week, then by two I could move them above my head painlessly but slowly as I was pretty stiff. Know many donors are told no lifting >10lbs (5kg) for 6 weeks, so depends on how weighted the motion is. At the 3rd week I could easily lift 10lbs from the floor with just thoughtful squat form, but would not have been able to do an overhead press with that same weight till probably the 4-5 week mark.

[@thepathtohappiness9582]

Thank you for sharing and donating. (classy video)

[@pjwst6]

I also went through NKR for non directed, and now doing intake with Cleveland Clinic. Thanks for these videos. How was your experience with the hospital? Any suggestions for working with that particular center? Thanks!

[@user-lb2bf2rv6r]

Thank you for your videos x. Im alturistically donating in December, just passed all the assessments. Im excited but worried about the bloating pain as its what ive been warned most of. How long does the bloating last approximately.

[@johndovii4688]

Hi, can you also talk about the psychological test and interview process please? Thanks from NZ

[@mobanstudio3695]

I know it's been a bit but I just posted two more videos all about the application process, including the psychological test!

[@moniqueollie2467]

Thank you so much for your videos…I just donated my kidney ~2 weeks ago, so these were extremely helpful! Question: when you mentioned that you had a few re-injuries, can you please clarify the nature of your injuries? Did the wound reopen? Did the pain come back more severely?

[@sherrysmith2411]

Hi! I am about to start the testing process to donate to a friend. Thank you for posting this. I'm curious - did you get a choice of whether to get a side incision or laparoscopy?

[@mobanstudio3695]

Yes, I was given the choice between left kidney via laparoscopic or my right kidney via open surgery! I wanted my right to be donated as it was smaller and further from a lower left quadrant surgery site I had as a kid, plus I thought one big scar may look cooler than a few keyhole ones lol! I felt a little bad giving the smaller kidney, but figured the recipient would be monitored their whole lives for function where I had a good chance of having no further issues. Good luck!

[@Flip4Chi]

First thing... thank you so much for all your information and being a my light through this! My transplant team told me they were going to a "Robotic- Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery" on me. Was that what you had done? Or was yours an "Open Technique Surgery"?

[@Flip4Chi]

OOOOO.... I just saw your scar on the video.... that answered my question. :)

[@f00f00mods]

Hi, I'm donating in January and have a couple of questions if that's ok. I have a physically demanding job and am self employed. The transplant coordinator has told me I'll need three months off work. Does that sound realistic from your perspective? Also, I'm a keen competitive cyclist. Currently riding in ultra distance events (200 to 350 miles, hopefully up to around 1000 next year). I've been told I should be able to get back on an indoor trainer within a week or two. From your description that sounds pretty unrealistic. Do you think sitting on a stationary bike would be possible that early?

[@elymental]

I am approximately eleven weeks in recovery 60 years old and have a car and a motorcycle It has taken until now just to be able to drive my car again and still I struggle to get in the car and the seatbelt can be uncomfortable. There is no way that I can ride my bike yet. I was told before the operation that I would be back to normal in six weeks and I believed it. But sadly in my case it looks more like three months to get comfortable and then start rebuilding my strength. I hope this honest answer has helped and good luck on your journey, just remember to take it slow and steady and you can recover

[@f00f00mods]

@@elymental thanks. I appreciate your honesty

[@mobanstudio3695]

So sorry to have missed this comment, I hope (if the surgeries happened) that you're on the up and up now. Your athleticism is extremely impressive and I hope any setbacks caused by the surgery are offset when you're not only a competitive cyclist - but a great representative of living kidney donors living their best lives!!

[@f00f00mods]

@@mobanstudio3695 no worries. I'm 4 weeks post op now. Not really able to ride a bike yet but getting a bit better every day.

[@AyakoTachi]

How do you feel about the long term follow-up? I've read that some living donors feel it isn't enough/comes to an end too soon.

[@mobanstudio3695]

I feel it's been appropriate/adequate, but I am one of the majority of donors without side effects. I respect that donors struggling with some kind of negative outcome may feel differently depending on what they're experiencing and how the transplant center is responding.

[@nikejones4164]

As a athlete a track and field runner how long would you say is my down time ?

[@leoorleans2771]

I’m a gardener, how long do you think i would need to recover before returning to normal work. Very physical job with heavy lifting. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@rania4548w]

Thank you so much ❤ can you please talk about if you had noticed any changes in your blood pressure? I

[@mobanstudio3695]

Hi! If my blood pressure changed at all it's ticked down slightly. I very consistently run 110/65 with HR ~62bpm nowadays. I average probably 1x/week 'real' cardio but ~10k steps/day as the bulk of my physical activity! I'm also on a diuretic which can lower bp.

[@rania4548w]

Why you are on diuretics? Is it something related to your donation?

[@dk28355]

I donated 5 weeks ago. I was told that my BP would rise after donation and that I would likely have to start on an anti-hypertensive med. That has not turned out to be the case; my BP is slightly lower than pre-surgery. Now that could be because I'm relaxed at home now...hard to say. I will add that it did run high for the first week after surgery, but my pain was not that well controlled - so that could be a factor. Bottom line, every single person has a slightly different experience.

[@hannahw8266]

Was the open approach planned or did they initially plan on laparoscopically? Do you know why they chose an open approach?

[@mobanstudio3695]

They actually gave me the choice ahead of time, open surgery for the R kidney or lap for the L. I wanted both the right kidney (slightly smaller than L kidney and away from a lower left quadrant surgery I had in infancy) and the open surgery (cooler scar in my opinion!).

[@beverlyquinn9036]

Is it the same when you are having your kidney moved?

[@tashiesweet]

Hello, did you experience a major loss in muscle mass and if so was it easy to get it back after healing?

[@mobanstudio3695]

Not any you wouldn't expect from the activity restrictions. Cardio came back quickly, the muscles on that side maybe 3 months till I didn't hold back whatsoever.

[@elizabethruff5886]

I'm in the testing process in hopes of donating a kidney to my dad. Is it true I won't be able to ever take ibuprofen for a headache again? That's the only thing I'm nervous about because every few months I get a killer headache and not much else helps. Obviously it wouldn't stop me but it's one of my few worries.

[@mobanstudio3695]

Sorry for the delay - I was told absolutely avoid ibuprofen though if I accidentally take it 'once in a great while' I don't need to fret. I'd see if your doctor can recommend alternative treatments for your headaches and sorry to hear you get them often :( Good luck with everything.

[@elizabethruff5886]

@@mobanstudio3695 thanks, I'll have to bring it up to the doctors as see what alternatives they suggest

[@jessicaroland23]

Why did they do the incision on your side instead of a laparoscopy?

[@mobanstudio3695]

I actually was given the option of the side/open surgery for my right kidney vs the laparoscopic procedure to retrieve my left kidney. Since I had a surgery on my lower left abdomen as a baby, I was honestly just nervous about laparoscopic tools poking around that old surgical site. Plus I wanted one bigger scar vs multiple smaller ones. Just my preference!

[@estherwernick6114]

Is the surgery pain similar to that of a c section?

[@mobanstudio3695]

I haven't had a c section so I can't say :/

[@gsmith6026]

I have donated a kidney and had 3 c-sections, to me the pain was way less than a C-section. I actually had very little pain, but I have a high pain tolerance. The pain was also so worth it to help my brother.

[@2listening1]

Cat claws can give us a shallow incision of sorts. 2:16

[@vfitness4life]

Hello. Why did you weigh so much after the surgery? I'm preparing to donate my kidney to my husband next month.

[@mobanstudio3695]

Honestly I'm not sure, it had to be just a combination of the fluids they gave me as I certainly wasn't eating much.

[@reefocean98]

Is it correct that you did not have a laparoscopic?

[@mobanstudio3695]

Correct, I had an "open" instead

[@scottmorrison945]

@@mobanstudio3695 was the open procedure planned or something that just had to happen? I am scheduled to donate in 6 days :)

[@brianareprogle2714]

@@scottmorrison945 I was allowed to choose between an open procedure to take out my right kidney or a laparoscopic to take out my left. I chose right so I knew it was going to be open going in - good luck!!

[@marid9077]

Can you talk about what insurance do you have and all the test you did! Please

[@mobanstudio3695]

I just posted two more videos that talk about the testing :)

[@trendingfunltd]

Which surgery is better?? Lap or open?

[@dk28355]

Most sources say that a lap is the preferred method now. Just be aware that with a lap, men can have testicular pain on the surgical side...pretty distressing. Something they don't tell you about but is relatively common, according to urologists.

[@SahilKhan-wk9sc]

Hy friend kidney sell krna k liya kisi ko bi call kro firod to hona hi h kahi registration kahi donar card kahi NOC kahi NKF to kahi medical test k nàam pr but dr varun thakur medical test k paysa bi patient data h ph no dp m so ho rha h thank you