Ode to Alpha Kidney - A Donors Story Part 3

Read Part 1 of the Story

Read Part 2 of the Story

WAKE UP!

The next thing I knew I was in the recovery room. The first memory I have was trying, in a complete daze, to rub my eyes and turn over on my side, which they wouldn't let me do. Then I don't know how much time passed before my next memory. I remember then talking to a male nurse that was taking care of me.

After a little bit, Aaron was in the same recovery area on the other side of the room. When he was more awake, we gave each other a thumbs up.

Shortly thereafter I was out of the recovery area and on my way to a normal hospital room, where I saw my parents, received a visit from my best friend Kristine, had some calls from my friend Sonja (I think Sonja said later that I seemed a little "high" to her...maybe she can contribute that story in the comments) and my then boyfriend and now husband David, who was fishing in Montana and unable to be there.

I didn't feel really bad at all. I had tubes everywhere, but even that didn't freak me out as much as I thought...maybe that was due to the drugs. Anyway, I just remember being pretty tired and eventually, a little nauseous. They gave me some "miracle" drug (or at least that's how it felt at the time) called Phenergan that took that away but made me even more tired. I conked out.

JELLO AND CHICKEN BROTH SUCK!

As surgeries go, I have very few complaints. In fact, most of my complaints are not related to the pain of surgery at all, but the miscommunication of nurses and doctors related to feeding me solid foods instead of Jello and broth. The thought of Jello and broth still makes me mad as I write this!

The nurses kept telling me I had to "move things" (if you know what I mean) before getting to eat. In my head I'm thinking, "I would, but there's nothing there because you people made me drink that stuff last night!!" (TMI...well, deal!) I was hungry.

The surgeons came in to check on me and I told them of my plight and asked if I was allowed to eat regular food (by the way, I had been told by my Dad that Aaron had been eating full meals the entire time). The surgeons said I could absolutely have "real" food. Thank goodness! My next meal should be substantive...

....Next meal - JELLO AND CHICKEN BROTH...

....And the next - JELLO AND CHICKEN BROTH...

...ANGER BOILING!!...

...Next meal - JELLO AND...drum roll please...CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Ok, this is a cruel joke now. A couple noodles and pieces of chicken SOOO don't count! Give me a sandwich before I go postal on all y'all!

...Next meal (the one right before I was allowed to leave the hospital) -

JELLO AND CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

"That's it! This is ridiculous!"

At this point I was angry and frustrated almost to the point of tears. Since I couldn't really walk that easily, my mother went out in the hall and managed to stop the lady handing out the food and commandeered me a sandwich. About a half hour later, things "moved". Imagine that!

GET BACK HERE WITH MY DRUGS RIGHT NOW!

I think it was Friday afternoon after the surgery that a nurse came in and wanted me to try to get up and walk a bit. They put a novacaine patch on my abdomen to possibly help with any pain and started to help me out of bed. It was NO FUN! It was pretty painful and I got pretty nauseated. So I sat on the chair beside the hospital bed and told the nurse I needed some of that magical drug Phenergan ASAP.

The idea of vomiting after you've had any type of abdominal surgery (or coughing, sneezing, or even laughing) is the worst. So there I sat on the chair thinking, "I am not going to throw up...the nurse will be back any second...I am not going to throw up...hang in there...hang in there..."

A minute or more passed and I was still feeling awful and in need of some drugs for nausea. I actually can't believe I managed to hold it in. But the nurse had not yet shown herself. "Crap, I don't even have a bucket...this is horrible," I thought.

My parents were with Aaron in his room, so I just had to call out in a feeble voice, "help...someone...help!"

Finally, minutes later a DIFFERENT nurse came in. Guess the other went on her lunch break. I got my Phenergan and was helped back in bed. Crisis adverted - barely.

Just so you know, later on that evening I walked - hunched over at about a 90 degree angle - but I walked. The next morning I walked all the way to Aaron's room and around the halls.

KICKED OUT

Gladly, I left the hospital the Saturday afternoon following surgery. Guess all that walking convinced them I could handle the "real world" now. I did think it was amazing how early they kick you out! Surgery on Thursday, out on Saturday. I was in the hospital longer after a normal, no complications childbirth!

I immediately got a sub from Jimmy John's which was right beside the hotel where I stayed with my parents that night. The next day my dad drove me home to Salem, VA where I planned to stay until I was cleared to return to work in Maryland.

Aaron got out of the hospital that Monday. We both were home.

I luckily didn't have much pain at all. And I wanted to do my best to get off the hard pain killers (in my case, percoset) as soon as I possibly could. After about a week, I was taking Tylenol only. Which reminds me...there are some restrictions after donation. My personal least favorite restriction is that you should not take any Motrin for the rest of your life. I mean, a few here and there is ok, but never on a regular pain regulation basis. So, Tylenol it is - and you ladies know that Motrin is way better when "your friend" visits. You also want to be sure you watch your risk for becoming diabetic, which would obviously be problematic. And, perhaps you may want to reconsider activities that could cause injury like rugby, jousting, cage fighting, etc.

Immediately after the surgery, there were a few only a couple restrictions - no driving and no lifting anything over 10lbs. Other than that, I didn't feel very different at all. Sure I had some discomfort, I still walked semi-hunched, and had less energy. But I was doing great. In fact, I was back at work in less than a month.

JOKES HURT!

I remember sitting here at home while recovering with Aaron and he began to joke that my kidney required more food - and more bathroom breaks. The joking along those lines continued to a point where both of us were laughing - HARD! It hurt to laugh, but we couldn't stop. We would laugh and say "ow" at the same time. I think I finally had to leave the room to collect myself enough to stop causing pain.

We still joke to this day. Some of my favorites are asking him to give it back...like, "Hey Aaron, some unload the car or give me back my kidney." It's good times.

THE BEST PART
I think the scariest part of donation for me was the idea that Aaron and I could go through with all this and it may not work. His body may reject it. Anti-rejection drugs have gotten much better, so the rejection rate is down to about 15%, but it happens. But somehow I knew everything would be ok. I mean, he was getting my super-mega awesome Alpha kidney!

It was better than ok. Aaron's creatinine levels (a measure of kidney function) were down to normal levels in the hospital (1.1), which was amazing. He also had much more energy, a renewed appetite, etc.

Aaron will take immuno-suppressant medications for the rest of his life which keep his body from rejecting the kidney. Because the drugs purposefully weaken his immune system, there were precautions right after surgery we had to take. For example, when people came to visit, we offered them hand sanitizer right away, and if they were sick at all, they were not allowed to visit. He couldn't go out in crowded areas yet either. In addition, right after the surgery he was having to take approximately 15 pills a day.

Now, he takes probably half that amount...and the limitations on his freedom are pretty much gone. There are precautions he still has to take, such as not swimming in lakes, staying away from sick people generally, never owning a bird, etc.

TODAY

It's been over 3 years now and things are still going very well for both of us. Aaron is married and working. I am married and have a beautiful baby boy (Quick note: I talked to my OBGYN before donating about donation and pregnancy/childbirth, since I wanted to consider the risk factors with the knowledge that I wanted to have children someday...she said there would be no reason not to donate. I have a healthy baby boy to show for it.)

The bad news is that Alpha kidney won't last forever for Aaron. A kidney transplant today lasts for about 10-12 years on average. However, living donor transplants tend to last longer. I've heard of some lasting 20 years or more. I pray that's the case here!!

DO IT!

For me, becoming a donor was a complete no brainer. I would do it again if I could. Are their risks? Sure! Do I have scars, absolutely (they did the surgery laproscopically, so I have about 5 small scars on my abdomen and one large one below the belt line similar to what someone would have after a C-section). Do I care...NOPE!

I want to encourage everyone to think about organ donation. If you are ever in the process of considering donation as a living donor to a family member or friend, feel free to talk to me. It's a decision you should make with much prayer and education. It's a decision only YOU can make. And make sure you check to be an organ donor in the event something did happen to you. Think of the lives you can affect!!

I want to end this series with a few stats on organ donation that hopefully will make you think.

1. 104,748 U.S. patients are currently waiting for an organ transplant; more than 4,000 new patients are added to the waiting list each month.
2. Every day, 18 people die while waiting for a transplant of a vital organ, such as a heart, liver, kidney, pancreas, lung or bone marrow.
3. Because of the lack of available donors in this country, 4,573 kidney patients, 1,506 liver patients, 371 heart patients and 234 lung patients died in 2008 (the same year I donated) while waiting for life-saving organ transplants.
4. Nearly 10 percent of the patients currently waiting for heart transplants are young people under 18 years of age.
5. Acceptable organ donors can range in age from newborn to 65 years or more. People who are 65 years of age or older may be acceptable donors, particularly of corneas, skin, bone and for total body donation.
6. An estimated 12,000 people who die each year meet the criteria for organ donation, but less than half of that number become actual organ donors.

Thanks for reading our story! To God be the Glory! Whoa, that rhymed...