What Can I Expect After Kidney Donation Surgery
Youll stay in the hospital for two to three days. You may experience pain, tenderness or itching at the incision sites for few days. Fatigue is also common in the first few weeks.
Most people resume their usual activities within four to six weeks. After surgery, you should not:
- Drive for two weeks.
- Get pregnant for at least one year.
- Lift anything heavy for six weeks.
You should expect to do follow-ups with the team for two years.
Comparison Of Living Donor And Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantations
The timeframes in this table are average estimates. Please speak to your kidney care team for more detailed information about how long your transplant might last and possible waiting times.
| What’s being compared? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sometimes, but this is less likely due to the waiting time | ||
| Transplant surgery times can be planned in advance? | Yes surgery is usually during the day | No surgery often takes place at night |
| Chance of the transplanted kidney working within a day of the surgery | Higher. The kidney has come from someone who is fit and well, so it almost always works straight away. | Lower. The kidney has come from someone who has died, so it takes longer for the kidney to wake up and start working. |
| Risk from the donated kidney | Lower. The health of the donor is easier to thoroughly check before donation. The donor is unlikely to have had major health issues. | Higher. It is more difficult to thoroughly check the health of the donor, and because the donor is more likely to have had major health issues. |
Guide To Living Kidney Donation
Donating a kidney so someone can live a life free of dialysis is one of the greatest gifts a person can give. This unselfish act to a relative, loved one, or friend gives the donor an opportunity to greatly improve the quality of life for someone they love or want to help.
In our community and across the country, thousands of people are in need of a kidney transplant. The United Network for Organ Sharing Wait List continues to grow every year, while the number of deceased donor organs has remained steady over the past decade. The shortage has prompted a nationwide effort to increase living organ donation.
This guide will explain the process involved in the testing and acceptance of a potential donor. It is intended to answer questions for those considering donation, as we understand this is an emotional, personal and sometimes difficult decision.
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You Dont Have To Be Related To Someone To Donate A Kidney To Them
In fact, one in four living organ donors is not biologically related to the recipient . Spouses, in-laws, close friends, church members, and even members of the same community can all be living donors.
It’s true that family members have a higher chance of being a good match. But living donor transplants are more successful compared to kidneys from deceased donors because these kidneys come from living donors.
What Happens To Living Donors After They Donate Their Kidney
After their operation, kidney donors have follow-up appointments immediately after surgery, at six months and then one and two years after donation to ensure their health is in stable condition after donating. Donors typically recover faster than recipients and report that they are glad they donated their organ to someone in need.
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How Do You Feel About Hospitals And Surgery
Most kidney donation procedures are now done laparoscopically, meaning a surgeon will get to the organ inside your body through several tiny cuts. But it’s still major surgery, and youâd get general anesthesia, which means you wouldnât be âawakeâ for it. The procedure usually takes about 3 hours, and most donors stay in the hospital for 2 to 3 days afterward.
When Is A Kidney Donation Needed
A kidney transplant is used to treat kidney failure , a condition in which kidneys can function at only a fraction of their normal capacity. People with end-stage kidney disease need either dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive.
Causes of kidney failure may include diabetes, polycystic kidney disease , chronic uncontrolled high blood pressure , or chronic glomerulonephritis .
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What’s Your Pain Tolerance
Itâs normal to have some pain after surgery. How bad it hurts varies a lot from person to person.
“My recovery was relatively painful,” Nothdurft says. “I was slated to go home 2 days after surgery, but my doctor ended up having me stay an extra day to make sure we had the right types and levels of pain medications.”
While most people don’t have severe pain , it’s common to feel uncomfortable for a few weeks. To help you heal and make complications, such as hernias, less likely, your doctor may advise you to limit physical activity. “My doctor didn’t want me to go up and down stairs a lot, so I put a bed in my living room,” Nothdurft says.
You should also expect some scarring, Vassalotti says.
Big Benefits Of Kidney Donation
It is easy to recognize the benefits of a successful kidney transplant for the person getting the new kidneybetter health, a greater quality of life, and a potentially longer lifespan can all have a life-changing impact. There can also be big benefits to becoming a kidney donor. After a kidney donation, the donor often feels deeply rewarded and fulfilled by helping to save someones life. Some donors also feel more in touch with their own health and feel committed to taking good care of themselves after kidney donation surgery.
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Why Are Kidney Donations From Living Donors Ideal
Kidneys, unlike a heart or lung, can be donated by a healthy, willing donor who is alive. Living donors offer the best chance of survival for transplant patients. When a kidney is transplanted from a living donor, the organ is immediately given to the recipient within hours, which minimizes the chance of complications during surgery and recovery. In cases of living donation, recipients who receive kidneys from living donors typically know where their organ is coming from, unlike people receive organs from a deceased donor.
Faq: Living Kidney Donor
Most kidneys for transplant are from people who have died and whose families give permission for organ donation. But there aren’t enough of these organs for everyone who needs one. Nationally, more than 70,000 patients are on the kidney transplant waiting list, and more are added each year.
Living donor kidney transplants are an important option. They’re possible because we’re born with two kidneys. When surgeons remove one of the donor’s kidneys, the remaining kidney grows slightly to compensate for the loss of the other and the kidney can function normally.
Here are some questions and answers about living donor kidney transplants:
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Financial Aspects Of Living Donation
Many potential kidney donors have questions regarding the financial impact of becoming a donor. There will be both covered expenses and non-covered expenses associated with evaluation and donation that potential donors need to consider carefully.
Covered Expenses
The insurance of the intended recipient of your kidney covers the testing needed to see whether or not you can be a donor as well as the surgery and hospitalization needed for the kidney donation.
In general, some follow-up/post-operative care is covered, but not all. The extent of covered follow-up care will vary depending on your recipient’s insurance.
Non-Covered Expenses
In general, the following expenses are not covered by insurance, so should be considered “out-of-pocket” costs:
- Travel and hotel stay
- Elder care
- Follow-up costs
- Lost wages )
- Federal Employees 30 days paid leave for organ donation
- American Society of Transplantation’s list of organizations that provide paid leave
Kidney Donor Questionnaire: How To Become A Kidney Donor
The best way to determine suitability for donation is to complete this online questionnaire. The transplant team will obtain medical and personal information for initial review. Any questions about individual issues can be discussed confidentially with a transplant coordinator. It is important to understand that the Living Donor Team cannot reach out to a potential donor until they have specified their wish to donate. Our automated system will inform you if you are eligible to move forward with the donor evaluation process upon completion.
Note: Please complete the questionnaire from a laptop or desktop to better concentrate on critically important questions regarding your health. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at or by phone at 866-672-5333 .
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Benefits Of Receiving A Kidney From A Living Donor
Receiving a kidney from a living donor has many advantages over deceased kidney donation. On average, kidneys from living donors last longer and there is usually less of a wait.
Once a potential living donor comes forward, it usually takes 3-6 months for them to have all their tests and for the operation to be arranged. If youre not yet on dialysis but your kidneys are failing, this makes it more likely that a kidney transplant can be done before you eventually need dialysis. They can also be can be planned in advance so they almost always happen during the day.
What Are The Types Of Living Kidney Donation
There are two kinds of living kidney donation:
Living related : Donation from parents and sibling.
Living unrelated: Donation from friends or from person who isnt related by blood to the recipient.
Different types of kidney donation include:
- Directed: You choose who gets your donated kidney.
- Paired kidney exchange: Organ transplants work best when the donor and recipient have the same blood type or tissue type. If you and the recipient arent a compatible match, you can donate your kidney to someone else who is a match. In return, a family member or friend of the recipient donates a kidney to your loved one.
- Nondirected or altruistic: You dont know the person who gets the donated kidney. Instead, you choose to help someone unconditionally.
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What Should I Expect From Surgery And Kidney Donation Recovery
Kidney donation surgery is done under general anesthesia and typically takes about 2 to 3 hours. During the surgery, your medical team will monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen level. Surgeons usually do laparoscopic surgery, which is less invasive. This type of surgery uses smaller incisions, causes less scarring, and can mean a shorter kidney donation recovery time. Afterward, its common to stay in the hospital for a few days.
Can You Donate Plasma If You Have Herpes Virus
Because plasma is part of your blood, the same rules apply if you have herpes, whether you have HSV-1 or HSV-2: Dont donate plasma if any lesions or sores are actively infected. Wait until theyre dry and healed. Dont donate until its been at least 48 hours since youve finished taking any antiviral treatment.
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Are Transplants From Living Donors Always Successful
Although transplantation is highly successful, and success rates continue to improve, problems may occur. Sometimes, the kidney is lost to rejection, surgical complications or the original disease that caused the recipient’s kidney to fail. Talk to the transplant center staff about their success rates and the national success rates.
Kidney Donation After Death
You can register your decision to donate your organs after death through the Australian Organ Donor Register. Kidney transplants have a high success rate and by donating after death, you will be giving someone the potential to have a longer and more active life than they would have had on dialysis treatment.A transplant from a deceased donor can be used for medically suitable people who have been stabilised on dialysis.You must be declared dead before your organs and body tissues can be used. The two legal definitions of death in Australia are:
- brain death when a person’s brain permanently stops functioning
- circulatory death when a person’s heart permanently stops functioning in their body.
The type of death and the health of the organs and tissues of the potential donor dictate how the organ and tissue donation process will occur, and which organs and tissues can be donated.
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What Is Living Donation
Living donation takes place when a living person donates an organ for transplantation to another person. The living donor can be a family member, such as a parent, child, brother or sister .
Living donation can also come from someone who is emotionally related to the recipient, such as a good friend, spouse or an in-law . Thanks to improved medications, a genetic link between the donor and recipient is no longer required to ensure a successful transplant.
In some cases, living donation may even be from a stranger, which is called anonymous or non-directed donation.
How Does Living Donation Work
Because a person can live with only one kidney, living donation offers another choice for some transplant candidates. The average waiting time for a donor kidney from a deceased donor is 3 to 5 years. A kidney from a living donor offers patients an alternative to years of dialysis and time on the national transplant waiting list. With living donation, a patient may be able to receive a transplant in 1 year or less. After donation, the living organ donors remaining kidney will enlarge, doing the work of 2 healthy kidneys.
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What Are The Benefits Of Living Kidney Donation
It can take up to three to five years for someone on the kidney transplant waitlist to get a kidney from a deceased donor. During this time, theyre on dialysis. Sometimes, a persons health declines, making them ineligible for a transplant. A living donor can cut this wait time.
People who receive a kidney from a living donor reap other benefits:
- Less risk of rejection: A kidney from a family member is often a better genetic match than a kidney from a stranger. As a result, theres less risk of organ rejection.
- Longer organ life: Living donor kidneys can last 15 to 20 years. Kidneys from deceased donors function for about 10 to 15 years.
- Faster function: A kidney from a living donor begins working quickly after transplantation because its out of the body for a short time. Some people who get kidneys from deceased donors may need dialysis until the transplanted kidney starts to work.
What Is Involved In Kidney Transplant Surgery
You will be given a before your surgery. Until recently, the removal of a kidney required an 8 in. to 9 in. incision on one side of the body . Now, is usually used to remove the donor kidney. Advantages of laparoscopic kidney removal include less pain, shorter hospital stays, a more rapid return to normal activities, and a smaller, less noticeable scar.
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If I Want To Donate My Kidney But Im Not A Match For A Family Member Who Needs A Transplant Can I Still Help Someone
Donors who are not good matches for their potential recipient are eligible to enroll in paired kidney exchange programs. These programs have large registries of patients to allow for matching between donors and recipients. Organizations like the National Kidney Registry and the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation work to ensure patients can receive the best match for their kidney transplants with the best outcomes for patients and donors. If a living donors kidney is not a good match for their chosen recipient, donors can give their kidney to another waitlist patient in exchange for another donated kidney that better matches the patient they are advocating for. This swap program can also offer support and financial protection for living donors after they donate.
What Happens When Kidneys Stop Working
The kidneys remove waste products from our blood. They also control the levels of salt and fluid in our bodies. Sometimes an illness or a disease, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, can cause the kidneys to fail. When this happens, it is called end-stage kidney disease, because the kidneys are nearing the end of their ability to work correctly.
When the kidneys stop working, the patient must have some type of treatment to remove the waste products from the blood. One option is a kidney transplant. The kidney can come from a healthy living person or from someone who has recently died . Dialysis is another option. Dialysis uses a machine to remove waste products from the blood. For those who are eligible, transplant from a living donor is the best option.
How does living kidney donation work?
A person who donates a kidney to someone in need is called a living donor, and a person who needs a kidney is called a transplant candidate.
Any adult who is in good health can be assessed to become a living donor. Every potential donor must have a complete medical checkup to make sure they are healthy enough to donate a kidney to a person in need.
Types of living donation
Directed donation
This type of donation occurs when a potential donor knows a transplant candidate and is a match to that person. Directed donors can be biologically related to the transplant candidate or unrelated .
Non-directed anonymous donation
What are the advantages of living kidney donation?
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