Kidney donation - would you?

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Boatman

Active Member
I am saving mine in case my daughter needs it. She was born with about 1.5 to 1.75 kidneys. I am not allowed to give blood so not sure whether they will take my organs although I have carried a donor card since I was 16. Have had sarcoidosis in my lungs since I was about 41 now 53 and feel fine so hopefully organs are good.
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
I have a work friend who is just about to go on the transplant list, after a year of waiting due to hsopital cocks ups, as she needs a kidney. She has already had 2 transplants and is currently having dialysis 3 times a week. She has been told to expect a fair wait due to be O-ve blood which dont come up that often. I have been thinking about donating one of mine, I am also O-ve but wanted to know what other people thought, would you donate a kidney to someone?

In this case i would want to know why the transplants were unsuccessful, rejection, another underlying condition or the lifestyle of the person who needs the 3rd operation.Only if all of the above were answered to your satisfaction then you should consider whether you want to go ahead.

If all you are going to do is prolong the life of a terminal patient for a bit longer then it would be a tough call and not a situation i would want to be in.

If a family member or very close friend needed a kidney and i was compatible then i would be 1st in line to offer my organs and as for what to do with me after i die i hope to be soooo old that no one would want my bits, but if i had an untimely demise they can cut off whatever they need for anyone.
 
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Paul_iow

New Member
Thanks for all the replies, it is not something I would go into until I have looked into everything and spoken to a lot of people, especially people who have done it before.

In response to cybernight - the first kidney last about 25 years which is a long time for a transplant. I am not sure on the 2nd but believe it to be around 10 years so still a fair old time. I will find out for definite but believe she had a string of colds/flu or something that, due to be on anti-rejection meds, hit the kidney pretty hard. But not 100% though.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
A good friend of mine had kidney problems. It turned out that one kidney hadn't formed properly and his other one was dying. The doctors monitored it and eventually it had got so feeble that he was due to go on dialysis. Fortunately, his dad was able to donate a kidney and both made a full recovery. That was about 8 years ago.

Having said that, my mother picked up C-Diff twice in hospital, her cousin caught MRSA and so did a family friend. I now consider hospitals as potentially lethally infectious places and would be reluctant to undergo surgery except to save a loved one, or if I had something wrong with me that couldn't be fixed any other way.

Still, it's admirable that you are considering making that donation!
 

Zee

Guru
Location
Manchester
Safeguarding your own health is the first priority. You'll need to look at your current kidney function and any history of kidney disease in your immediate family - for anything that may lower your kidney function in conjunction with old age and cause trouble later in life. That would be all the more significant when your starting point is 50% kidney function.

As the others have mentioned, there will be associated risk which comes with going under general anaesthetic and staying in hospital as with any other operation. As for the transplant itself, they'll probably opt to do the procedure laproscopically - incisions three ports (~1") for instruments and lighting+camera and one more (~4")to extractthe kidney so the scarring is quite minimal. The whole op plays out on a TV screen - taking about three or four hours. You'll be admitted for a week or so for recovery.

Regarding whether to donate a kidney, even though I'm an advocate, I baulked at the thought of volunteering for a living donor procedure. I have a great deal of respect for you for considering it. Good luck sir.
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
Under consideration I think personally I would only consider doing so to a very close blood relative.
 
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